To receive our full, free St Mirren newsletter straight to your email inbox, click here.
Liam Donnelly insists it was an easy decision to join St Mirren after enjoying playing his best football under Stephen Robinson at Motherwell.
The midfielder made his St Mirren debut in a 4-0 friendly win over Dumbarton last weekend after penning a two-year deal in Paisley.
Donnelly, 29, agreed a quickfire move to St Mirren after his contract at Kilmarnock expired in the summer.
“Yeah, I’d known of the interest," said Donnelly of his switch. “I’d kept in contact with the manager, I’d known him well from before, so obviously it was an easy decision once I knew the interest was there.
"It’s quite similar to how it was before. I know him from Motherwell, hopefully it will be an easy transition and back into his ways of playing.
“What he’s done for the club here hasn’t been a surprise at all. I’ve seen it from the outside, the success of the last couple of years.
“He was a big influence when I first went to Motherwell earlier in my career and my success at that time.
“So he’s always someone I’ve kept in contact with. I was obviously keen to work with him again sometime, so I am delighted to be able to.
“I think he can push and get a bit extra out of me."
Donnelly is relieved, too, that he will call the St Mirren squad his team-mates after some fearsome battles on the pitch against them in recent years - including a 5-1 loss in Paisley.
Asked to describe his experience playing against St Mirren, Donnelly smirked: “Not very nice!
"It certainly was never the easiest of games coming up against his team over the last couple of years.
“If you’re not 100 per cent on it against a Stephen Robinson St Mirren team, then it’s not going to be an easy day at the office.
“We found it out that day (5-1). I’m just here to hopefully add to that and hopefully continue the success St Mirren have had.
“I’ve seen the success from afar and I want to be part of it now.”
Read more:
Donnelly realised he would not be returning to Kilmarnock after the managerial change, with Stuart Kettlewell replacing Derek McInnes, who moved to Hearts.
In Robinson, Donnelly has a familiar face and a manager he trusts to bring the best out of him, even if he is yet to be convinced over claims the manager has mellowed.
“Apparently, he’s mellowed a bit," said Donnelly. "That’s what he said! He’s told me that so we’ll wait and see.
“I think that was the best spell of my career [at Motherwell], certainly in goalscoring.
“Hopefully, I get back to a bit of that! I had a good time at Kilmarnock as well under Derek McInnes.
“But I’m looking forward to working under him again and hopefully he can bring the best out in me.
“I don’t think the option was there to go back [to Kilmarncok]. But as soon as I knew the interest and the chance were there to come here, I was delighted to get it sorted.”
