Chief executive Keith Lasley insists St Mirren’s promising start to their Premiership campaign could easily have been even better.
But he insists boots are being kept firmly on the ground in Paisley as the Saints gear up for a lengthy battle to stay in the top six.
The Buddies are enjoying one of their best ever starts to a top flight campaign, currently sit sixth in the table having won three of their opening five fixtures.
Stephen Robinson’s men could have been sitting as high as third if they’d beaten Motherwell in their opening match, a game they dominated and which the Saints manager still maintains was their best performance of the season so far.
And speaking exclusively to Renfrewshire Live Sport before the club’s trip to Perth tomorrow to face St Johnstone, Lasley is adamant St Mirren won’t get ahead of themselves as they continue to push for points on the pitch.
Lasley said: “Any summer when you have a big turnaround in the squad it can take time for new signings to bed in.
“We saw that in the League Cup, but in terms of the league campaign itself we’re really pleased with how we’ve progressed.
“The start could have been even better. We played so well against Motherwell and that was one that got away from us.
“The players are starting to show a lot more understanding of each other and the system and there’s a lot of positive signs.
“That being said, we know how difficult this league is and there’s very fine lines between success and failure in every game.
“I know from playing and coaching in the Premiership how tough it is to put good runs together. It’s no different now, if anything it’s getting tougher.
“We know St Johnstone will be a difficult game, but you can see from our performances that the desire is there from our players to give everything they have.
“We’ll keep looking after ourselves and hopefully this strong run can continue.”
Lasley and Robinson have overseen a serious summer of recruitment, with new faces like Keanu Baccus, Ryan Strain and Mark O’Hara all bedding in well so far in their new stripes.
Alex Gogic was also recently persuaded to return to Paisley after his excellent loan spell from Hibs last season, and Lasley is confident the club have built a squad capable of competing for the long haul this time around.
Lasley said: “We’re glad to get Gogic back in the building. From the outside looking in, I could see he made a big impact.
“He’s told me how much he loved it here and he felt that connection with the club and the fans. As a player that makes a huge difference.
“He brings so much as he can cover a number of positions and has a huge amount of experience.
“He’s an experienced international and I’m sure he’ll help get more from the players alongside him.
“It’s a long season and you could see towards the end of the last one we ended up with a very small squad because of injuries and suspensions.
“You need to get that right balance of cover of positions in the squad. We feel we’ve managed to get that right over the summer.”
