Joe Gormley itching for action with St Johnstone

Published 10th Sep 2016

St Johnstone new boy Joe Gormley is desperate to get back to action against Partick Thistle on Saturday.

The 26-year-old striker joined the Saints on a loan deal until the end of the year from Peterborough after recovering from a serious knee injury sustained a year ago in a reserve game which decimated his first season with Posh.

Gormley has not started a first-team game since a 2-1 defeat to Southend on September 5, 2015, just weeks after making the move from Northern Irish side Cliftonville on a three-year deal, albeit he got four minutes as a substitute in a League One game against Millwall in August.

After playing for an hour for Saints' under-20s against Ross County's youngsters in midweek, the man from Belfast is looking to get his career back on track.

He said: It felt good, it was good to start playing. I am definitely ready. It would be amazing to play on Saturday. I haven't played a competitive game for so long.

My last start was last September, a year ago. So I haven't played a proper competitive game since then. I had never got injured before that happened.

I played against Millwall but I only came on for a short period of time. So it would be good to get out and play.''

Having only got into full-time football in his mid-20s, Gormley is keen to make the most of the years he has left in the game.

It is only a short period of time I have got to play so I am going to try to make the most of it,'' he said.

Every year (at Cliftonville) I tried to outscore what I did before and it got to the point where, when I scored 37, I thought if I don't get a move I will never get a move but I kept going and got it.

I want to work hard and see where it takes me.

I am looking forward to it, I am excited and it would be good to play, hopefully for a bit anyway.''