As a Barrhead boy born and bred, Mark O’Hara knows just how much St Mirren mean to the people of Paisley.
His dad never lets him forget it. Tales of his father being lifted over the turnstiles at Love Street have dominated O’Hara’s life, especially since he joined the Buddies last summer.
While the box-to-box midfielder hoped he’d settle in quickly at his local club, the 27-year-old didn’t know he’d find himself quite such a stable new home at the SMiSA Stadium.
On the tenth anniversary of the Saints historic League Cup win yesterday, the announcement of a significant two-year contract extension was greeted with joy by the Saints supporters and boss Stephen Robinson.
Committed to the club until the summer of 2026, O’Hara is hoping he can help lead the current St Mirren crop to a piece of history of their own - a top-six finish in the Premiership era.
And the former Motherwell and Kilmarnock man firmly believes having his own future at the club secured for so long will help bring the best out of him in the black and white stripes.
O’Hara told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “I grew up in Barrhead. My dad is always telling me how he’d get the bus from Barrhead and get lifted over the turnstiles at Love Street.
“I played for Barrhead Boys Club and on days out we got taken to Love Street a few times.
“Everything feels right here. I’ve got a lot of mates and people who are close to me who are big St Mirren fans. It’s my local club and it does feel special being part of it.
“I was delighted when I was pulled in and offered the new deal. From the moment I stepped through the door I’ve loved it here.
“I’ve never felt as much at home at a club and I was more than happy to get the deal done when asked.
“The manager and the whole staff have put a bit of faith in me. Now it’s up to me to repay them.
“I’ve got a bit of security and stability now with the length of contract and hopefully that will bring out my best football.
“Getting up in the morning [on Friday], there were a lot of clips on social media from that League Cup win.
“I remember watching that game and the people who were involved in that game are now club legends.
“It was inspiring looking back and it’s something I definitely want to achieve.
“It really does give us that edge to go achieve something special ourselves this year.
“Finishing in the top six is something that hasn’t been done before and it’s something we’ve set out to achieve.
“I don’t think it would emulate that League Cup win, but it would certainly be a big result for the club.We’ve come all this way so it would be disappointing if we couldn’t achieve that.
“We’re under no illusions it’s going to be tough. But it would definitely round it off nicely.”
While St Mirren were toasting League Cup success a decade ago yesterday, O’Hara insists his Buddies have five cup finals coming up before the split to write themselves into the club’s history books.
This afternoon’s trip to Tannadice to face Dundee United is their first opportunity to further cement their place in the top half of the table.
Up against ex-Saints legend Jim Goodwin, O’Hara is predicting a tough game but believes the visitors can replicate their impressive 3-0 victory at the same ground earlier in the campaign.
O’Hara said: “I think our best away day of the season was at Tannadice the last time.
“They’ve got a new manager now with new ideas so it will obviously be a different game. But we’re looking to replicate what we did in the last game.
“Jim Goodwin is a good manager. He’s been successful in the past but at Aberdeen it didn’t quite work out.
“But we expect United to be right up for it and that it will be a tough game for us.
“It’s a bit of a cliche but the next five games are like cup finals for us.
“We need to target maximum points if we’re to achieve that top six spot as it’s going to go right down to the wire.
“They’re all massive games, starting with the one at Tannadice.”
As well as getting O’Hara tied up to a new deal, St Mirren have also added some midfield firepower this week in the shape of Northern Ireland under-21 star Caolan Boyd-Munce.
The former Middlesbrough man could make his debut this afternoon after training with his new club since last week, with O’Hara adding: “We’ve missed Ethan Erahahon, who was massive for us. We’ve got great competition in the midfield but to add another with good pedigree is definitely going to help us in the long run.
“He’s a strong ball-playing midfielder with a good left foot, which gives us a bit more balance.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do in the games.”
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