McGinn seeks positive result to take pressure off St Mirren
WHEN Stephen McGinn arrived back at St Mirren last month after a sevenyear absence, it is stating the obvious to say that the landscape around the club had changed. And not for the better.
But it wasn’t only that his old side had dropped down to the Championship, or that they were struggling to even stay in it, that was the main concern for the midfielder.
His main worry was that not winning football matches had become a habit for the St Mirren players.
In his full debut away to Dumbarton, the Saints twice led in a crucial relegation tussle that they would go on to draw. It was the reaction afterwards, though, that alarmed him.
But after a stirring Scottish Cup victory at East Fife last weekend, McGinn feels that a little bit of belief is creeping back into the squad, and he is hoping tomorrow’s Irn-Bru Cup clash against The New Saints allows them to build on that winning feeling.
“After the Dumbarton game, I could feel there was a bit of resignation in the dressing room afterwards,” McGinn said. “It was almost like the players were used to it. Against East Fife, we went behind, but we came back and that was massive.”
McGinn is candid enough to admit he knows very little of St Mirren’s opponents but, with national pride at stake, it is a challenge he is not taking lightly.
“We don’t really know what to expect from The New Saints,” he said. “They beat Livingston and that was noticed by everyone, but we are still stepping into the unknown.
“In the league, you know what is a good result and what is a bad result, but the manager will have us well prepared.
“It’s a big game for us. It’s a Scottish tournament and you don’t want a Welsh team winning it.”
Part of the motivation driving the players in black and white will be a desire to repay their supporters with a day out at a big cup final.
“We want to get to the final and, no disrespect to Queen of the South, but we could play Dundee United and that would be a big game,” he said.
“You could play the final at Tynecastle or somewhere and it would probably sell out. We also want to give the fans something back. They have stuck with us and it would be good to give them a day out at a cup final.”