DEFENDER Callum Booth is aiming to put an 18-month injury nightmare behind him and potentially cause a cup shock.

The former Hibernian man has swapped St Johnstone for The Spartans after not starting a match since May 2022.

A series of injuries have hampered Booth, who was coming off the back of winning both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup with the Perth side.

Now, he could be lining up in another Edinburgh derby as Spartans take on Hearts in the Scottish Cup later this month.

East Lothian Courier: Callum Booth won a cup double with St Johnstone but will now finish the season with Spartans. Image: Andrew Milligan/PA WireCallum Booth won a cup double with St Johnstone but will now finish the season with Spartans. Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

He said: “I have not got a great record in derbies.

“I played in four, drawing two and losing two.

“It was probably not the best record at Hibs but they were great games to play in.

“I think I beat them a few times with St Johnstone.

“Obviously, it will be live on television as well, which is brilliant for the club.

“It will be a sell-out and it is a game we are looking forward to.

“The boys have done really well to get to this stage and it will be a great occasion.”

 

 

Booth, who has linked up with fellow former Knox Academy pupil Paul Watson, said: “I had a double Achilles operation and then came back for a month.

“I was about to start on the Friday and 10 minutes before training I pulled my groin. It took a while for that to get diagnosed and then I got an operation.

“I then hurt my back as well so it has been three different body parts.”

Last Saturday saw Booth immediately brought into the Spartans team for the long trip north to Peterhead.

Victory for the Capital club was enough to see them move above their hosts on goal difference and into second spot in the League Two table in their debut campaign in the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) – though the Blue Toon returned to second with victory over Dumbarton on Tuesday.

Booth felt that a lot of the success came from the hard work off the field, as well as on it.

East Lothian Courier: Callum Booth won a cup double with St Johnstone but will now finish the season with Spartans. Image: Andrew Milligan/PA WireCallum Booth won a cup double with St Johnstone but will now finish the season with Spartans. Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

He said: “I think, first and foremost, the manager and the chairman are such good people.

“I have only been in a couple of times for training so far but it really is a community club.

“A lot of clubs say that but they are not really.

“Spartans is such a community club and it is family friendly.

“The team has been together a number of years and most have been there a long time.

“Now, they are just starting to add a bit more experience as well.

“They certainly seem to be going in the right direction; it is definitely a club that seems to be on the up.”

The move to Ainslie Park has not only cut back on Booth’s miles travelling to and from Perth but has also opened the door for him to find a better balance between his career inside and outside of football.

The former Partick Thistle and Dundee United full-back has set up his own business, Booth Property Management. The business looks after 40 properties across central Scotland, including in his home town of Haddington.

 

 

He said: “I have got a business that I have been building and growing over the last couple of years.

“Trying to juggle everything – being a dad, a full-time footballer and a business – it has been hard.

“I will be 33 at the end of the season so I am going part-time now.

“Hopefully, I will be with Spartans even longer.”