JAMES BROWN feels he has a point to prove at St Johnstone after a failed loan stint in Scotland with Livingston three years ago.
The Millwall fullback moved to Perth on-loan in January as a replacement for Danny McNamara, who was recalled by his parent outfit.
Brown made his Saints debut at Ibrox last week and put in a stellar performance up against the tricky feet and pace of Rangers winger Ryan Kent.
The 23-year-old was delighted with his showing and he admits it was a huge moment in his career after a tough stint under Kenny Miller at the Tony Macaroni Arena back in 2018.
“It was probably the wrong club at the wrong time for me personally,” Brown said of his time at Livi.
“My mentality back then as a young player wasn’t as strong as it is now, I believe. I probably went in there thinking it would be easier than what it was.
“Football is ruthless, you get chewed up and found out quickly, and that’s what happened to me. I remember going up on the Thursday and Kenny Miller pulled me aside and told me I’d be playing against Celtic the following day. I thought: ‘cheers!’
“So that was a baptism of fire, definitely. I didn’t perform well. I was up against Jonny Hayes and he gave me a good runaround that day! I’ll remember that forever!
“But looking back now I think it was one of the best things that ever happened to me in my short career.
“It’s something I have taken with me and used, and it fuelled my motivation to come back up here and prove to myself I am cut out to play up here.”
On his performance at Ibrox against Rangers, Brown continued: “I’ve had to be patient – Shaun Rooney has been performing really well so obviously I’ve got competition there.
“Rangers away is some game to make your debut. It doesn’t get any harder than that. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was my first competitive game in about six months.
“It was sink or swim, I guess. I’ve been training day in, day out and I felt good about myself. That makes a big difference.
“It was more a feeling of excitement than nerves. The reason I came up here was to play in big games like Rangers and Celtic. I really enjoyed being back out there and hopefully I showed people what I can do.”
Brown has big shoes to fill with Danny McNamara being one of St Johnstone’s top performers over the first half of the season.
But the English defender is more than confident that his input can continue the success of Callum Davidson’s side, especially with a league cup final against his former club on the horizon.
He added: “Danny had told me that this was a hard-working, humble squad with no egos, and I’ve found out for myself that it’s a really good bunch of guys.
“I didn’t need him to tell me about the gaffer because I’d worked with him myself at Millwall. That was the main attraction. All in all, the move was a no-brainer.
“Danny has shown the value of a successful loan here. He’s shown that if you perform well at a good club playing in a top league, you’ll be rewarded. He’s got himself into the Millwall team and has just signed a new contract. He’s flying.
“It’s the same sort of goals for me – play well, help St Johnstone and put myself out there. We’ll see where it takes me. Hopefully I can have as good an experience.
“It would be nice to go to Hampden on the 28th and win the final, it would be great for the club and all the boys involved.
“I haven’t been here for the run as such but the semi-final was a great experience to be a part of and hopefully come the end of the month we can create a bit of history for the club. And to be a part of that would be special.”
