Craig McLeish insists he would have no qualms about throwing St Mirren’s teenage prospects into the Premiership relegation play-off with Partick Thistle.
The interim manager handed a first start to 16-year-old striker Luke Douglas and debuts from the bench to defender Thomas Falconer and forward Caiden McMillan, both 17, in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Dundee United.
McLeish has worked with all three players in the club’s academy and believes they would thrive under the pressure of trying to keep the club in the division.
He said: “I’ve sat on the other side of it in games like this at the end of the season and maybe had things to say about managers and other clubs after looking at team lines and seeing no young ones were playing.
“So I can’t get into this position now and then not give boys opportunities. I’ve worked with them, I know them, I love them to bits and I trust them so much.
“I have to then be brave enough to put them in and I have no hesitation putting them in either. Luke gets a standing ovation at the end, and rightly so. People might be a wee bit surprised at a 16-year-old kid playing like that but I’ve worked with Luke since he was maybe eight or nine years of age.
“I’ve got no hesitation throwing him in, playing him, bringing him off the bench, especially if you need a goal, if you need a spark. I know the level he’s at. He’s magnificent and he’s a great kid to work with as well.”
Read more:
McLeish was frustrated that St Mirren could not deliver another win ahead of the play-off after Jake Young cancelled out Zac Sapsford’s opener for United. But he believes he and his players need to embrace the challenge of keeping the club in the top flight.
He added: “It’s two massive games. We can’t feel pressure or anxiousness or nervousness with it. We have to have confidence and be excited about it and look forward to it.
“I coach for big moments. They play for big moments. There are no bigger moments (than) these two games to stay in the league.”
United knew before the game that they would finish seventh regardless of the outcome and manager Jim Goodwin admitted the team had not quite hit the highs expected of them this season.
He said: “I know there’s a bit of disappointment among our supporters, and there’s certainly disappointment in the group, because we missed out on that top six.
“I think with the achievement of last season, finishing fourth, naturally the expectations go up with that. We fell short of that.
“I think that’s credit to the teams above us. I don’t necessarily think it was because we’ve been terrible.”
