Jak Alnwick opens up on his St Mirren future and how Stephen Robinson has won the trust of the squad already

Jak Alnwick says Stephen Robinson has won the trust of St Mirren's squad already after the manager placed his faith in the same players who performed so well for Jim Goodwin on their recent eight-game unbeaten run.

Robinson named an unchanged side for his first game in charge but saw momentum disrupted with a 2-0 defeat to Hearts which featured an early red card for Conor Ronan, a penalty claim turned down and eventually, their first home reverse since October.

"I felt sorry for the gaffer - man sent off, a penalty decision on Alex Greive that looks stonewall. I’ve seen it back - the ref has said to me he was already on his way down. It’s difficult," Alnwick said.

"He came in and said he’s not going to try to change too much. It’s the first time in my career I’ve had a manager leave because he’s been doing well. He came in with brilliant energy, getting the boys going. He’s a brilliant manager and excelled at Motherwell before. We trust him as much as we trust the last manager.”

Hearts' Liam Boyce's header is saved by Jak Alnwick. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

One change Robinson might seek to implement is his goalkeeper's contractual situation, especially after a string of fine saves that denied Hearts for a long spell caught further attention and kept the score down.

"I knew as soon as the red card happened I was going to have to make big saves. It’s the nature of the game. You just hope for that little bit of luck. You just need something to fall for you but everything that could have gone wrong did and that’s not due to playing badly."

Alnwick certainly didn't and with a deal expiring in the summer talks have already been held in Paisley. "We had a little bit of a conversation and know where we stand between me, [Robinson] and the club. My agent is speaking to Tony Fitzpatrick regularly and we are just monitoring the situation. He knows there’s interest and stuff like that.

"It’s going to be a decision between me, my agent and the club. There’s no pressure, it’s quite relaxed. Lads run out of contract all the time and some move on, others sign a new deal last minute. Anything could happen.”

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today.