Jim Goodwin wary of Kelty Hearts threat as St Mirren boss claims Fifers possess Premiership players capable of Scottish Cup upset

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin insists he won’t be taking Scottish Cup progression for granted when his side take on League Two high-flyers Kelty Hearts this afternoon.

The Buddies boss reckons Kevin Thomson’s Fifers have enough Premiership experience in their squad to cause a major upset in Paisley, just like they did in the previous round by knocking out holders St Johnstone.

Captain Michael Tidser, centre-back Jordan Forster, winger Joe Cardle and strikers Nathan Austin and Kallum Higginbotham all boast previous top-flight experience, while the likes of former Rangers youngster Jamie Barjonas, Thomas Reilly, Darren Jamieson and Thomas O’Ware have all played in the Championship.

It is a squad packed full of talent and Goodwin insists any thoughts of an easy passage into the quarter-finals are well wide of the mark.

He said: “They’re a very well organised side and Kevin Thomson is a good young manager with some fresh ideas. I know he was highly regarded during his time at Rangers with the academy.

“He’s obviously stepped up into senior management and you’d have to say he’s took to it like a duck to water.

“I think they’ve only lost a handful of games all season and have scored around 50 goals in 22 league games so they’ve got real firepower in their team.

“I watched the St Johnstone game back earlier this week and they’ve got forward players that can cause opposition real problems.

“Nathan Austin has got 15 goals so far this season, the boy (Alfredo) Agyeman looks a handful as well. They’ve got a number of ex-Premier League players in there too wanting to prove a point they should be at a higher level, so I don’t believe they’re a League Two team.

“I think they could easily hold their own in the Championship. With the squad of players and the budget they have available to them at that level they should be winning their league and I would expect the to get promoted this season and then go again next season in League One also.

“It’s going to be extremely challenging. There’s no pressure on Kelty Hearts, they’re the underdogs and it is a potential banana skin.

“My players are under no illusions as to how difficult this game is going to be. We’ve got Daniel Finlayson currently on loan at Kelty since the start of the season and we’ve had him watched a number of times.

“He’s been playing regularly and all the reports coming back from Kelty have been nothing but positive.

“We’ve talked about us being on a good run and having that winning habit of late, but Kelty Hearts aren’t used to losing many games either. They’ll be very confident coming here.”

Goodwin is confident Kelty are just the latest in a long line of lower league clubs who will continue to flourish in the SPFL over the coming years.

The Maroons currently find themselves 10 points ahead of Forfar Athletic at the top of the League Two table as they close in on another promotion and Goodwin has nothing but admiration for the impact they have made in the senior set-up.

He admitted: “I do like to watch a lot of lower league football and try to get to as many games as I can in midweek if we’re not playing.

“ There are a lot of big teams in the Lowland and Highland leagues with great facilities and we’ve seen what Edinburgh City, Cove Rangers and Kelty have achieved.

“They have had really good investment and you only need to look at the Kelty squad to see that. These players are on very good contracts and that’s why they’re winning the league by such a margin.

“The challenge will be when they get to the Championship and I believe that squad is going to be up there challenging again next season much like Cove.

“When they get to the Championship that’s when they’ll be really judged as it comes down to the quality of the manager and sometimes your players are of an equal level to the opposition so you’ve got to tactically come up with better ideas.

“It doesn’t surprise me to see the job Kelty and Cove are doing – they also have two very good managers who know the game inside out. It’s one thing bringing good players in but you still need the right coaching.”

Goodwin has tipped Kelty Hearts manager Kevin Thomson for a bright future in the dugout, having shone for Rangers and Hibernian during his playing career.

Both sides head into the tie in good form with Saints having lost just once in their last NINE outings but Goodwin admits he resisted the temptation to use his loan spy Finlayson to give him the lowdown on the New Central Park outfit.

“I got sent off the last time I played against him,” Goodwin admitted as he cast his mind back to a previous tussle with Thomson.

“I went in a 50-50 with him and he rolled around the floor and got me sent off! As soon as I got sent off he got up, nothing wrong with him!

“I’ve had good dialogue with Kevin in recent months because Daniel is there on loan since October, a player he had worked at Rangers academy so we knew he was in good hands.

“I know Kevin is a good, young coach who has a positive mindset that will help Daniel’s development. There was no hesitation putting Daniel out there.

“Daniel has nothing but good things to say about him, he really likes the way he coaches, likes his manner.

“I’ve not asked Daniel a single question on their weaknesses or strengths. We’ve done our homework in terms of those scouting reports and we’ve had video analysis.

“Kevin, if he continues the success he has with Kelty, will at some point get the opportunity to come into the full-time game.”