Collin Samuel revealed yesterday that in grabbing the seven goals he has so far this term, he isn’t even halfway towards reaching his scoring target for the campaign.
Since returning to the top flight with St Johnstone, Samuel has found a consistency of performance to go with his undoubted ability, and he has set himself an ambitious challenge as far as finding the net is concerned.
“My best total for a season is 16 which I got in the first division with Falkirk,” he said.
“And I fancy my chances of beating that this year because I’ve become better at being in the right place at the right time and taking my chances, and the extra work I’ve been doing in training has made me more consistent.
“I’m fitter now than I have ever been and that’s paying off.”
Samuel pointed out that his weekend counter at Tynecastle completed a top flight scoring set for him.
“That’s my first goal against Hearts since I got a hat-trick in a cup tie with them the season I got the 16 goals,” he said.
“And they were the only SPL team I hadn’t scored against in the SPL so Saturday’s was a landmark goal for me.”
As he seeks to continue his rich vein of form, the one thing the Trinidad and Tobago internationalist is dreading is the advent of the Scottish winter—though he revealed nowadays he finds the baking heat of his homeland just as unpleasant!
“I’ve spent so long in Scotland that even though I still can’t handle the cold here, I can’t handle the heat back in the Caribbean and South America either,” he smiled.
“When I went home in the summer for the World Cup qualifiers it was the hottest I’d ever felt and it was a struggle.
“Scottish weather is what I am now accustomed to although I still can’t deal with the temperatures here in the winter time.”
Samuel’s contract is up at the end of the present campaign and he has been linked with a transfer window move to Wigan.
The player claimed though he’s not thinking beyond his next match and next goal.
“I don’t know anything more about Wigan than what was written at the time,” he said.
“And I’m just concentrating on my football and trying to get on the scoresheet week in week out for St Johnstone. As far as my future is concerned, we’ll wait and see. Anything is possible.”
Saints defender Graham Gartland was excused training yesterday because underfoot conditions in Perth meant the squad had to train on artificial turf.
Gartland missed the game at Hearts after aggravating his shoulder problem while training the day before, but he’s expected to resume once a suitable grass surface becomes available to the club again.
It’s hoped, too, that long-term absentee Steven Milne may train with the squad later this week.