Robinson a firm believer he can help loan striker rediscover his goalscoring prowess just as he’s done with in-form Englishman
Stephen Robinson is a firm believer that confidence is the key to unlocking any striker’s full potential. And the St Mirren manager is convinced he can get Tony Watt back on track in the exact same way he’s steered in-form Curtis Main back to his bustling best.
It wasn’t too long ago that Main was getting stick from his own supporters in Paisley. Now the powerful striker is undoubtedly one of the first names on the St Mirren teamsheet – with the 30-yearold increasingly potent in front of goal.
Robinson teased the best out of Main at Motherwell too, and now he’s determined to do the same with Watt, who has his own point to prove in Paisley after being deemed surplus to requirements by Dundee United. With striker Jonah Ayunga cruelly ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up a cruciate knee ligament injury, there’s a huge space that’s opened up in the Buddies’ frontline.
And Robinson believes he can get Watt back to his best both physically and mentally to plug the gap alongside Main with aplomb.
Robinson told Express Sport: “Curtis has been playing superbly well. Of course, in life you get rejected and sometimes you use that as your motivating factor to prove people wrong.
“He’s a strong character. When I first came in here I tried to put him on as a sub and got abused by my own fans! But it didn’t faze him at all and he just kept going.
“I knew what he could offer. I knew a fit, confident Curtis is a top player but the problem was he didn’t play a lot before I came in. He needed game-time, five or six games in a row and he’s now had that platform. He’s got a real belief in his ability and a strong will to prove people wrong.
“He works tirelessly and is the last person to leave the training ground each day, which is a great example to young players. “Whatever your motivation i s , whatever the drive, I like people with points to prove. I don’t like people getting comfortable so that is sometimes part of our recruitment. A lot of society now seems to be that if you get a disappointment, you give up. It’s everybody else’s fault.
“But Tony’s not like that and understands that he needs to get fitter, work harder, get himself in more central positions.
“He reminds me very much of Curtis when I first came in. But Tony knows I believe in him and his talent.
“I’m quite privileged that a lot of my former players stay in touch with me, so even when Tony went and I went to Morecambe, we stayed in touch. He knows that I’ll drive him because he needs driven. When you’ve got talent, I just think it’s a shame to waste it and not get the maximum you can from yourself.”
Watt could be handed his first St Mirren start today when they welcome Hibs to the SMiSA Stadium, with the Buddies looking to extend their impressive unbeaten home streak to a mammoth 13 games.
Having soared up to fourth in the Premiership table thanks to their Main-inspired midweek win against Aberdeen, a victory this afternoon would open up a healthy five-point gap on the capital club – with a game still in hand on Lee Johnson’s inconsistent side.
While refusing to get carried away, Robinson admits his Buddies are heading into today’s clash full of belief they can pick up another potentially pivotal three points.
He said: “We took over a club that has never been in the top six in the current format.
“There was realism with the financial constraints that have been on us since the summer. I’ve known about them and had to work with the board to try to reduce them.
“It’s made it very difficult at times, but the character within the building is brilliant. Sometimes when you pull together in adversity you can really create something. We did it before at Motherwell and it has the same kind of feeling and spirit here.
“You need a little bit of luck along the way. We haven’t set any targets and we certainly won’t be speaking about them outwith the dressing room.
“We certainly have a lot of belief in the players we’ve brought in and you never know what you might be able to achieve.
“But if you get away from what you’re good at and start believing you’re a really good side without doing the simple things, well, then it can catch up on you. We won’t allow that to happen.”