Mack’s mission statement
Defender believes Buddies should be challenging at top
GARY MacKenzie says St Mirren are ready to show their mettle at the right end of the Championship after coming through the ultimate test of character to survive i n the division.
Cut adrift at the bottom of the table at the turn of the year, Jack Ross’s Buddies somehow fought their way back from the brink to go on a great fourmonth run of form that secured their Championship safety.
While MacKenzie never wants to be in that situation again, the defender found out a lot about himself and his teammates as they defied the odds to stay up, and he thinks the shared experience can stand them in good stead for a title challenge.
“We’ve spoken about it in the changing room and there’s no reason why we can’t go and continue with the level of performances we produced when we were under that pressure,” MacKenzie said.
“That took a lot, but we stood up to it and came through it, and if we play the way we did play then we should be challenging at the right end of the table.
“That brings us closer together. People were questioning us outside the football club, and when you reflect on it, it was a massive amount of pres- sure on us because of the implications for the club had they gone down a division.
“It was new for me last season, it was a test of my character even after playing for 13 years. It tells you a lot about yourself as well as the other players you share a dressing room with.
“It gives you belief going into the next season, to have that confidence to say that you are looking to do something, because you know that people around you stepped up to the plate last season as well.
“So, when you look back, there is a sense of satisfaction over what we did achieve and in proving people wrong in maintaining the club’s position in the league.
“If you are always playing at the top of the league then it’s a different pressure. People aren’t going to lose their jobs if you don’t win the league or get promoted.
“On the flip side, there’s a lot on the line not only for yourself, but for people around the club. So, we had that test of character, and we came through that.
“And we came through it in a way that we played football in the right way. It wasn’t like we were winning ugly and scraping results, we played some really good football as well.
“The fans came and backed us and they were magnificent. In the position that we were in, it would have been easy for them to wash their hands of us, but they stuck by us.
“Ultimately, the combined efforts of them as well as our efforts on the pitch is what saw us through.”
One of the most impressive features of St Mirren’s great escape was the way they took points from the teams at the top, both home and away.
AND MacKenzie reckons that showed the level that the side should be competing at and it is a level they believe they can achieve next season.
“It’s up to us to almost put pressure on ourselves as a whole team to aim to get promoted,” he said. “We want to keep that momentum and we know the quality is there.
“There were teams we were playing who were right up the top of the league and we were going there with no fear whatsoever.
“If you can do that when you’re fighting for your life, then there’s no reason why you can’t go into a fresh campaign thinking that you can match them or challenge them to win leagues or get promoted.”