Paul McGinn admits he has extra reason to lead St Mirren’s fight for survival as he looks to avoid gaining a dubious reputation for relegations.
The right-back was part of the Chesterfield squad which dropped down to England’s League Two after a campaign to forget in 2017.
He then suffered a repeat last term when Partick Thistle were dumped out of the Ladbrokes Premiership by Livingston in the play-offs.
Now he is staring at the nightmare possibility of a third straight demotion as newly-promoted Saints struggle at the bottom end of the table.
McGinn knows some might view him as a jinx, but the 27-year-old is determined to prove he is not cursed.
He said: “I’m not counting the Chesterfield one as I was out for five months and they were mid-table when I got injured.
“But ensuring that doesn’t happen here is definitely my big aim.
“I don’t want to get that kind of reputation, but if you get relegated three times in a row then you’ve definitely got it.
“It’s a big driving force for me personally as it’s something I’m very keen to avoid.
“Last year, right at the end of the season with Thistle was probably the worst point of my career.
“When I signed for them they had played seven games and only had one point, so at least we’re in better shape than that this time round.
“But it was such a sore one. We ended up in the play-offs on goal difference and there was a few things that went against us, like the phantom goal Hearts scored against us.
“There were a few things like that which added up against us and it was tough to take. However, we had no complaints about the way things went in the play-off final, so I just had to take it on the chin.”
Oran Kearney’s Buddies have picked up just four points from their opening six games and face another daunting task when Neil Lennon’s Hibernian visit.
But McGinn said: “We obviously need to pick ourselves up, but nobody’s panicking.
“This is one of the things you need to expect when you get promoted. You’re not going to win every game and you going to have ups and downs – with probably more downs.
“If we’re still in the league at the end of the season then that will be a success and we can build on it from there.
“There’s absolutely no point feeling sorry for yourselves.”
