St Mirren defender Richard Tait reckons his new deal is down to having a positive attitude around the Paisley club after extending his stay until the summer of 2023.

The 32-year-old, who joined the Buddies in July 2020 from Motherwell, hasn’t been a mainstay of Jim Goodwin’s starting line-up this season.

Tait has made just eight appearances so far but despite his lack of action he has still managed to convince Goodwin that he merits another contract.

St Mirren's Richard Tait celebrates what turned out to be the winner against Livingston. Picture: Alan Harvey/SNS

The full-back believes his versatility and impact off the pitch has been key behind him earning fresh terms with the Renfrewshire outfit.

He said: “I’m delighted to sign the new deal. From the outside, people are probably looking at the number of games I’ve played and wouldn’t think I’d get a contract extension.

“I think it’s important to be good around the place even if you aren’t playing every week. It’s important to still be part of the squad and support the lads and I think I have done that and conducted myself in the right manner.

“I can play in a number of positions as well and that probably helps.

“It’s good for me and I’m happy to have my future secured and if I can help the team in any way, even if I’m out of the team, I will do that.

“I’m looking forward to the future and hopefully I can get some more game time but I will keep pushing the boys who are in the team if I’m not.”

Tait will be the first to admit he is a fitness fanatic and is already eyeing up a career in coaching, but he insists it won’t be in football.

St Mirren’s Richard Tait gets tested on his return to training. Iain McMeneny hopes that strict regulations for football will be relaxed. Picture: SNS.

He added: “A lot of the boys who think about finishing football they will think about coaching but that’s not for me.

“I’ve got a big passion for CrossFit, I coach three nights a week for a couple of hours and I love it. I’m thinking about doing that when the time does come to hang up the boots, but hopefully that’s not for another couple of years.

“I definitely think I have a couple of years left and then I will reassess it and I think I have the fitness for it. Ii comes down to whether your body can recover and you are still enjoying it.

“When I’m not at football I’m at the gym most of the time anyway. We get a lot of time after training to do our own thing.

“People don’t realise football is a 24/7 job, you have to look after your body, you have to think about training, what you are eating and when the next game is.

“We get a lot of free time but we are still thinking about making a positive impact on football.”

St Mirren have enjoyed a positive start to 2022 as they prepare for this afternoon’s clash with Hibs at Easter Road and Tait is determined to help add to their Premiership points tally in the capital.

There was a bit of deja vu about Hibs' conceding late to draw with St Mirren

Victory for the Buddies will move them just two points behind their opponents and Tait admitted: “It will be a tough test at Easter Road but I love going there to play.

“We have started the back end of the campaign well and we want to keep building on that.

“Against Motherwell it was disappointing to draw the game we want to put another positive performance in and add some more points to our tally.

“That has to be our mindset in every game and we have to focus on one at a time. No matter the result you have to move on to the next one.

“The league is so tight this season but the most important thing is to keep picking up points and look up the table.

“When it comes to the split if we are there or there about then great. You can’t get too far ahead of yourself. It’s one game at a time.”

St Mirren defender Richard Tait reveals passion for coaching at CrossFit after earning new contract