Source: Team_Talk
Hughes tips striker to make amends
The Moroccan went AWOL this summer and tried to engineer a move away from the club but returned to training this week and kept his promise to Hughes to score the winning goal with a header eight minutes from time.
At one point, it looked as if Hughes would wash his hands of the controversial striker, feeling he had disrespected the club with his actions.
However, the former Falkirk boss believes more performances like his cameo in the 2-1 victory over St Mirren will see the 24-year-old welcomed fully back into his squad.
He said: "What he did in the close-season is behind him. He's still got a lot to do on his fitness but he said to me yesterday he would score the winner. I was joking with him and getting him wound up.
"He was a fans' favourite and I'm quite sure he'll still be a fans' favourite if he keeps doing more of that throughout the season.
"He's a lovely lad, he's got that big smile, and he's someone that you want to have at your club.
"I'm delighted for him and I'm quite sure that will repay a lot of the supporters for him going missing in action in the close-season.
"He's going to have keep working on his fitness but he has come back really lean and as long as he just plays football, scores goals and enjoys himself I'll be a happy guy."
Hughes - who hailed the competitive debut of youngster David Wotherspoon, who equalised Stephen McGinn's opener - claimed not to have seen Steven Thomson's 15th-minute red card for a wild lunge on Patrick Cregg.
But he backed the former Falkirk midfielder and admitted referee Alan Muir's decision had altered the game in his team's favour.
He added: "I'm delighted with the result. Obviously the sending off changed the match and gave us the advantage.
"I've not seen the sending-off but I worked with Steven Thomson at Falkirk and he's a lovely guy, a right good committed professional who doesn't have any malice."
St Mirren counterpart Gus MacPherson had to hold back his opinions of the sending off, instead taking the vow of silence encouraged by the SFA's referees chief Hugh Dallas.
However, it was clear the Buddies boss was less than happy with the decision and Muir's attempts to discuss it after the final whistle.
He said: "I'm not going to talk about the sending off. I'm going to take this vow of silence that Mr Dallas wants us to take.
"It's so hard to do it but I wouldn't give (the referee) the satisfaction of talking about him. He wanted to see me after the game to talk about it but I'm not interested in listening to him.
"There were worse challenges in the game that could have led to serious injuries."
MacPherson was thrilled with the way his team responded to the setback, however, as they took the lead and always looked a threat on the break in the second half.
He added: "I felt we played well, we had taken the lead and I'm not going to criticise our players and say that was the turning point.
"We played extremely well, we defended extremely well, and took the lead. We lost a goal very quickly after that and that probably took the wind out of our sails.
"It's a set-piece that has ultimately cost us but I can't criticise them because for long periods we were well in the game and were still carrying a threat."
