Lyness looks to seal deal to stay with new Buddies
BOXING DAY tends to be the time of the year for snapping up a deal. Well, as long as you can stomach the elbowing, gouging and kicking that goes on in the unseemly rammy for a cut-price household appliance. For Dean Lyness, earning a full-time contract with St Mirren would be far more welcome than any discounted goods plundered from the war zone of the High Street.
Having put in a sturdy shift to help St Mirren earn a first away win of the season in a crucial encounter with Motherwell on Saturday, Lyness is hoping to bolster his push for a deal with the Paisley club with another strong showing against a St Johnstone side he could have been playing for instead.
“I was at St Johnstone for about three weeks and went away on the pre-season tour but things didn’t work out for whatever reason,” said the Birmingham-born custodian of that brief stint in the Fair City earlier this year.
“I got a phone call off Jamie Langfield [the St Mirren goalkeeping coach] saying that they might be looking to bring another goalie in and he asked if I’d be up for it. I jumped at the chance.
“I was training with Raith Rovers just to keep fit and hopefully I have made the right impression to get a deal. I’ve had to be patient to get a chance and it’s frustrating when you are not playing but you just have to keep yourself in good shape and make sure that when an opportunity comes your way you are ready to take it.”
Lyness certainly seized his chance at the weekend, with a couple of vital interventions which preserved St Mirren’s one-goal advantage and helped them to just a third win in the league campaign. It’s onwards and upwards now. “You can see the character we have, especially in the last four or five weeks,” added the 27-year-old.
“We have really progressed without getting the results. We’ve been patient and it’s nice to finally get a reward.
“For a keeper you always want a clean sheet. It’s not just my job though. Defensively we all stood up to the test of what Motherwell threw at us and we dealt with it all well.
“It’s a big week, with three games in a week, and that was a good start.
“My deal is just until January but I’d like to stay longer. St Mirren gave me a chance to come in and we’ll see what happens after these next two games. The important thing is for the club to keep picking up points and my situation will look after itself.”