Wotherspoon believes Clark should be figuring for Scotland

Goalkeeper seized his chance and is keeping No 1 choice on the sidelines

He is keeping international keeper Alan Mannus on the sidelines and that underlines just how valuable an asset Zander Clark has become for St Johnstone in his breakthrough season.

Perth midfielder David Wotherspoon believes the powerfully-built 24-year-old would already be figuring in the Scotland set-up if he was gracing a grander stage.

Clark, 24, has clocked-up 22 successive starts since filling in for the Northern Ireland Euro squad keeper when regular starter Mannus fell victim to a sickness bug back in September.

He enjoyed a shut-out in a 2-0 win over Partick Thistle and Wotherspoon admits a similar scoreline would fit the bill nicely as the 2014 William Hill Scottish Cup winners look to edge past the Jags at McDiarmid Park today and reach the quarter-finals.

Playmaker Wotherspoon said: “Zander has been excellent for us this season. He goes under the radar a bit because he’s playing here, but we’re not complaining because we want him here for as long as possible.

“Zander is probably one of those guys who, if he wasn’t here, would have had a Scotland call-up.

“He is doing his bit for the team and he just needs to keep doing that. I’m sure the recognition will come eventually.

“His shot-stopping is brilliant and physically he’s got all the attributes you need to be a top goalkeeper.

“There is no doubt he can go a long way in the game, but right now we just hope he’s here and playing for us.

“The fact he’s keeping Alan out of the team says it all. Alan is one of the best keepers in the league and he’s an experienced international.

“But Zander got his chance, he’s done really well and he’s stayed in the team.

“We are lucky to have two really top keepers at the club right now.”

Midfielder Wotherspoon admits Clark’s heroics were crucial in securing a 1-0 win in the league at Firhill earlier this month. Every game we have played against Partick this season – and even last season – has been tight.

“They played really well in the first half the other week when we beat them.

“They created chances and we had to rely on Zander to make some saves but sometimes in football you score against the run of play.

“We managed to do that and then hold on so it was a good win for us.

“But we know this cup-tie will be really difficult again because Partick are a good team.”

Wotherspoon celebrated breaking his duck when Saints forged a 2-1 interval lead over Celtic on Sunday before the Hoops bounced back for a 5-2 win sparked by referee Craig Thomson’s

controversial penalty verdict against luckless defender Keith Watson.

So the midfielder is still sore that Saints’ second from a Danny Swanson cross has been marked down as a Dedryk Boyata own goal.

Wotherspoon protested: “I haven’t scored this season so of course I was going to claim it. I definitely touched the ball and knocked it towards the goal – so it should be mine.

“As I turned I saw it hit off Boyata but the header was on target so I should have got it.

“I saw it has been given as an own goal so I think I’ve been hard done by.

“The lads all said the same thing. If I got a flick on it then it should be mine.

“That’s my story anyway and I’m sticking to it!

“There were plenty of positives to take out of the performance because the scoreline didn’t reflect how we played.

“We limited Celtic until after the penalty, but it just wasn’t our day.

“There was anger at the time because we felt hard done by but it’s done now and you just move on.

“You can’t change it or do anything about it, it’s history now. You can’t afford to look back, you get over it and come back in and look towards the next game. When you have a big game like a Scottish Cup tie all your focus is on that.”

Saints manager Tommy Wright is set to recall skipper Steven Anderson after a virus and striker Steven MacLean, who secured a new deal this week, will start against the Jags after dropping to the bench for the Celtic clash.

Forward Chris Kane is also set to return to the squad after being ruled out by illness last weekend.

Thistle need to get past the 2014 winners to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in nine years, but Abdul Osman feels they can make progress.

“It’s an opportunity to give the fans some success,” he said.

“We are considered a small team in the league, so a good cup run would help the club and the fans.

“If we can get to a quarter-final that would bring a whole new belief to the squad, to even push on in the league.

“The gaffer has gone on about it in training. “It’s a massive opportunity for us. “We are three games away from the final and it’s a game we feel we can win.

“We won there a few months back so hopefully we can go there and do that again.

“I think it’s going to be a special day.”

Picture: SNS Group. Saints midfielder David Wotherspoon, right, believes the Zander Clark, left, would be knocking on the door of the Scotland squad were he playing on a bigger stage.