Oisin Smyth has revealed team-mate Caolan Boyd-Munce played a major role in his transfer switch to St Mirren.
The 24-year-old left Oxford United after things came to a "standstill" at the club having been shoehorned into defence, midfield and attacking positions in League One.
Smyth, though, had close contact with Boyd-Munce throughout the season and heard only good things about St Mirren - all while watching European qualification be secured and his pal be capped for Northern Ireland from afar.
When Boyd-Munce shared interest from Stephen Robinson in Smyth, it was only going to end one way with positive talks quickly wrapped up and Smyth unveiled in black-and-white.
"I think he did, yeah" said Smyth of Boyd-Munce playing a role in his transfer move. "It came to a standstill where I was playing and I was speaking with Caolan and he seemed to be enjoying it very much up here.
"When he said that the gaffer was interested, I thought why not as it would be a good new challenge for me and I'm feeling good already."
He continued: “St Mirren and the gaffer should interest early on and to me, it was about getting it done early and getting a pre-season under my belt and really kicking on from there.
“As soon as they showed interest and I saw the set-up, everything just fit into place for me and it looked like the right move.
"I like the way the gaffer sees the game and how he wants us to play. The way the team performed last year was another big plus.
“It is good to see that we can challenge at the top end of the table up here, in a big league which is exciting for me."
Smyth is well aware of the Northern Ireland links in the St Mirren camp currently, with Conor McMenamin and Boyd-Munce regular squad members and assistant manager Diarmuid O'Carroll a senior coach for the national team.
On following Boyd-Munce's pathway to international recognition in Paisley, Smyth added: "It is always a challenge to get into the set-up and Caolan has went and done it so hats off to him.
“If I can fit in and do as well as he has done then I will be happy."
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While Smyth - who started in the 1-0 friendly win over Dunfermline on Saturday - has proven his versatility playing from centre-back to as a number 10 for Oxford, he will be utilised as a central midfielder at St Mirren.
“I am predominantly a centre midfielder," he said. “There was a lot of competition at Oxford and there were a lot of midfielders, so sometimes you need that wee break of luck to get into the team - and that didn’t come for me.
"Early on it came when I played in midfield and then the new manager came in and saw me as a 10 when we were seeing games out.
“When there was a chance to play centre back, I put my hand up and said that I was happy to play there.
“At the end of the day I want to play midfield and that is where the gaffer sees me playing here."
St Mirren take on Greenock Morton in a Renfrewshire derby in their second pre-season runout this month and Smyth has already been warned to expect a fiercely competitive fixture at Cappielow.
On whether he understood the derby connotations in the 'friendly', he said: "The boys have alerted me to that so we look forward to getting out and getting into it.
"They are obviously the games you want to play in. To have it in pre-season is that wee bit of extra motivation.
"I think sometimes it will get feisty and that's part of the game we like.
"It's gone away from that in the last few years but I think it's always good to see that side of the game come back in."
