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Alex Iacovitti has credited his upbringing at Nottingham Forest for his sky-high standards at St Mirren.
The centre-back, 26, progressed through the youth ranks at City Ground as a teenager alongside ex-Rangers defender Joe Worrall, former Celtic forward Oliver Burke and Aston Villa ace Matty Cash.
Iacovitti - who signed a two-year deal with St Mirren as he returned to Scotland from Port Vale - missed the Conference League first leg against Valur through injury but could return for the second leg in Paisley on Thursday.
“I think it does [stick with you] in terms of standards and how things are done off the pitch," said the defender of his time at Forest. "Being around the training ground, putting in the work; not letting your standards drop and every day being relentless.
“When you come through a brilliant academy like Nottingham Forest, you take these things and they last throughout your whole career.
“It’s your values and what you stand for every day. I still keep them now.
"They were all in my youth team, Joe Worral, Oliver Burke, Matty Cash, Taylor Walker these are all lads I grew up with in the youth team and before that as well.
"It was brilliant to come from the academy there and learn your trade there. It was tough and quite old-school but it was brilliant for me. I ended up playing a few games there as well which was amazing and a dream of mine.
“I wouldn’t say I am a diehard fan. When you play for the club, it is a little bit different.
"But I’ve always followed them since I was young and it’s the club that was 10 minutes from my house. To live the dream and play for them was amazing.”
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Iacovitti developed a close relationship with Worrall as the pair played as a central defensive partnership throughout the youth sides at Forest.
“He has done brilliant and was my centre-back partner throughout the youth team and the academy," said Iacovitti. "I know him really well.
“I went out on loan and he was playing and when I came back he was a bit of a figurehead. Credit to him, he’s a great pro.”
The duo have both experienced the intense support and stick taken in Scottish football and Iacovitti insists fans are right to have their opinion but players must deal with the environment.
He said: “Scottish football fans are passionate aren’t they? You know when you’ve played well and you know when you’ve had a bad game.
“They’re passionate fans, they’ve paid their money to come and they’re allowed to voice their opinion. It’s about dealing with that.”
But will Iacovitti's upbringing at Forest mean some stick from those back home as he dons the black-and-white stripes - similar to Notts County? “Maybe a little bit," he said.
