Manager Jim Goodwin insists the Buddies weren’t expecting to lose striker Kristian Dennis on deadline day.
The ex-St Mirren forward joined struggling English League Two side Carlisle having been offered a one and a half year deal to make the switch, with Eamonn Brophy going on to suffer ankle ligament damage against Motherwell just 24 hours later.
With Curtis Main also still recovering from a groin strain, the Saints are struggling for options up front for their trip to Easter Road tomorrow to face Hibs.
And Goodwin admits Dennis was still firmly in his plans for the rest of the season until the surprise late swoop from Carlisle.
Goodwin told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “Hindsight is a great thing.
“We weren’t expecting to lose Kristian in the January window.
“It wasn’t even a thought in my head. I was pleased having him in the squad but a club in England came in and made Kristian’s agent a substantial offer for next season as well.
“I wasn’t willing to commit to Kristian for next season, I thought we’d see how the season panned out.
“If he’s got a run of games and scored some goals the contract maybe would have been there then.
“I need to be fair to the players. He hadn’t been playing a lot of games and was heading into the final five months of his contract.
“He’s at an age where the next contract is so important.
“He’s got people relying on him and there’s a human element.
“I felt we had good striking options to afford to let Kristian go.
“Unfortunately, the night after then Eamonn goes and gets this injury. That’s the way it goes.”
Yesterday Goodwin revealed he could be could be forced to find a free agent striker if top goalscorer Brophy is ruled out for a lengthy spell.
And he said former Celtic, Hibs and Dundee striker Leigh Griffiths is on his list of potential targets should he need to bring in attacking reinforcements.
Goodwin said: “It looks as if Brophy has damaged one of the ligaments on the outside of his right ankle.
“If it’s going to be four or five weeks out then we’ll go to the free agent market. It’s not one I particularly like looking through, because they’re free agents for a reason.
“Leigh is a free agent and I know there are a number of clubs who are speaking to him at the minute. We’ll wait and see what comes from that.
“Leigh is a player I’ve always admired from afar but he’s always been out of our reach, especially when he was banging in goals for Celtic, playing at the highest level and for Scotland.
"It was only a few years ago he scored a couple of important goals against England.
“It hasn’t quite worked out for him in the last year to 18 months. He’s still a top player and still one of the most natural goalscorers Scotland have got.
“It’s up to him where he goes now between now and the end of the season. He’s definitely on our list and I’d back myself to get the best out of any player.”
