IT MAY NOT have been a great week for Irish football in Europe but Paddy Cregg’s man-of-the-match performance for St Johnstone was a rare positive.
While Sligo Rovers, Drogheda United and Derry City went out of their respective Champions League and Europa League qualifiers, the Dubliner brilliantly marshalled the midfield on a historic evening at McDiarmid Park.
Having earned an incredible 1-0 win against Norway’s most successful side Rosenborg in the away leg, the Saints came back from a goal down to draw 1-1 and progress to the third qualifying round of the Europa League on arguably the biggest night in the Perth club’s history.
Former Northern Ireland international Tommy Wright, who only took over from Millwall-bound Steve Lomas last month, has already secured his name in the history books and singled out Cregg for praise after his gritty display.
Speaking to TheScore.ie, ex-Ireland U21 international Cregg reacted to the result: “It was a great achievement for the club. We were all buzzing. (The atmosphere) was the best it has been since I’ve been here. The supporters were brilliant.
“Looking at Rosenborg’s budget compared to ours, it is a massive achievement. People are saying it’s the best result in the club history.
I was happy on a personal level but it’s about the team going through. When they scored first I was fearing the worst but we bounced back.”
This month marks one year since the 27-year-old Arsenal youth product joined St Johnstone and what a 12 months it has been in a career which has seen its fair share of ups and downs.
After making his senior bow for the Gunners in 2004, Cregg departed for Falkirk, where he enjoyed three seasons before a move to Hibernian. A season with St Mirren followed but problems in his personal life meant his performances weren’t up to scratch and he only made a handful of appearances for Bury during the 2011/12 campaign.
“I wasn’t in the right state of mind,” he admits. “I had a couple of things going on in my private life which affected my football. But I’ve sorted that stuff out and it’s all behind me now. I’m just buzzing for the season.”
St Johnstone then took a punt on him and it has paid off immensely. He was a regular in the side which claimed a third place finish in the SPL and with it European football.
“Last year was about me getting back playing as I had a couple of bad years that I wanted to put behind me,” he adds. “I was injured for six or seven weeks but still managed to played 29 games so I pretty much played in every game I was available which was a major positive.
I feel confident within myself again and just want to get back to where I was five seasons ago.”
With a new one-year contract in the bag, Cregg is full of optimism going into the season. Next up is a trip to the Belarusian capital this Thursday where Minsk are their opponents in the third qualifying round.
“I’m just thinking about doing as well as I can for myself and obviously the team this year.
“We’re going to go over there and try get a positive result and then hopefully them back to our place and go through to the last qualifying round.”
