INSIDE TODAY CRUNCH TIME

The heat is on to sign players before Hibs tie

Jim Goodwin admits he faces a race against time to spruce up his squad ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Hibernian.

Goodwin has been working around the clock to strengthen what is nothing more than a threadbare squad.

Saints were last night bidding to get a six- month loan deal for Hull City defender Sean McLoughlin over the line, while a move for Oxford United striker Jonathon Obika was close to being completed.

It followed a busy day that also saw Saints snap up former Northampton Town midfielder Sam Foley on a twoyear contract.

Goodwin is still keen to get more bodies through the door following a slow summer in the transfer market.

He said: “We don’t have a recognised left back, which is not great when you’re going to a team as expansive and direct as Hibs.

“You need your backline to be strong and organised, so we may have to shuffle the pack a little bit.

“Left back and striker are the main positions we need to strengthen at the minute.

“The squad now, in comparison to a fortnight ago, is night and day.

“We knew the situation when we came into the club — that a lot of work and rebuilding was needing to be done.

“Thankfully, the club has backed us and given us the money we need in order to get the quality of players that we have got in.

“I could have signed 100 players by now.

“The amount of players we have been offered is quite scary.

“I never wanted to panic and I never wanted to bring people in for the sake of it.

“We have to make sure that the quality of the player coming in is better than what we have got.

“Standards have risen already, which is great.

“It gives the other guys in the group a lift as well, so, hopefully, we can add another two or three.”

The addition of Foley brings St Mirren’s tally up to five new players this summer, following the arrival of Dean Lyness, Tony Andreu, Oan Djorkaeff and Ilkay Durmus.

Goodwin was delighted to have added the 32-year-old midfielder to his side.

He said: “Sam is an experienced midfielder who’s had a very good career down in England.

“He has played in the Championship, League One and League Two, and I know standard having spent eight years myself down there.

“I know the physicality of it.

“When I assessed the squad over the last three or four weeks, I have a lot of nice footballers, but we probably just lack that little bit of physicality in certain areas.

“Sam comes in to, hopefully, add that to us — but he is a good footballer as well.

“He has a very good engine, he is a great professional and he has settled in to the group really well.

“He is a leader, a talker and an organiser and you can’t have enough of them.”