BEN RAMAGE
This incredible sequence of top-flight finishes represents St Mirren’s most successful domestic period ever, a run that started in the 1978/79 season when Jim Clunie’s side stormed into the top six in the Premier Division for the first time in decades.
A man who was at the heart of the midfield for almost all of that sensational run was Billy Stark, a pivotal cog in the Buddies machine that went on to qualify for European football for the first time in 1981.
The talented playmaker went on to play more than 340 games in the stripes, bagging an impressive 84 goals in the process before linking up with Sir Alex Ferguson once more at Aberdeen.
Now the Scotland Under-19 coach, Stark believes the Saints side he played in enjoyed such a strong domestic run in Paisley because of the consistent faith put in the club’s best young talents.
“It was an incredible run,” Stark explained exclusively to Express Sport. “It reflects what is still crucial nowadays – strong recruitment and a proper youth policy.
“In my case, coming through as a kid, it was very,
The pathway for young players is there at St Mirren
Billy Stark
very different being born at that time. When I signed for St Mirren, it was from a secondary juvenile team.
“There were no academies as such. If you were deemed good enough, you were put on an S Form at clubs, basically a schoolboy form.
“I signed when I was 18. Frank McGarvey was just a few months older than me.
“Tony Fitzpatrick is about ten months older than me. Lex Richardson came in and he was maybe a year or two older. It was a really young side.
“Basically, Sir Alex, from the outset when he took the job, when we went up from the First Division, he got rid of the older experienced players that were used to playing lower-league football and he gave the young guys a chance.
“He also added some top experienced players. Guys like Jackie Copeland, Jimmy Bone, Iain Munro. That was the fusion that allowed us to be successful.
“He always wanted to give youth its chance, but he also realised in the Premier League we needed good experienced players. They were invaluable those three.
“You get a lot of managers that talk about how important youth is and all the rest of it, but they don’t really give them a chance.
“It’s encouraging that the pathway for young players is there at St Mirren and added to good experienced players. That’s where you get the right mix.”
Stark believes St Mirren will always face an uphill battle in the Premiership these days because they can’t afford to keep up with the biggest Scottish clubs financially.
Instead, he feels they need to keep recruiting smart and bring in players who are willing to fight for the team every minute they’re on the pitch.
He said: “With the greatest respect, St Mirren can’t pay big transfer fees, so they’ve got to be creative in the transfer market with the players they recruit.
“Guys like Bone and Copeland were recognised as really good players when they joined us, not top of the class players. But they brought an experience of playing in the top league and finishing high in the table.
“Jimmy had been at Celtic for a short spell, won the League Cup with Partick Thistle. Jackie had been with
Dundee United, who were a top team. Munro had been with Rangers and played with Hibs as a young lad.
“They brought that experience.
“You go into a dressing room as a manager and ask who wants to win. Of course, everybody puts their hand up.
“But it’s what you’ve got to do and what you’re willing to sacrifice that is the difference between players. These kind of guys are prepared to sacrifice, to cajole other players into better performances and to set standards in their own performances. They’re invaluable.”
While Stark can understand why it’s been so long since St Mirren managed to break into the top six again, he insists a return to the upper end of the table is long overdue for the Paisley club.
Stark added: “The Premier League has changed in shape and structure, it’s been difficult for the provincial teams to keep up with the likes of Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen. The big city teams.
“You can understand why it’s not been the case they’ve finished in the top six, but it is long overdue. If it happens and people are able to look