Relieved St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin admits he’d almost forgotten what it was like to celebrate a win.
The Buddies picked up a much-needed first victory since October after putting Dundee United to the sword last night, sealing a welcome end to an unwanted 11-game winless run in the process.
Jay Henderson scored his first senior goal for the club with the opener, with Eamonn Brophy marking his return after a hamstring injury with a crucial second.
The evening couldn’t have gone much better for St Mirren, a late Alan Power own goal aside, and Goodwin hopes the win will help restore his players’ confidence.
He said: “It’s been a long time coming. We’d almost forgotten what it was like to celebrate a win in there.
“I think when the final whistle went, it was just a huge sigh of relief from everybody within the group.
“We’re not getting carried away. I thought we were very good in the first half, Dundee United didn’t cause us any trouble at all and we looked very dangerous on the break.
"I felt we should have had more than a goal advantage at half-time.
“I have to give great credit to the players. That wasn’t a tactical masterclass from the manager, that was about a group of guys digging deep.
“You saw a team that was a little bit nervous and fragile because of the length of time we went without a victory.
“In the end, I’m just delighted we got the three points.“
Goodwin was keen to praise academy graduate Henderson, who has had to bide his time for opportunities so far this season.
His stunning strike put the Buddies in control early on and Goodwin expects to see more from him as the campaign progresses.
He added said: “Henderson deserves a huge amount of credit.
"Prior to the break, we were playing with a back three with wing-backs, which just doesn’t suit his style of play yet.
“We changed the shape to a 4-2-3-1 last night, and that suits him a lot better.
“I’ve been talking about the lack of pace in the team but he is one with real pace.
“He’s very sharp off the mark and I thought in the first 45 minutes he was the best player on the pitch by a country mile.”
The win put some added shine on an excellent day for the Saints which also saw the Paisley club announce the signing of striker Alex Greive.
The New Zealander, who joined the Buddies officially on an 18-month deal from Birkenhead United yesterday, found himself thrust straight into action as he made his debut from the bench late on at Tannadice.
He almost scored with one of his first touches in Scottish football, with Goodwin confident the promising 22-year-old can add some creativity to his front line.
He said: “We are delighted to have another addition to the squad at the top end.
“Alex is one we have been working with for the last wee while but couldn’t get him registered until the January window opened up.
“He’s brings creativity. He’s a little bit different to some of the other strikers we have at the moment, he’s quite dynamic, so we’re excited to have him involved.
“He’s looked sharp in training and he’s surprised one or two already.”
