THERE are few football families as close or as supportive as the McGinns. If one of the brothers is playing and the other two are free, then chances are they will be sat in the stand offering their backing. It is not difficult to also denote the pride in Stephen’s words when he speaks of John’s emergence as one of the finest young midfielders in the country, someone who has caught the eye of late of Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers among many others.

That sense of fraternity and camaraderie, however, will be temporarily suspended tomorrow night when John’s Hibernian travel to take on Stephen’s St Mirren. The brothers have never directly played against each, a midfield duel that will add an extra layer of intrigue to a contest between one side going for the Championship title and the other battling gamely to avoid relegation.

Stephen’s insistence that he will “smash” John given the chance was said mainly in jest, but there is a precedent that suggests there will be no pulling out of tackles from either man. Their other brother Paul, now with Chesterfield, did not hold back in a tackle on John when they met in a Dundee versus St Mirren game in 2014, Paul’s only mistake stopping to check on John as he lay stricken on the ground. Stephen won’t be showing similar compassion if the same were to happen in Paisley tomorrow night.

“I’ve never played against John before so this will be the first time,” said Stephen, back at St Mirren for a second spell. “I’m looking forward to it. John played against Paul before and I know the two of them found that uncomfortable to say the least. There was one point where Paul smashed John and then went over to see if he was okay while St Mirren were breaking up the pitch. In the position we’re in, I can’t afford to check on him. If I smash John I’m leaving him on the deck!

“Brother aside, he’s probably Hibs’ best player. He’s a real driving force for them and Stevie Mallan and I will have to be right on our game to deal with him. He’s a top player for this level. If I can do anything to harm him if he stays over [tonight] then I will!

“I’m not surprised that Brendan Rodgers was talking about John last week. I know I’m biased but you couldn’t have been at Hibs’ cup tie against Hearts last week and not have been impressed with him. It was a top performance in a big game where there was expectation and pressure on him and he delivered. I’m not surprised if a lot of teams are looking at him.”

St Mirren’s victory over Ayr United on Saturday has reignited their previously slim hopes of avoiding the drop this season and McGinn, now captaining the team, believes that they have a chance despite the five-point gap to the play-off spot.

“If we play like we did on Saturday, I’ll have no fears about going into this game,” he added. “If someone had asked me that a few weeks ago, looking at bottom versus top, I would have said we just need to try to stay in the game. But with the attacking options we now have, with the way we counter on teams, it would be a shame not to go and have a right go at them.

“I watched Hibs last week at Easter Road in their cup tie against Hearts. They were bang at it and they are a right good side. They’re obviously top of the league so it’s top versus bottom tomorrow night. So it will be a really hard game for us.

“But we showed on Saturday that we have really young players who can handle a really tough occasion. They went out and expressed themselves and looked as if we would score goals. We have enough in our dressing room to hurt Hibs. We’ll give it a right go.

“It’s St Mirren versus Hibs and this should be a Premiership fixture. It’s a good chance for us to take a scalp, there will be a big crowd and it ought to be a good game under the lights. It’s one of the games I came back for.

“We’re still in a lot of trouble at the bottom of the league but we’re at least building a bit of momentum. The teams above us will appreciate we’ve got a good team here and won’t relish the thought of us going on a run.”