Jack’s the lad
Baird signs new deal
St Mirren’s Jack Baird has become the latest player to sign a new deal with the Paisley side.
The 21-year-old has committed to another year with the club, having featured regularly for the side over the course of the past two seasons.
Baird already has 81 appearances under his belt, having made his debut against Hamilton Accies in November 2014 alongside Stevie Mallan in a 3-0 defeat.
An injury to Harry Davis in the second half of this season saw him appear 36 times in all competitions while forming a solid partnership with experienced defender Gary MacKenzie in the heart of the defence.
Baird continued to improve over the course of the campaign, and joins fellow defender Adam Eckersley by signing a new deal this week.
Manager Jack Ross admits he is pleased with the way talks with players are progressing, and is hopeful more players will follow suit in the coming days.
Ross said: “I’m quite comfortable about where we are at after initial conversations with a lot of the players.
“A lot of them are very positive about wanting to stay. I know that can change when other things come into the equation. But my initial thoughts are that it’s a good starting point for us.
“Adam committing already is a really positive sign because he is a real quality player who had options elsewhere, but he wanted to stay here.
“The players are in a brilliant place. The challenge is just keeping the bulk of the squad together and the changes I have to make is about getting the right types in again.”
And Ross revealed he is already hard at work as he draws up a list of targets in a bid to have his squad in shape ahead of the new season.
He added: “That process for me begins right away. I want to have things settled as quickly as possible and know where we are at for the start of pre-season.
“I think when the players come back they’ll come back with a spring in their step. There will be a feelgood factor around the place and the challenge is to keep that going. I absolutely believe we can keep doing that, particularly if we keep the bulk of the squad together.”