Stephen was just terrific, says Jim

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin paid tribute to skipper Stephen McGinn for seamlessly slotting back into a winning team.

The experienced midfielder steered the Buddies to an important 2-0 win over St Johnstone on Saturday.

And Goodwin sang the midfielder’s praises while admitting he was unfortunate to have been out of the side for the majority of the campaign with Saturday being the player’s first start.

He said:“I thought Stephen was outstanding.

“He did exactly what I asked him to do. He was disciplined and he used his experience.

“He sat in front of the back four and controlled the game.

“I thought he was one of a number of very good individual performances.”

“I know what he’s capable of. He’s been unlucky when he picked up his injury in pre-season.

“During that time away, Sam Foley and Ryan Flynn have developed a very good partnership. I felt we were good in that department.”

Goodwin likened McGinn’s absence to that of centreback Gary MacKenzie, who has recently lost his place after picking up a head knock at Ross County.

And the gaffer thinks that pressure is good for side in the long term.

He said:“It’s similar to big Gary. He started the season really well, was doing excellent alongside Sean McLoughlin but got injured against Ross County. Kirk Broadfoot has stepped in and hasn’t put a foot wrong.

“It’s great for me and the players to know that they’ve got to be on their toes.

“They know if they do slip up and make a mistake, or they’ve got to come out of the team for whatever reason, that they’re going to have great difficulty getting back in.”