We can live the dream
Great start impresses Smith
Liam Smith admits he thought St Mirren’s targets were ambitious when he first arrived at the club.
However, Saints smashed the target of 21 points from the opening nine games, set to them by manager Jack Ross, last weekend as they sealed a 2-0 win over Dumbarton.
The fullback has been a welcome addition to the St Mirren squad since arriving on loan from Hearts at the end of August, slotting in seamlessly to the Paisley side’s defence.
And having seen the side hit the top of the table, Smith is keen for them to build upon their winning start to the campaign.
He said: “The players and management sat down before I joined and set targets. And when I saw it I thought it was an ambitious target.
“But for us to actually meet that target and be sitting top of the league is credit to the whole squad.
“It shows how far the club has come over the last 12 months and to be part of that is great.
“Dumbarton is not an easy place to go, and to get that result backs up the fact we are confident and we feel we can beat anyone on our day.”
The Buddies return to league action tomorrow when they take on Falkirk away from home.
The Bairns recently appointed Paul Hartley as their new manager following a disappointing start to the campaign that sees them sitting eighth in the table.
And Smith reckons that their hosts will be looking to finally get the ball rolling under their new gaffer when Saints come to town.
He added: “You always think of Falkirk as one of the teams in this league that will go and compete.
“They’ve not had a good start but they’ll have a confidence boost with the new manager coming in, and they’ll be trying to impress him.
“It’ll be another tough game – as they all are – but if we can go and play the way we have been and the way we know we can, then we’ll be confident we can get a result.”
Having now been at the club for a few months, Smith revealed that he has settled in well.
The Scotland under-21 ace had to battle injury at first, but he insists that it hasn’t halted his progress at the club.
He said: “It’s really good and I’m enjoying it.
“It’s great to have a game at the end of a training week. To be playing every week is massive for your development. There are a lot of experienced players in the dressing room and it definitely helps when you’ve got that mixture. In a winning side you need to have a bit of leadership and experience.”