Adam’s in for the long haul
Winger Hammill keen to extend Saints’deal
St Mirren ace Adam Hammill insists he is open to extending his short-term Saints stay.
The former Wolves and Barnsley midfielder netted on his home debut on Saturday but was unable to halt the Buddies sliding to their fourth defeat on the spin.
Hammill, 30, agreed a deal with the Paisley side until January as he became Oran Kearney’s fourth signing since arriving at the club.
But he says if Kearney was to approach him at the end of the deal, then he would be more than happy to sit down and discuss a longer stint.
Hammill told Express Sport: “If the manager came back in January and wanted to extend the deal then it is something that I would definitely be interested in.
“When I signed the contract, it was definitely with a view to extending it.
“I signed a short-term deal on the basis of impressing the manager.
“You could be sitting on a twoyear contract and be comfortable, but for myself, I don’t want to be in my comfort zone, I want to prove myself and step up.
“By having that short-term deal then you have to deliver on the pitch.
“That was something that I wanted to do.
“I had offers back down south that were few year deals but personally, I wanted to sign on a short-term basis so I had to produce.”
Despite the Saints’ slow start to life in the Premiership, Hammill believes he has seen enough from his new teammates to believe they are capable of beating the drop.
St Mirren remain without a win since the opening game of the season, when a Danny Mullen double earned them a 2-1 victory over Dundee.
But Hammill reckons one win could kick off a run that could go a long way to propelling the Buddies up the league table.
He said: “We have got the potential to be a really good team in the Premiership.
“We are starting to do a lot more work now and it is about building momentum.
“Once we get that win, it will give us that springboard to start moving forward.
“There is the basis of a really good team here and it is about now knitting it all together.”
Having suffered a shoulder injury on his debut against Aberdeen, Hammill had looked set for a long spell on the sidelines.
However, having been rushed back, he insists that he is more than happy to play through the pain barrier for the Buddies.
He explained: “It is sore. I took a few knocks during the game but that is part and parcel of football.
“A little bit of pain isn’t going to stop me from playing. I hadn’t played for five months so it is great to get back out there.”