Jamie McGrath: St Mirren face January dilemma over star midfielder

Having arrived in Scottish football to little fanfare, Jamie McGrath's departure is a moment the St Mirren support have come to dread.

A club record new contract offer is dangling in front of the attacking midfielder to try to extend his stay in Paisley, yet the sense bigger things beckon is inescapable.

McGrath - free to talk to other clubs in January - has blossomed into a Republic of Ireland international, St Mirren's talisman and an icon for the fans.

The fact he's still in Paisley at all is a bonus for the club, with Hibernian almost smuggling him through the transfer window in August. That came after St Mirren had knocked back what manager Jim Goodwin described as "two or three really good offers" from unnamed clubs.

So, when the window reopens in January, do St Mirren take what cash they can get for their prize asset, or cling on to him until summer and face losing him for nothing?

"There is a dilemma there," says former St Mirren and Scotland striker Steven Thompson.

"It depends how big the bids are, if they come in. If it's only a couple of hundred grand, then is it really worth letting him go and diminishing the quality of the squad when you're trying to finish in the top six?

"But if a solid bid - something like £500,000 - is received in January, then it would be very difficult to knock back."

McGrath won two League of Ireland titles in three years with Dundalk before joining St Mirren on a free in January 2020.

He roared to prominence last season, scoring 17 times in 46 appearances and helping St Mirren to seventh - their highest top-flight finish in 32 years - as well as the Scottish and League Cup semi-finals.

This term has brought two goals in 14 with the 25-year-old central to St Mirren's recent revival of three straight wins before defeat to champions Rangers.

"He's been an absolute stand-out since he arrived," says Thompson.

"The biggest compliment you can pay a player is when the opposition recognise the danger he has. Everyone who's faced Jamie that I've spoken to, other managers and players, all say you can see the ability he has on the ball, he always has time and space, an exceptional first touch.

"It was important for St Mirren to hang on to him in the summer window. Let's be honest, he will move on. He's now a full international and his performances every week are at a high level.

"The St Mirren fans love him and rightly so. The main thing now is just to enjoy him while he's here."

McGrath's eye-catching club form earned him the rare accolade of international honours for a St Mirren player, making his Ireland debut off the bench in the 4-1 friendly win over Andorra in June.

His cap count now stands at five - including three starts and two assists - and his rise is a source of pride to Liam Buckley, the manager who accelerated McGrath's development as a teenager.

The midfielder was still part of the Under-19 squad at League of Ireland side St Patrick's Athletic, and combining playing football with his studies at college, when Buckley threw him in for a first-team debut a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday in September 2014.

He soon established himself as a regular and helped St Pats to three cup triumphs before current Ireland boss Stephen Kenny took him to Dundalk in 2017.

"My main memory of him is he always was technically very good - he could see a pass few others could. I always knew he was going to enjoy a good career. " says Buckley, who is now in charge of Sligo Rovers.

"Even as a teenager, his talent was obvious. When we put him in the Pats team - and we were pretty successful at the time - he didn't look overawed or out of place.

"He was very attentive and keen to learn. I'm delighted for Jamie and his parents, who were so supportive of him. He's a proper gentleman and a proper footballer."