Diarmuid O’Carroll insists the Buddies will continue to “grow their own” by giving their best prospects a chance to break into the first team this season.
The Saints assistant boss was delighted to see academy talent Ethan Sutherland shine against Dumbarton on Tuesday night, having been handed a starting spot by Stephen Robinson.
Fellow Ralston youngsters Fraser Taylor, Aiden Gilmartin and Lewis Jamieson were also given a chance to impress as second half substitutes in St Mirren's comfortable 3-0 pre-season friendly win.
And O’Carroll is adamant the Paisley club’s kids will be given a platform to show what they can do in the coming weeks – while reminding them it’s up to them to grab it with both hands.
Speaking exclusively to the Paisley Daily Express, O’Carroll said: “Ethan Sutherland did brilliantly.
“It’s a message from him to everyone – we don’t care how old players are, we’ll play them if they’re ready.
“He came back for pre-season very sharp. We had him with the senior team a couple of times last season from school and he’s done well.
“He’s still got a lot to learn, of course. Defensively and physically he needs to improve but he enjoyed himself against Dumbarton and he’s got heaps of ability.
“The manager has a proven track record with young players. Every day they get an opportunity to prove themselves and will continue to do so.
“Fraser Taylor, Aiden Gilmartin, Lewis Jamieson, Luke Kenny, Kieran Offord – we’re trying to push them and that’s the mentality and philosophy of the club moving forward.
“We’re going to carry five, six, seven of our young players in our squad all the time. We’re not going to inflate our squad with loads of senior players.
“We’re going to try and grow our own, develop our own and give them a chance. We’ll give them the opportunities and it’s up to them to take it.”
The Buddies made light work of League Two opponents Dumbarton on Tuesday night, with Greg Kiltie’s first-half brace and Ryan Strain’s close-range finish earning them a comfortable victory.
O’Carroll was pleased with the workout, particularly for the likes of Caolan Boyd-Munce and Toyosi Olusanya who the club are trying to build up to match fitness and sharpness before the competitive action begins next weekend.
O’Carroll said: “The first half in particular we were really good. We moved it sharp and threatened a lot, probably could and should have scored a few more.
“The first 45 was probably similar to what we’ll face in the League Cup games. The second half was another challenge, the pitch dried out and the wind was against so we had to deal with that and I thought we did.
“It was a good workout and we got the kind of minutes into different players that we wanted.
“Caolan came in late last season and Toyosi was out on loan. They’ve both done brilliantly this pre-season and looked sharp.
“It’s about getting them in now and used to the system, while also getting minutes in their legs because they haven’t played a lot.
“They’ve worked hard fitness-wise. Caolan has got a great range of passing, so it’s just about trying to bed him and Toyosi into the team now.”
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