GUS SWOOPS FOR GOALKEEPING COACH

Aug 17 2007 Paisley Daily Express

ST MIRREN were last night tying up a deal to bring former Morton star Paul Mathers to Love Street as goalkeeping coach.

Buddies boss Gus MacPherson previously tried to sign Mathers from East Fife earlier this summer after he was released by the Greenock club but the 37-year-old had already penned a deal with the Bayview outfit, who then demanded compensation for the player.

However, the ex-Dundee, Peterhead and Berwick goalie has since failed to win a regular start with the Fifers, who will face Saints in the second round of the CIS Cup later this month, and a deal has now been agreed to allow him to move to Love Street.

Mathers will replace Craig Hinchcliffe as St Mirren’s goalkeeping coach after he left to join Partick Thistle in the summer.

And, last night, MacPherson confirmed the new arrival will also be registered as a player and will be third choice between the sticks at Love Street behind Chris Smith and Mark Howard.

The Saints gaffer said: “Paul will primarily be our goalkeeping coach but he’ll still be registered as a player.”

Current number one Smith has welcomed the move for Mathers and believes he will be an asset to the Buddies.

The 21-year-old said: “I worked with Paul three or four years ago at a SFA event and I spoke to him a couple of times then.

“We got on well and I’m sure he’ll come in and do a good job here.

“It’s just been me and Mark so far this season and we’ve been using training techniques that we’ve picked up and done what we can to help each other but Paul will have different ideas and it will be good to get into training with him and see how we get on.”

Smith, who has been included in the Scotland under-21 squad to face the Czech Republic next Tuesday, is hoping Mathers will have the same impact on his career as Hinchliffe did.

He added: “Hinchy was magic for me. I could talk to him and he’d understand how the game went.

“He’d be able to watch the games and give me feedback and I’m sure Paul will do a similar job.”