Dayton ready for pitch debut

St Mirren winger James Dayton is preparing for a "strange'' artificial pitch debut against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

The 26-year-old Englishman, who started his career at Crystal Palace, has so far managed to avoid playing a competitive game on a plastic surface with Rugby Park having a grass pitch when he played for the Ayrshire club between 2010 and 2013, before it was dug up last summer.

Dayton, on loan from Oldham until the end of the season, is intrigued ahead of a "new experience''.

"I have asked the lads about the surface and how it plays,'' he said.

"I have never played a professional match on an artificial surface yet.

Obviously I have played on them in behind-closed-doors games and things like that but never a professional match. It will be interesting.

"It is the newest on in terms of technology so it should play like grass, but I don't know, I will find out tomorrow.

"It is a different feeling, a different sensation underneath your feet and in how the ball bounces and runs.

"You see games, like CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, and the ball seems to bounce slowly sometimes then sometimes it is so quick.

"I have heard stories that there are little black pellets on the pitch and the more you have on the slower the ball bounces.

"I don't know how Kilmarnock's pitch plays so it will be a bit strange getting used to the surface in the first five minutes, or in the warm-up.''

Bottom side Saints beat Hamilton 1-0 two weeks ago, the first three points secured in front of their own fans this season.

Boss Gary Teale rued his side's inactivity last week while the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-finals were taking place, not least as it allowed fellow relegation rivals Ross County and Motherwell to go three points and one point clear respectively as their league fixtures went ahead.

The former Scotland winger revealed that he arranged a day out during the week to try to further bolster team spirit as the Buddies brace themselves for a hectic end to the season.

He said: "We have been working on a few things we need to work on and we had a day out as well.

"We took them down to the go-karts in Clydebank. We had a good day and then managed to put them into the Laser Quest as well, so they were all like big kids running about there.

"It was good. Small things that you hope bring everyone together, that is what we will need - everyone together for the last 10 games of the season.''