Show me what you can do
Gaffer throws down gauntlet to trialists
St Mirren manager Jack Ross has revealed he is to run the rule over four trialists after pre-season kicked off yesterday.
The Saints were back at their Ralston training base as Ross put his side through their paces prior to their pre-season fixtures kicking off.
The coaching staff caught a glimpse of their new signings for the first time, with the likes of Gavin Reilly, Gregor Buchanan and Craig Samson all arriving at the club for their first training session.
And the St Mirren manager revealed that he is still in the market for a couple more players as he opened the door for four potential recruits.
Ross said: “I would like possibly another couple in. It just depends on what happens over the pre-season period.
“We have four trialists joining us for pre-season as well and that will allow us to look at players in certain positions that we might need to strengthen more.
“We are fairly well advanced in our planning and an awful lot of work has gone in over these last six weeks.”
Ross added: “I’m quite pleased with where we are at.
“Stelios played a big part in us being successful in the second part of the season and Gavin Reilly is a player both James and I have worked with before. I think he is someone still very young with a lot of potential.
“We are almost there squad wise which is terrific before we even start pre-season.”
St Mirren moved quickly following the end of last season to ensure the bulk of last season’s squad remained at the club.
New deals for Gary MacKenzie and Jack Baird got the ball rolling, and Ross admits he was keen to get new contracts dealt early on.
The return of both Stelios and Cammy Smith continued the familiarity around the dressing room, with the Saints gaffer keen to strike a balance between a freshness and the old guard.
He said: “It’s pleasing that we have managed to retain a good proportion of the squad that ended last season.
“There was always going to be a turnaround because we had a number of loan players and a number of players in different circumstances that meant it was going to be difficult to get them back.
“We always knew where we were realistically and what we needed to target.
“I think the ones we have brought in have been a good mixture.
“You look at Craig Samson who is proven, experienced and quality and Gavin Reilly coming from a Premiership club, then the other end of the spectrum with Ross Stewart the striker from Albion Rovers.
“There’s a really good balance between the group in terms of recruits at different stages with different experience.”