Former St Mirren and Irish League forward backing Conor McMenamin to become fan favourite in Scotland

Stephen Robinson secured the services of his number one summer target on Thursday with the 27-year-old Northern Ireland international penning a two-year contract in a deal that’s rumoured to be worth in excess of £125,000.

McMenamin has arguably been the Premiership’s standout performer in recent years, scoring 42 goals in 109 appearances after arriving at The Oval from Cliftonville in 2021.

McKnight, who started his career with Rangers before enjoying two spells at St Mirren in the noughties, is confident that the ex-Linfield and Warrenpoint Town forward has what it takes to succeed and is backing him to get fans off their seats.

"He definitely does (have the game to do well),” he said. “Stephen Robinson is a very accomplished manager, has his style of play at St Mirren and will have banked on Conor coming in and fitting the mould straight away.

"From what I've seen of him, I like him out on the right wing and cutting in to curl shots into the top corner, but I think with his game he can play anywhere across the front line. He's very adaptable in how Stephen will be able to use him in the team.

"The supporters will be doing their own research and have access to him on YouTube and see what he can bring to the table and they will be getting excited by that.

"He's very capable of making a name for himself at St Mirren. I have no doubt the fans will instantly buy into him because of the way he plays.

"He will get bums off seats and people will want to see him playing. He's going to excite them and he should get a real buzz from playing in front of a capacity crowd every week.

"It's an exciting time for him and he should be excited about going over there to show off what he's got."

While McKnight – and many others – made their move across the water as a teenager, McMenamin has trodden a different path, honing his craft in the Irish League and has been so impressive that he’s forced clubs to pay attention despite preconceived ideas that players in their late-twenties mightn’t be worth the risk.

If anything, McKnight feels that extra experience of full-time football in east Belfast could work to his advantage and wouldn’t be surprised to see his progress rapidly accelerate under Robinson’s watchful eye.

"He now has the international and vast Irish League experience behind him,” added the former Linfield striker. “He knows this was probably last chance saloon in terms of going to establish himself as a professional player across the water.

"I'm a bit surprised he hasn't moved before now. I know we've had Covid and things have stalled a bit over that period for everything, but I definitely think he's more than capable of going over and having a really successful time with St Mirren.

"Conor will be able to go in and hit the ground running after his time with Glentoran. It will be a big loss for Warren (Feeney) in terms of the Glens but I have no doubt he's going to make a success of Glentoran over the next couple of years because of the work ethic he has.

"It will be a big loss but Conor has a fantastic opportunity. It will be interesting because I can't remember many leaving as late as 27.

"It's an incredible rise for him but he's a quality footballer. He has stood out as one of, if not the, top player in the league over that time."