DANNY LENNON hopes St Mirren's relationship with Newcastle United will help him sign Adam Campbell and Conor Newton on loan.
Lennon benefited from having temporary use of Newton and Paul Dummett last year, with Newcastle said to be happy with the progress the pair made in Paisley. Dummett became St Mirren's first choice at left-back during a season-long stay, while midfielder Newton, who arrived in January, scored what proved to be the winning goal in the Co-operative Insurance Cup final against Hearts in March.
Both Campbell, a striker, and Newton appeared off the bench in the friendly between the two clubs on Tuesday and now Lennon, whose side begin the new SPFL Premiership season away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle this afternoon, hopes he can add the pair to his squad.
"There's a conversation taking place and while the window is still open there's always a possibility of some business getting done," he said. "I've seen a few videos of Adam and watched him live the other night and he's very dynamic and quick, and handles the ball well. You don't spend eight years at a club that size if you're not a good player.
"We've had discussions about Conor as well. You could see from the reaction from the fans the other night how much him and Paul are loved. They contributed fantastically well. Conor is a player I would love to have back here. He would add strength and quality to the squad, and there's a lot more we can develop with him.
"It's a relationship with Newcastle that was cemented even deeper the other night there, with Alan bringing up a quality side and giving us the challenge that we needed. If they can send up young boys and we can send them back as men then Newcastle are getting what they want, and we get what we want at an affordable price. It's fantastic development for the players themselves."
Inverness have plenty of new faces this season, too, and manager Terry Butcher suspects that his squad will be among the most exciting in the division over the coming months. "What is encouraging, more so than ever before, is that there are great options on the bench now," he said. "I did not have that last year. Now I have players who can make an impact. There is great mobility in the team as well as good cohesion and they are hungry and fast and energetic. I think it will be a very enjoyable side to watch. I think it is a more exciting team than last season, even though we averaged a decent 1.7 goals per game. They have fun on the pitch as well as off it, just like last year.
"Some people don't seem to think we will have as good a season but we have a different mindset and group of players now. We have a different look and can play in a variety of ways, which is even better."
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