KELLY EYES A RAY OF HOPE
Kids offer struggling Saints brighter future
SEAN KELLY didn’t exactly enter the media room at St Mirren Park humming the theme tune to The Great Escape. He knows the odds on a remarkable reprieve from automatic relegation still remain vast.
But Kelly feels the little flicker of hope that now exists on that front is accompanied by a bolder feeling about what could lie beyond a wretched season.
That, just maybe , this comprehensive defeat of Kilmarnock offered a snapshot of a brighter future. One in which the Paisley club successfully renews itself upon a foundation of home-grown youth.
The 22-year-old, better known as a l eft- back, r everted to his boyhood position with excellent effect in central defence as Saints recorded their first win since February to move within seven points of Motherwell.
He was partnered by the equally impressive Jack Baird, just 19, with 20-year-old right-back Jason Naismith another key performer.
In front of them, 19-year- old Stevie Mallan again showed why he is regarded as a shining light in a bleak campaign — ably supported by Thomas Reilly, who is one year older.
Like Hearts last season, it might only be when the battle against the drop becomes viewed almost as a lost cause that these formative talents feel the freedom to fully express themselves.
Whether or not that can cause genuine panic at Fir Park will become clear in the final four games of the campaign.
Even if the miracle proves out of reach, it could still provide a launchpad for ambitions of a rapid return to the top flight.
‘This result could turn things, but we know that’s a long shot,’ admitted Kelly. ‘We know we have messed up t he s eason f or ourselves.
‘In a way, the pressure is off now because we have nothing below us. We have a freedom to play and, hopefully, we can grab another win to drag Motherwell down a bit.
‘I think we could close the gap more, but just how far depends on other results. We’ll take it one game at a time.
‘However, that freedom can help us because we have a lot of young lads in the team.
‘They have experience of playing games but there is still a bit of naivety there. If the pressure is off these boys, then they can play better.
‘You saw something similar with Hearts last year. They had a lot of young players in their team and they started to play better once they knew they were relegated and the pressure was off.
‘I think this game was a glimpse of the future because there were a lot of youth-team players out there.
‘A number of the experienced players have dropped out and I think there are only three or four of us under contract for next season. It’s a complete rebuilding job that is needed.
‘The club is still bringing through youngsters. We all have to hold up our hands and say we’ve not been good enough this season — the young players as well.
‘ Hearts went down to t he Championship with a lot of young guys who were Scotland Under-21 internationals and used to playing at Tynecastle every week.
‘Then they have come into this season and run away with the Championship on the back of the experience they gained from playing in a better league.
‘They have become better players and got used to the pressure and the atmosphere.
‘It’s a very different thing to come up from youth-team games to the first team and it takes time to adapt.’
A run of five successive defeats had drained the life from St Mirren, so Kelly’s eighth-minute opener against Kilmarnock was akin to a shot of adrenaline.
It was served up by the visiting team’s striker Nathan Eccleston, whose woeful pass presented Kelly with the chance to send a crisp finish beyond Craig Samson.
‘ I’ve scored three goals this season, which might actually make me joint-topp scorer for players still att the club,’ said Kelly. ‘That sums up thehe position we are in.
‘It’s frustrating when you see we can play like that. We have hardly won a game at home all season.
‘We know that we have decentt players and should not be in the positionion we are in. But the table doesn’t lie.’
Kieran Sadlier nodded Saints’ second before the break after a Naismith shot was blocked, before a fine Josh Magennis strike briefly stirred thoughts of a Killie comeback after a dire first half.
However, two Steven Thompson penalties — which took him through a half-century of goals for St Mirren — soon put paid to that notion.
The first came after Killie sub Alexei Eremenko raised an arm in the defensive wall to block a Mallan free-kick.
The second, though, was more contentious. Manuel Pascali was generous when he described James Dayton as being more ‘ clever’ than him to win the spot-kick.
It looked as if the winger was already on his way down before the Italian made a challenge. Kilmarnock manager Gary Locke apologised to the travelling support for a miserable display that leaves them still in danger of being drawn into the play-offs. ‘ The manager read the riot act anand he was quite right to do so,’ said goalscorer Magennis. ‘ We are not panicking about relegation because we think we have done enough to be safe. ‘But we can’t put in a performance like that for the manager or the club.
‘ It’s still a possibility ( that Kilmarnock could be in the play-off), but then there’s a possibility I could walk out and get hit by a bus.
‘We’re not looking below us — we’re looking at seventh even though that’s hard with Hamilton winning on Friday.
‘We must stay away from the bottom and, hopefully, finish in the top six.’