New St Mirren first team coach Darren Jackson insists he is more than familiar with the squad having scouted forward Lewis Morgan on plenty of occasions.
The former Scotland marksman last week linked up with ex-Celtic team-mate Alan Stubbs at the Paisley club.
Jackson admits he has a fair idea of what to expect having kept tabs on Scotland internationalist Morgan, who joined Celtic in January before being loaned back to Saints, in his role as a talent spotter for English Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers.
Jackson also acted as an agent for former St Mirren players Kenny McLean and Steven Thomson but is now delighted to be working with the current squad on the training pitch.
Former Dundee United and Raith Rovers coach Jackson, who met the players for the first day of pre-season training yesterday, said: “I’ve been out the game for a little while but I had been working with the Scotland Under-19s and 15s, and scouting for Blackburn. But there is nothing like being on the training pitch.
“I’ve been coming to St Mirren for a while because, when I was an agent, I looked after big Stevie Thompson and Kenny McLean, then as a scout here for Blackburn I was watching Lewis Morgan, so I’ve been here quite a bit.
“I know a lot of the players and that can help the manager too, getting in here and getting the head down and getting on the training pitch.”
Jackson spent 18 month as a coach at United and then assisted Gary Locke at Raith Rovers until February 2017. He is thrilled to have been offered the chance to return to the dugout by friend and former colleague Stubbs.
He added: “We’re still very close, we speak a lot and we see each other quite a bit as well.
“He had a lot of names and I feel privileged he has picked myself to come in.
“I was an agent for ten years but you get back into it and you're just like a wee kid again, learning and like a sponge, taking everything in.
“Getting back into the dressing room again is a big plus, being about them and having the trust in yourself; being the go between the players and manager.”
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