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He wasn't on the pitch for St Mirren's historic triumph over Valur Reykjavik. He wasn't in the dugout for the huge Scottish Premiership opening-day win over Hibernian either.
Martin Foyle's influence at St Mirren, though, makes him simply "irreplaceable" according to Stephen Robinson.
The one-man transfer specialist - named head of recruitment - puts in a power of work in Paisley and has played a huge role in the stellar signing track record in recent seasons.
Foyle mightn't be a name at the forefront of St Mirren supporters' minds but his tireless scouting efforts and unrivalled contacts network have strapped rocket fuel to Robinson's management.
Summer signings Oisin Smyth and Roland Idowu netted in the league win over Hibs with Ellery Balcombe, Shaun Rooney, Dennis Adeniran and Alex Iacovitti all hitting the ground running after moving to Paisley in the summer.
And without Foyle in situ at the SMiSA Stadium, having previously worked with Robinson at Morecambe and Motherwell, St Mirren could very easily could have missed out on key targets.
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“I’ve been working with Martin for a long, long time. He is irreplaceable," said Robinson of his trusted recruitment lieutenant. “A lot of people don’t notice the work that he does.
“He finds me gems from his network of contacts all around the world.
“We shouldn’t get first refusal on a lot of players but because of his relationships, we do.
“He’s been invaluable for me so he certainly deserves a lot of credit for the boys we have brought in.
“He throws me some rubbish ones as well by the way!
“Ultimately I have got the final decision on who comes. Martin knows me inside out and knows what I like and he knows I like players who can get around the pitch and can run.
“Then, after that, we mould them and try and create them as a coaching staff into better players.”
