Impressive Rangers loanee gives boss selection headache after fronting late St Mirren rescue act vs Hibs
Ibrox midfielder’s growing influence in Paisley continues as boss challenges side to build on hard-earned point
Craig McLeish has acknowledged Paul Nsio’s growing influence at St Mirren after the on-loan Rangers midfielder stepped off the bench to rescue a 1-1 draw against Hibs in Paisley last night.
The London-born 20-year-old has impressed since making the temporary move from Ibrox at the start of the season, and his latest contribution underlined the energy and attacking intent he can bring McLeish’s side.
Introduced midway through the second half after recovering from a virus that prevented him from featuring in Saints’ 2-1 win over Dundee at the weekend, Nsio played a central role in the hosts 83rd minute equaliser that cancelled out Marko Ivezic’s scrappy opener and maintained their upturn in form.
McLeish was delighted with his contribution, admitting Nsio’s bright cameo appearance may have strengthened his case for a more prominent role going forward.
“Paul did really well,” he said. “He’d obviously been unwell last week, come back in tonight and gave a little bit of a spark and a bit of energy when he came on. It gives us something to think about for Saturday now too.”
The Buddies had hoped to build on their victory over Dundee, which ended a five-game Premiership losing run. Instead, they struggled to find the fluency required to break down a Hibs side that pressed aggressively and enjoyed considerable possession.
McLeish: ‘Hibs are a good side’
McLeish was candid in his assessment of the overall performance, stating: “I’m pleased to get a point because I don’t think we were quite at it tonight. In terms of our in-possession stuff anyway, out of possession, I thought we were still quite solid and we didn’t really give up too many chances to Hibs.
“You’re going to get nights like that where you’re not quite as free-flowing as we’d like to be. Hibs made their lives difficult. They pressed really aggressively, they pressed really high and it just didn’t quite click for us.
“We showed a good reaction to going down and that almost sparked us into life, but we can’t wait for something like that to happen to give us a bit of a lift in the game. Even then, after we equalise, we probably have one or two clear-cut chances where we could have nicked it.
“It would have been a wee bit harsh on Hibs, but I suppose it’s nights like this when you’re not quite at it, you can still come away with points.”
McLeish rejected the suggestion that Hibs’ position towards the foot of the league table made them anything other than a difficult opponent. He pointed to their weekend performance against Celtic as evidence of the gradual improvement made under new head coach Marink Reedijk.
“I know people look at the league table, but Hibs are a good side. The manager’s gone in there and he’s given them a bit of a lift,” McLeish said.
The draw extended St Mirren’s recent recovery, but McLeish knows there is work to do if his side are to turn resilience into consistency. “There’s more to come for us, we’re better than what we showed tonight,” he added.