Keith Lasley admits he never picked up on the special connection between the home support and their beloved Buddies in his playing days.
But after a year in post as the club’s chief operating officer, now he can’t believe how strong the link is between the Saints fans and their team.
Lasley was a regular visitor to Paisley during his time at Motherwell, battling the likes of former St Mirren captain Jim Goodwin on his trips to the SMiSA Stadium.
Having moved from the Steelmen to join St Mirren last year, now Lasley’s focus is solely on strengthening the club on and off the field.
The 43-year-old enjoyed huge success on both fronts in his debut season in charge, helping the club achieve their highest average attendances in a season at the SMiSA Stadium since moving from Love Street in 2009.
And with more than 3,000 Buddies having already secured their season tickets for next season, Lasley is determined to make the matchday experience even better for the Saints faithful as the club aim to cement their status as a top six Premiership side.
He told St Mirren TV: “I would like to thank each and every fan who came along to the SMiSA Stadium last season as the atmosphere has been outstanding.
“I only came here as an away player and I never had that connection with the home support.
“But now having been here a year and seeing that connection and sense of belonging that the fans have here, it is just really special.
“We want to build on that. We want to make sure the match days that we have here are really special experiences for everyone involved.
“It’s already special, but we want to work with all our partners and stakeholders to push on again next season and make it even more so for all our fans at home games.”
Lasley revealed it’s been a whirlwind first year in charge, having taken over so much responsibility for an entire club’s operation for the first time.
While he’s enjoyed the challenge so far, the Paisley native will continue to lean on his supporting staff this season as he continues to learn on the job.
Lasley added: “It was a big decision for me and people understand I was at Motherwell for a long period of time.
“It’s a club that will always be a huge part of what I have been as a footballer and in my life and my family’s life.
“But this is a brand-new challenge for me, something different, and something at the time I was really excited about.
“It’s something now, looking back, I have definitely made the right decision.
“It’s something for my own personal growth and I have learned a lot in the last year through various challenges and successes and I feel it is the right position for me and the right club for me.
“Football is a very volatile business in so many ways and it can change on a daily basis.
“Particularly in this role, when you are responsible for pretty much everything, so it is a vast array of different things you are dealing with week to week.
“But we have a fantastic staff who help me with that and it is something that I have been lucky with. That’s helped me a lot to settle into the job and it’s something I will rely on going forward.”
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