Do Do Do The Duberry

St Johnstone will have a new face available for selection following the surprise signing of former Chelsea and Leeds defender Michael Duberry. If the international clearance comes through in time Duberry will be slotted into the side to face Dundee United in the Scottish Cup today. Duberry was out of contract so could be signed out of the transfer window and his deal will see him stay till the end of the season.  Duberry, who won the League Cup, European Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea, revealed former Stamford Bridge team-mate Jody Morris was instrumental in convincing him to make the trek north to continue his career.

He said: "To be honest, I thought I had done all the travelling I was going to be doing in my career. I'm very family-orientated and the arrangement with Wycombe suited me in that respect. However, I just want to play football, and when myself and Wycombe agreed to part company, Jody encouraged me to join St Johnstone. Jody and I have been close friends for many years and I know that when he went through a similar period of not knowing where his future lay, St Johnstone gave him a home and I know how content he is up here. That's had a big influence on my decision to join Saints. I'm joining the club with the blessing of my family and I am raring to go."

Duberry left his family on Thursday night and drove to Perth to ensure that he could complete a training session with his new colleagues ahead of today's game. Manager Derek McInnes said: "He's driven seven and a half hours overnight to join up with us today and I'm delighted with that. He is full of enthusiasm and made an immediate impression at training this morning. I'm delighted to get him to the club. He has the experience I have been searching for, he's won trophies at the top level and I want to get the best out of him. I've said to him that he should make sure that he makes the most of the latter stages of his career so that he has no regrets or frustrations when his career ends. I've told him to enjoy it, be stimulated by it - he's never played in Scotland before so it is another thing to discover and learn at this stage of a great career. He's joining a group of lads who have the right ethic and will help him do that."

McInnes revealed he had made tentative enquiries via Morris about the availability of Duberry last summer. The Saints manager said: "I've met Michael a few times and I mentioned him to Jody in the summer but Doobs chose to join Wycombe as he wanted to remain close to his family. However, a new manager came in there and they felt it was best to part company as he was getting a bit frustrated. He was a free agent so I asked the question again last week, spoke to Michael and persuaded him to join us in Perth. I'm delighted."