Mallan Hopes Buddies Boss Stays On

Photo by Jeff Holmes St Mirren youngster Stevie Mallan has thanked Gary Teale and Davie Longwell for giving him his big break - and urged the Buddies board to show the same faith in the interim management duo. The 18-year-old has been a stand-out performer for the Paisley outfit since Teale was put in temporary charge after the sacking of Tommy Craig six weeks ago. The midfielder's 60-yard solo run and strike against Dundee was the highlight of an impressive introduction which saw him named December's SPFL young player of the month. But Mallan has now praised the bravery shown by Teale and his assistant Longwell, who is also Saints' youth boss, after they threw a raft of teenagers into a side deep in relegation trouble. Mallan said: "i've got to thank both of them. I was more a of a dribbler when I was younger but since joining up with the first team, Davie and Tealey have been banging on at me to work on my defensive side of my game. "And it paid off, because it was a tackle that won me the ball for the goal at Dundee. "Coming up through the academy with Davie, he was always encouraging us to work on our technique - tricks, dribbling, shooting - so his help has been brilliant for me. "It's been really brave of the two of them to put the likes of me, Lewis McLear and Jack Baird in the side. It shows they trust us. "We've all been working hard and I certainly think I've proven over the last few weeks I deserve to be in the team. But considering the position we are in, a lot of managers might not have done that." St Mirren remain joint bottom of the Scottish Premiership table, six points from safety, after managing just one win since Craig's exit. But Mallan said: "Gary and Davie definitely deserve a longer shot in the job. Over the last few weeks, the crowd have definitely been able to see improvements and what they are trying to achieve. "We've been unlucky with refereeing decisions lately when we were good enough to win a couple of games." Mallan admits he has struggled to come to terms with the overnight fame thrust upon him since his Dens Park wonder goal. However, the level-headed teen insists he will not let that go to his head. "The last few weeks have been crazy," he said ahead of Saturday's clash with Aberdeen. "I started getting noticed after making my debut but since the goal, things have just gone to another level. "I've had a lot of people recognising me and getting in touch to praise me, which has been really nice. "My phone was buzzing so much with all the tweets I was receiving and people tagging me in clips of the goal I had to turn the notifications off. "I just couldn't believe all the attention I was receiving. "A few of the boys were giving me some stick after the goal, saying that because of all the media attention, I would have to produce that sort of thing every week. "But I hope the fans aren't expecting that. I will try to do my best to re-create it but I certainly don't think I'll be able to do it every time. I'll try my best though. "I've already had the highs and lows of the game. A week after Dundee I gave away a penalty in the game we lost to Killie. I still don't think it was a penalty but it did help to keep my feet on the ground. "It was another dose of reality because it was another defeat." Meanwhile, St Mirren have released striker Ross Caldwell just six months after he joined the club from Hibernian.