Collum’s got the whistle as Saints face Inverness
Top flight ref Willie Collum is set to be the man in the middle for the Buddies this afternoon, with the whistler heading to Paisley for the clash with Inverness Caley Thistle.
Victory for St Mirren will ensure that they remain top of the league for another weekend, despite Dundee United closing the gap to three points on January 2.
A draw at Cappielow with Morton saw Saints drop points for the first time since December 2 following a run of wins over Inverness, Livingston, Brechin City, Dunfermline ... and Dundee United.
If St Mirren were to fall to defeat tomorrow afternoon, a victory for the Tangerines away to struggling Falkirk could see them return to the top of the table on goal difference. Csaba Laszlo’s side still have a game in hand against Queen of the South to From Morgan to Messi, this weekend I’ll be swapping the North Bank for the Nou Camp.
I’m not one to miss games — this will only be the fourth in the past four years or so.
But the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the main man in action was one I couldn’t pass over.
But it has been Paisley’s very own Messi who has been hogging the headlines, and not just in this paper, over the course of the past few weeks.
At the time of writing, Lewis Morgan is on the verge of joining Premiership champions Celtic — and, by the time you are picking up the paper this morning, there is every chance he has been paraded in the Hoops and loaned back to the Buddies already.
Morgan has been the main attraction for many months now, showcasing a turn of pace and a twist of skill that has lit up enough games to catch the attention of clubs up and down the UK.
When he first burst on to the scene, more of a boy than a man, Morgan was simply a face among a club of youngsters basically thrown to the wolves by Tommy Craig as the struggling gaffer ran out of ideas ahead of the sack.
It was a case of sink or swim for a number of players that season.
A number made it — Stevie Mallan, Jack Baird and Morgan, the most obvious.
And, although they became regulars the previous year, Sean Kelly, John McGinn and Jason Naismith became better for the experience.
But it could have been easy for Morgan to go the other way.
The likes of Ross Caldwell, Lewis McLear and Adam Brown struggled to get to grips with life in the first team and, in turn, wormed their way down the leagues over the course of recent seasons.
Although he has natural ability in abundance, that much is clear to see, the amount of work that Morgan has put in to become the player he is today cannot be overlooked.
Just two years ago, speaking to a young Morgan down at Ralston, he was sweating over where the future might take him.
An injury-hit start to life in the Championship, following the baptism of fire of relegation the previous season, meant that when Alex Rae came in to replace Ian Murray, there was very little Morgan could do to try and impress.
It would have been easy for him to let the head go down. He admitted himself it was add into the bargain, which could see Saints fall to second.
Elsewhere, a win for St Mirren would also aid Dunfermline’s chances of confirming their spot back into the play-off mix as they face Dumbarton away from frustrating — but, instead, he knuckled down in the gym and pushed on.
And, since then, he has never looked back.
Bulked up and feeling he had a point to prove, Morgan would end the season with a trademark mazy run down the left flank that saw him cut back across the box and fire home to seal a draw against champions Rangers.
On the day that Jim Goodwin and Steven Thompson waved farewell, he well and truly announced his arrival as the new kid on the block.
Speaking afterwards, Rae highlighted the progress Morgan had made.
“When I first came to the club, and this is, again, testament to him, he was kind of slight,” Rae highlighted.
“But he has went about his business in the gym and he has a physicality now and that allows him to do what he does.
“He has got pace, he’s added power, and that allows him to juke inside a couple of players and get the shot off.”
He was r igh t . But , unfortunately, Morgan was only offered a one-year extension to his contract at the start of the following season.
Just think of the cash that could have been made.
Time and time again, he dug St Mirren out a hole last year.
Time and time again, that run down the left, the cut across the box, and the strike into the bottom corner would seal a point, or three, here and there.
Even when St Mirren was beaten by Celtic in the Scottish Cup, Morgan clearly made an impression.
The move to Parkhead means the sky could be the limit for the winger.
If he showcases the same attitude that he has done at St Mirren, then he really could go on to be one of the biggest success stories that have passed through the doors of Greenhill Road.
Just two years ago, Morgan said: “It is good to see Kenny McLean and John McGinn getting their call- ups for Scotland and they have done really well for themselves since leaving St Mirren.
“I would love to be able to emulate what they’ve done.”
Well, a move to Celtic would be the biggest jump any Saints player has made domestically in a long time.
He isn’t far away from matching their success.
But the good thing is ... we have another six months of Morgy.
It’s time to sit back and enjoy it while we can. home. Allan Johnston’s side is just inside the top four, but have the likes of Morton and Queen of the South breathing down their necks.
Meanwhile, Brechin City host Morton, and Livingston welcome Queens.