St Mirren sweat over Jamie McGrath injury after their talisman is carried off on stretcher as they lose to Rangers

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin admits to fearing the worst over the hip injury suffered by key midfielder Jamie McGrath in the 2-1 defeat at home to Rangers.

Jamie McGrath is taken from the field on a stretcher after suffering an injury during St Mirren's 2-1 defeat at home to Rangers. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The Irish international, who has been outstanding for Saints and earned a host of admirers since joining them last year, was carried from the field on a stretcher after lengthy treatment.

It left the hosts to play out the closing stages with just 10 men, having already made three substitutions, which was a source of regret for Goodwin.

McGrath will undergo tests on Monday but the manner in which he remained on the turf for so long makes Goodwin suspect there may be significant damage.

“We are not sure but Jamie would not go down, and would not go off on a stretcher, if it wasn’t serious,” said Goodwin.

“He will go for a scan tomorrow and we will say our prayers that it’s nothing too serious. Initially, he took a bang and we thought it was a dead leg or he was winded. But it was on his hip.

“He was struggling but we had made all our substitutions by then and we wanted him to try and get through it.

“But hindsight is a wonderful thing. I wish we had taken him off immediately but I didn’t realise it was as serious as it was.

“He’s tried to overstretch to get on the end of a diagonal from Connor Ronan and something has gone. He’s a big player for us so hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”

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