“Jimmy’s a great character,” the on-loan Rangers player said. “He’s been in the game a long time and played at the highest level. So with his knowledge of the game and experience, to come in to help the lads out, to have someone like him about can only add more knowledge what’s already here.

“We have a great manager and backroom staff already and bringing in Jimmy can only help us.

“I have known Jimmy a long time, since he came into the Northern Ireland set-up with Michael O’Neill maybe seven or eight years ago, and he has helped me massively.

“Obviously with him being a full-back himself, he pulls you aside after training and says you need to do a bit of this and a bit of that and what you need to improve on.

“Jimmy’s a great character to have around as well if morale is down, he is a bubbly, lively person. He has got his stories that he tells which can get morale and you can have a good laugh with him as well.

“He will definitely get morale up in the changing room. if it does happen he will be a great addition for St Mirren.”

St Mirren’s pressing concern is Wednesday’s visit of Motherwell, who sit one Labdbrokes Premiership place and one point above the Buddies, who have taken one point from six matches under Kearney.

Hodson said: “I know we are having a hard time with results but I don’t think we have had much luck with a few calls going against us.

“It’s always difficult when a new manager comes in, especially during the season, because the previous manager will have his ways of playing, work ethics, philosophies and training patterns, and a new manager comes in and wants to stamp his authority.

“And it takes time. It doesn’t just happen overnight.

“We have seen in spells what we want to do, we have had good spells in games and should have had more out of it, but we are working hard day in, day out and I’m very confident this squad is good enough to start climbing the table and stay in the league.”

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