JIM GOODWIN RECKONS his St Mirren team are capable of defying their poor away form in the most difficult test of their season so far.
Goodwin takes his side to Parkhead tonight to take on Scottish Premiership champions and leaders Celtic (7.45pm), who’ll be playing their third game in seven days.
The 37-year-old Waterford native will aim to pick up his first point on the road since taking over as St Mirren manager ahead of the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
Celtic come into the game on the back on Sunday’s 4-0 win at Aberdeen, which followed a dramatic 2-1 victory over Lazio in the Europa League last Thursday.
After tonight’s meeting with St Mirren, Neil Lennon’s men will turn their attentions to a Scottish League Cup semi-final against Hibernian on Saturday.
“Hopefully Celtic maybe take their eye off the ball a wee bit because of the busy week that they’ve had,” Goodwin said, via the Daily Record. “With the semi-final this weekend coming as well, maybe that will give us an opportunity to go and capitalise.
“It’ll be interesting to see what kind of team selection Neil [Lennon] decides to go with, but it doesn’t really matter how many changes they make because the players that are coming in are international class.”
St Mirren, who needed a play-off to avoid relegation last season, are currently third from bottom in the Scottish top flight, having taken eight points from their 10 fixtures to date.
With just five goals scored, their offensive struggles have been countered somewhat by their solidity at the back. A record of nine goals conceded means they have the fourth-best defence in the Scottish Premiership. Irish centre-back Sean McLoughlin, on loan from Hull City, has played every minute of their league campaign this season.
“I believe anything is possible and I do believe when you go to places like Parkhead you do rely on them having an off-night and us having a really good night to take anything from the game,” Jim Goodwin added. “But I do believe we’re capable of causing an upset.
“As a player I always loved going to Parkhead or Ibrox because you know you’re getting the big crowd and the adrenaline gets you through the game. It’s really important that the players turn up and believe that they can do something.”
Goodwin made nearly 200 appearances for St Mirren as a player. Shortly after leaving the club in 2016, he began his managerial career at Alloa Athletic, who he guided to promotion to the Scottish Championship. He then kept the club in the second tier last season, in spite of their status as the division’s only part-time outfit.
A former Ireland U21 skipper, Goodwin was also a member of Brian Kerr’s U16 squad that won the European Championship in 1998. The former central defender was capped at senior level in a friendly against Finland in 2002.
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