McGinnspiration
Goodie: We’re Saints for top prospects.. just look at John
JIM GOODWIN remembers John McGinn as a shavenheaded 17-year-old bursting with potential.
Now the St Mirren manager holds up his old team-mate as an inspiration to every player in the club’s academy.
The midfielder capped his fine Premier League form for Aston Villa with a Scotland hat-trick against San Marino.
Others like his international team-mate Kenny McLean have flourished after starting out at the club’s Ralston training ground and Goodwin never tires of telling the latest recruits such success stories.
He said: “I was delighted for John when he scored that hat-trick. He has gone from strength to strength and is a great inspiration to all the kids at the academy.
“We speak to the younger ones who train with the first team about John, Kenny and even Kirk Broadfoot as players who did great things at St Mirren then went on to bigger and better things.
“That’s really satisfying for us as a club as it shows we’re doing things right within the academy. If good young players come here rather than going to some of the bigger clubs then they’ll definitely get opportunities.
“As a young kid you’re always better going somewhere where you’ll get the chance to play first-team football rather than being stuck in the reserves.
“John could’ve gone to any of the big clubs in Scotland but he came here to learn the game and did great. He has kicked on from here and we’re delighted for him. We all wish him well for the future.”
The Villa star will not be among the last off the conveyor belt to reach the top – Goodwin reckons Scotland Under-21 star Kyle Magennis is next.
And he believes the 21-year-old could net the club a big fee when he eventually moves on – not that his boss wants it to happen too soon.
He said: “We have high hopes for Kyle. He’s another player who could easily go from strength to strength in the next 12 to 18 months and you never know where he might end up.
“He has all the attributes to become a Scotland player. Physically he’s strong, quick and technically very good.
“He’s the one at the moment who realistically has the best chance of moving on from here to a big club. We never want to lose anybody. But if an opportunity arises that’s good for the player and financially good for the club then that’s what we do. It’s how the club has survived over the years.”
Saints have yet to concede from open play at home this term but are the lowest scorers in the league, sitting one place above tomorrow’s bottom-of-the-table visitors. Goodwin said: “As the home team we’ll try to take the game to St Johnstone, which is what our fans will expect.”
It’s really satisfying for us as it shows we are doing things right JIM GOODWIN ON SUCCESS OF PROSPECTS LIKE McGINN