WILL Haining helped St Mirren snatch a last-gasp victory against Kilmarnock on Saturday when he headed home Andy Dorman's terrific free-kick with eight seconds of normal time remaining.
It was Haining's first goal in 18 months and the player insists that Gus MacPherson's shot-shy team are determined to find the net on a more regular basis in the SPL next season.
"My goal has been a long time coming so I'm delighted with it," he s
aid. "It was a great delivery from Andy Dorman even though I was actually trying to tell him to get it on the head of Jim Hamilton for a knock down. We've not scored as many as we would have liked this season but we have got enough to keep us in the league. In the remainder of this season and for the start of next we will try to create more chances and score more goals."
Meanwhile, Kilmarnock defender Ryan O'Leary admits he will be glad to get to the end of the season and look forward to brighter days in the 2008/09 campaign.
Having enjoyed finishes in the middle of the table in recent seasons, the loss of key attackers such as Kris Boyd, Colin Nish and Steven Naismith has finally caught up with Jim Jefferies' side.
Had Gretna put up any sort of fight this season, Killie might have been flirting with relegation, but instead they are able to reflect on what has gone wrong and put things right for next term.
O'Leary said: "We really just want to get this season over with. We want to try to get two positive results from the last two games and then build up to the next one with a good pre-season.
"I've seen bits and pieces in the papers about who might be coming in next season but I know nothing more than everyone else. Clearly though, we are looking to bring in people to make sure we are better for next season."
The full article contains 349 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
