Saints striker Curtis Main admits it was a moment of sheer relief to finally get back on the scoresheet.
And the 29-year-old quickly promised St Mirren’s supporters they will see a stronger, more consistent version of himself next season.
Main’s thunderous strike against Dundee was his first goal for the Buddies since a contentious effort against Aberdeen way back in September.
The former Motherwell and Dons forward has been playing with an injury in recent months, an issue he will finally get resolved once the season finishes.
With Premiership football to look forward to again next season, Main believes Saints fans will see the best of him once he’s returned to full fitness.
He told Express Sport: “It’s great to be back on the scoresheet as it’s been a long time coming.
“Especially at that time of the game, they were putting us under a bit of pressure. To get that goal saw that pressure off and then we just saw out the game well.
“With a full pre-season under our belts and some help with recruitment as well I think you will see a different St Mirren.
“It’ll be a challenging pre-season for sure but it will be worth it.
“If I’m unleashed I’ll be a better player. This season has been challenging for me on a number of levels.
“Personally I’ve not been able to show my true self. The last couple of games I feel I’ve been able to go out and do just that.
“I’ve got a tidy up procedure in the summer that will hopefully allow me to kick on next season.
“It’s long overdue and I’m looking forward to next season already.”
After a difficult campaign Stephen Robinson appears to finally be getting a tune out of Main, having done so previously when the pair were both at Motherwell.
Main feels the confidence the Buddies boss has in him on and off the pitch are helping to inspire him to better performances on the park.
Main said: “I’ve worked with Robinson before and it’s been good to get reacquainted with his methods.
“I think from the last couple of results you can see that work coming to fruition.
“We’ve not been amazing, but we’ve been gradually getting better and better.
“I think over time you’ll see these performances becoming more and more frequent.
“This season has been so frustrating. It’s not gone how we hoped but hopefully under the new manager it will be even better.
“He knows exactly what I’m capable of, so he knows what he’s going to get.
“I’ll work as hard as I possibly can in pre-season to get fit. He knows what I bring to the table.”
Having watched him operate at Fir Park behind the scenes, Main also feels Robinson will bring in the right reinforcements over the summer to make St Mirren a force to be reckoned with next time around.
Main added: “Recruitment is massive in this league. If we get that right in the summer, and Robinson has a proven track record in that, we will be in good shape next year.
“Then we can look up the way instead of over our shoulders.”
