Manchester United fixture will be another great occasion for Saints' youth stars, says Alistair Stevenson

The head of St Johnstone’s youth academy, Alistair Stevenson, is hoping supporters will turn out in force to watch the next generation show off their talent this weekend.

Rising stars from the Perth club face off against Manchester United on Sunday at 11am for the latest instalment in a fixture that stretches back to 2015.

Entry for fans will be free of charge, although those in attendance will be able to donate money by bucket collection.

“Man United will come to the first team game against Motherwell on Saturday and I hope they get some entertainment,” smiled Stevenson yesterday.

“And then it will be an 11am kick-off on the Sunday. They have a big squad and want everyone to play.

“It will be four half hours, rather than two 45 minutes. That gives everyone a chance to play. They have 2005s coming up, which we call under-17s.

"But I’ll need to mix the ages and there will be under-17s, under-16s and under-15s involved. It’s about getting as many of them on the park to give them this experience.

“It will be the first time that they will have played on the pitch. That is great experience in itself.

“And even for a lot of the Manchester United players, it will be the first time they’ve played in front of a crowd.”

The first game seven years back ended 1-0 to the visitors with Angel Gomes - now of Lille - the scorer.

“The first year Manchester United asked if they could come up and we organised them to stay over,” Stevenson said.

“We got them the accommodation, pre-match meal and played the game on the stadium pitch.

“It was a great occasion and a good crowd. I remember Angel Gomes played for Man United in that game.

“He has, obviously, gone onto great things. It was such a success that they wanted to come back up to make