McGinn:We have a strong desire to win
Saints skipper Stephen McGinn insists his side still have last season’s titlewinning mentality.
The midfielder conceded that the side were frustrated with their performance against Spartans on Tuesday night but was in no mood to dwell on the display.
McGinn said:“When we turn it on we have really good players. We’ve still got some really important players at this club and I thought Ryan Flynn was excellent – he was really, really good.
“We still have a strong mentality in the team, a Championship-winning mentality. So we need to continue that for as long as we can.”
McGinn was the catalyst for the Buddies turnaround which saw them come from 2-0 down to take the game to a penalty shootout.
The captain scored within two minutes of coming on – but he would have prefered the three points instead of his personal success.
He added:“I knew I would need a quick burst of five to 10 minutes to really inject some pace. It’s hard sometimes coming on in games but in a game like that, it’s easy to go on and put a stamp on it.
“I was delighted to get the goal as quickly as we did, but personally frustrated we never managed to win it in normal time.”
Craig Ritchie St Mirren have been dealt a blow after it was confirmed midfielder Jordan Kirkpatrick faces up to 12 weeks out.
The 26-year-old limped off in the side’s 0-0 draw with Kilmarnock a week ago after landing awkwardly while challenging for the ball.
He then missed Tuesday night’s clash with Spartans following a scan to determine the extent of the injury.
Saints boss Alan Stubbs confirmed that Kirkpatrick looks set to miss the start of the season – conceding it was a setback he could do without ahead of the Premiership opener at home to Dundee on Saturday, August 4.
Stubbs told Express Sport: “It’s not good news for Jordan.
“Unfortunately, it looks like he has got a medial ligament injury.
“That could potentially keep him out for somewhere in the region of eight to 12 weeks.”
Kirkpatrick arrived at St Mirren last summer following a successful spell with Alloa Athletic in League One.
The switch saw him reunited with his former Wasps manager Jack Ross, LINES OPEN M- 6PM