DANNY LENNON yesterday added two goalkeepers to his St Mirren squad before revealing he does not plan on doing much more transfer business over the summer.
Lennon has watched 11 players move on since the end of last season, including goalkeepers Craig Samson, Grant Adam and Chris Smith. The manager moved to fill that void by adding David Cornell on a season-long loan from Swansea City and Chris Dilo, a former French youth internationalist, on a one-year deal. With Gary Harkins and promising youngster Kealan Dillon the only other new St Mirren signings to date, it leaves Lennon with a smaller group than in previous seasons but, with Darren McGregor, David Barron and Thomas Reilly all returning from long-term injuries, the manager feels that he does not need to recruit many more.
"I think it's been a relatively quiet close season," Lennon told Herald Sport. "Sometimes only one or two players coming in or going out can make a big difference to help you get to where you want to go to.
"The coffers are tight at any club but we're absolutely delighted with the personnel that we have on board already. There's also an opportunity there for the younger ones to stake their claim and I'll be encouraging that. We could bring more in from outside but sometimes the answer can be right on your doorstep and some younger ones have earned the chance to show what they can do.
"There are some areas of the park that maybe we still need to strengthen but we'll assess it over the rest of the close season and on our break to Spain next week then make a decision when the time is right. But I've got the likes of Darren McGregor, David Barron and wee Thomas Reilly all available again; players who would have featured more last season were it not for injury. These are all like new signings coming in."
Success in last term's Co-operative Insurance Cup was offset by some inconsistent league form that left them 11th in the table. Lennon knows there must be improvements in the campaign ahead. "Our season will be remembered for winning the cup but we certainly underachieved in the league. We felt we were in with a shout of the top six up until a few weeks before the split but we just couldn't get close enough to make it happen. There are a lot of things that myself and my staff have addressed since that will hopefully lead to an improvement in the season ahead."
Lennon was pleased to have made Harkins his first signing. "Gary's certainly a player that excites everyone. He's a wonderful talent, someone that can turn a finely-balanced game for you. We've got quite a few creative types in the squad so it's just about getting that balance right."
St Mirren hope to line up friendly opposition for August 10 after their league match was postponed due to Celtic taking on Liverpool in Dublin.
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