CALLUM BALL feels like an expectant father.
The arrival of his first St Mirren goal is not far away now - of that he is sure - but until the ball is finally delivered into the opposition net he will remain a picture of anxiety and restlessness. Ball, latterly of Derby County, earned himself a one-year contract in the summer after scoring five times in pre-season but in competitive action he has so far drawn a blank.
With Steven Thompson struggling with injury, manager Tommy Craig will look to his other forwards to fill that sizeable void against Dundee United this afternoon when St Mirren aim to land their first league points and goals of the season. Ross Caldwell scored twice in the midweek League Cup victory over Dunfermline Athletic to get his campaign up and running and Ball hopes his own breakthrough will not be far away.
"You do get anxious but hopefully a chance will probably come off my bum or off my back, whatever - one of those lucky goals," the 21-year-old said. "As soon as I get one I think I'll get a few because if you look at the chances we're creating, we're getting about five or six, probably more each game. So hopefully one will come off me and it'll kick-start the season.
"We've only had one bad game against Hamilton. But against Motherwell and Dundee, basically, we destroyed them but we just couldn't score. At the end of the day people put it down to the strikers. Luckily we have been getting chances and on Tuesday we put it right. We'll take that into the Dundee United game."
The dismissal of Derek Adams following Ross County's similarly poor start to the season demonstrated just how cut-throat it can be at the foot of the division. Ball, though, felt there was no undue pressure on Craig or his players to halt St Mirren's decline. "Tommy has done a great job for us. He's set out a gameplan for us and we've stuck to it. And there is nothing wrong with it," he said.
There are only minor improvements to be made for Jaroslaw Fojut too, with the Pole preparing for his family to join him in Scotland. The United defender was recruited from Norwegian club Tromso in July and will be reunited with his family when they fly over next week.
He hopes to greet them with three points against St Mirren. "I am bringing my whole family - my wife, two kids and two dogs - over during the break," said Fojut. "I always say family comes first so it will be a big boost getting them over."
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