Ceara Macintyre feels the pressure to perform to keep her spot in the Saints starting XI has helped fire her to the top of the scoring charts.
The in-form Buddies forward bagged her ninth goal of the season to move joint-top of the League One top scorers list alongside FC Edinburgh’s Emma Mitchell.
Macintyre was gutted her latest effort against Stenhousemuir didn’t bag her side all three points, with the visitors’ Helen Templeton netting a 30-yard screamer from a free-kick with just three minutes left on the clock to pinch a 2-1 victory at Mossedge Village.
Confident winger Macintyre believes the strength in depth the Paisley side have this season is helping to drive the standards of every player when they get the nod from head coach Kate Cooper to take the field.
The St Mirren forward told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “It was a sore one to take against Stenny. We didn’t deserve to lose the game, we deserved a draw at least.
“We probably should have managed the game a wee bit better, as we were pushing for a winner in the last 10 minutes. We created a couple of very good chances, I had a header I probably should have done better with.
“Our keeper Jo Casey has had maybe three comfortable saves to make the whole game, but the free-kick was a worldie. I would have been proud of it myself!
“Being one of the top scorers felt a lot better if we’d won. I’d have traded the goal on Sunday for a win, definitely. Personally it is pleasing to be scoring and hopefully I can carry that form on.
"We have a lot of competition for places now which has made a big difference for us. Last season it was sometimes hard to even get an 11 together.
“That can happen in women’s football at this level. Players have jobs and families and it’s tough sometimes.
“Now we have a strong bench every weekend and there are players every weekend who train hard and are disappointed not to
play.
“I feel an onus when I play now to perform for them. You owe it to them when you’re on the pitch to give everything for the club.”
Despite their late defeat last weekend, St Mirren still sit joint-fifth in the League One table, just one point off third spot.
Macintyre feels there’s still plenty more room for improvement as the Buddies new signings continue to settle into life in the stripes.
She said: “We have definitely strengthened this season and we’re still improving every week.
“We know we’re still green as a team. We had a big turnover in the summer.
“We still have a lot left to improve which is promising. We’ve come out of a few games recently wondering how we’ve lost, because the performance levels have still been good.
“We recognise we can play now and we’ve had much more consistency recently, even from the start of this season.
“We’re going into every game now thinking we can win it, especially at home. We feel we can compete with anyone at Linwood.”
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