Debut proves Ferdinand can be new boss’s ace in defence

TASKED with plugging the gaps in the most porous defence in the Premiership, Oran Kearney could have been forgiven if he had opted against making the journey across the Irish Sea.

In his previous job as a PE teacher, dealing with moody, spotty-faced teenagers on a daily basis must have held considerable appeal compared to sorting out the mess that Alan Stubbs had left behind at St Mirren.

But, in Anton Ferdinand, the new St Mirren manager might just have won a watch. That was certainly the prevailing feeling after last night’s clean sheet against Celtic in Paisley.

Having signed a deal until the end of the season just a couple of hours prior to kick-off, the 33-year-old English defender was plunged straight into the Saints team for his debut.

Ferdinand managed to keep the shackles on Odsonne Edouard and Leigh Griffiths, before leaving the pitch to a standing ovation after 73 minutes.

The occasion was never likely to overawe him, with Ferdinand having played for QPR against Man City at the Etihad on that day in 2012.

But, nevertheless, new Buddies boss Kearney admitted he was surprised by just how positive an impact his new signing had made.

‘I was a bit surprised with how long we got out of Anton,’ revealed the 40-year-old Northern Irishman (below). ‘He only had a bit-part pre-season, but he has trained really well with us throughout the week. ‘He hasn’t played a huge amount of football, but we were adamant that we had to get him into the team for this game. ‘He showed flashes of what he’s all about. You could see his anticipation and how well he reads the game. ‘He is a real organiser and you could see his experience with the way he helped all the other players around him. He was a real calming influence for us — worth his weight in gold. ‘I thought our attitude, energy levels and endeavour in general were superb. Those qualities don’t cost you anything in football.’ Having held ten-man Celtic to a draw after Olivier Ntcham’s dismissal, Kearney admitted it was the perfect start to his Paisley tenure. But he also warned his new players that they have set the standard for what must now follow in the weeks to come as they look to drag themselves away from the bottom of the table. ‘The players have shown their hand now,’ he added. ‘This is the standard they have set for themselves. ‘It can sometimes take three or four weeks for a new group to really show their level and show what they can do. The point is a massive point and one that we absolutely wanted and are delighted to have.

‘Playing Celtic with ten men for a half was no different than with 11 men as far as I’m concerned.

‘They dominate the ball so much and they are so good with the ball we knew it was going to be tough in the final period.

‘But they have gone and earned a point against the champions. That is the expectation now and the key thing is that we have to maintain this standard in the forthcoming weeks.

‘I will do my bit, but the players also have to demand it from themselves. The fans were fantastic for us. They really played their part. From the first whistle, they really got behind us.

‘We were tiring a little bit towards the end, but the backing they gave the players really gave us a second wind.’

Kearney admitted his heart skipped a beat when Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths thumped the ball into the net in stoppage time, only to be flagged for offside.

‘Yeah, it was in my mouth,’ laughed the Saints boss. ‘Listen, I’m not going to lie and say I was totally calm — I wasn’t. We had put so much into the game and it would have been cruel if we didn’t get anything from it.’

Kearney enlisted the help of Irish magician Rodd Hogg on Thursday night as part of a team-building exercise. Went down a storm, apparently.

In conjuring up a point against the champions in his first match in charge, he might just invite him back every week.