Jamie McGrath insists St Mirren made him the player he is today.
However, the Dundee United loan star is determined to silence the travelling Buddies at Tannadice.
The attacking midfielder made the switch to Paisley in January 2020 following successful stints with St Patrick’s Athletic and Dundalk in his homeland.
He went on to notch 20 goals and seven assists in 79 appearances, becoming a firm fans’ favourite and drawing admiring glances from clubs north and south of the border.
McGrath almost departed to join Hibernian – ironically, managed at the time by current United gaffer Jack Ross – last summer but saw that deal fall through.
He ultimately joined Wigan Athletic the following January but, with first-team opportunities scarce, arrived at Tannadice on loan at the start of August.
“My time at St Mirren was definitely the most important period I’ve had in football,” said McGrath.
“I came over from Ireland, took a risk and thankfully it has worked out.
“I had an amazing two years and made friends for life – people within the club who were brilliant with me and I’m still in contact with.
“I’m hoping we get the three points this weekend but that’ll always be a wonderful time in my career.
“I matured a lot and, when Covid hit, I got as fit as I possibly could and looked to start that season (2020/21) as well as I could. I didn’t start brilliantly but come Christmas time, I hit some form. Anything I touched, went in at that point.
“But it’s all business on Saturday.”
If Jamie McGrath isn't one of your favourite Ireland players, what are you doing with your life? 🇮🇪⚽️🔥#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/LiRRwq3Yei
— Kenny's Kids (@KennysKids) November 21, 2021
McGrath laughed: “How will the St Mirren fans react to me? Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve no control over that. It’s always hard to tell. I’m hoping it’s not too bad – I’ll understand if it is, though!”
Collective responsibility
And McGrath was keen to emphasise that responsibility for those bruising away days does not solely belong with the defenders and under-fire goalkeeper, Mark Birighitti.
Instead, he has underlined the need to toughen up as “a collective” – including himself.
“We’ve done our analysis and said what had to be said among the players,” continued McGrath.
“We are all well aware that it’s not just a back four or five. It’s the midfield, striker and how we set up from the front. We all know it’s a collective thing.
“Looking at the goals against Hearts, especially, you can see, starting from further up the pitch, how that leads to goals at the back.
“We need to be nipping in at tackles – that’s something I need to get better at – and give away more fouls; leaving stuff on people. That slows momentum and takes the heat off the boys at the back.
“It is by no means a crisis at this stage. It’s still early doors and there’s togetherness here.”
‘The season is not made up of one week’
Indeed, that desire to retain a sense of perspective after just three Premiership fixtures is one that shines through within the United camp.
McGrath’s first game in Tangerine was the stirring 1-0 victory over AZ at Tannadice; one of the club’s most memorable European nights in decades.
Ireland international Jamie McGrath with an assist less than two minutes into his Dundee United debut 🇮🇪⚽️🔥
They lead AZ Alkmaar 1-0 👊#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/kCRYs9KfnM
— Kenny's Kids (@KennysKids) August 4, 2022
And despite – in the words of head coach Ross – coming ‘crashing down to earth’, McGrath firmly believes United will soon kick-start their domestic campaign.
“It’s important to pick up points early in the season,” added McGrath. “We haven’t started as well as we could but the beauty is: there’s always another game to bounce back in.
“Coming in, it was a brilliant result and brilliant performance (against AZ) and since then, it’s been a tricky week. But the season is going to be long and not made up of one week.
“There are few things to iron out but we are close to getting things going. When we do, we’ll be fine.”
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