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Goodwin - We can be best of the rest St Mirren captain Jim Goodwin has stuck his neck out by claiming the Buddies are realistic candidates to finish second in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League this season. The Paisley side are top of the table at the moment with four points from two games but Goodwin fully expects his former team Celtic to retain their title. However, with Rangers in the Irn-Bru Third Division this season, the Irishman can see no reason why St Mirren cannot be the best of the rest. Goodwin, 30, who returns from suspension for the home SPL clash with Hibernian on Saturday, said: "Obviously Celtic are favourites and in my opinion will go on and win the league, there's no doubt about it. "But I don't see why - and I hope I don't get shot down for saying it - we shouldn't be aspiring for second, third or fourth in the league. "Look at the teams who were up there last year - Motherwell, Dundee United and St Johnstone. I think Dundee United will be up there again this season but I don't see why we can't look up that way. "The likes of Hearts have lost a lot of influential players, Hibs are in a transitional period, Motherwell have lost one or two, they have all lost key figures while I think we have strengthened. "We lost one or two in the summer but no disrespect to them, the boys who have replaced them are better. "The players we have added in the summer like Sam Parkin and Lewis Guy means we have goals in the team. "Last season we were defensively strong with 16 clean sheets so if we could add goals to our game I have no doubt that we will be there or thereabouts. "I think we are in a much healthier position now than we were at the end of last season." Goodwin is "delighted to be back" after missing the first two games of the season. The former Hamilton midfielder urged the Buddies fans to turn up get behind their side against Hibs. "I just hope the ones that were here last year can maybe find a friend or relative and bring them along because their support is huge for us," he said. Shefki Kuqi professed to being overwhelmed by the passion of the Hibernian fans during his first taste of Scottish football after signing a one-year contract at Easter Road. The well-travelled striker became Hibernian's eighth summer signing ahead of the clash at St Mirren Park. The Finn can list the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle and Blackburn as his former clubs and has 62 caps for his country. But he was still taken aback by the atmosphere of last Sunday's Edinburgh derby as Hibs fought back for a 1-1 draw. The 35-year-old told the club's official website: "That was my first taste of Scottish football and I was overwhelmed by the passion and enthusiasm shown by the Hibernian supporters. "Even when Hibernian went a goal down, the crowd kept backing the team and were rewarded with a good performance - that definitely impressed me. "If the players and supporters can work together then I believe we can enjoy some good times at Hibernian and I'm excited about the next challenge in my career. "I've played all around Europe and in some top leagues such as the Premiership in England and now I'm looking forward to the challenge of playing in the SPL. "The Hibernian team is still developing and I'm excited about using the experience I've gained to help the team get to where we need to be." Kuqi, who played for Oldham last season, added: "Hopefully the supporters will recognise that I will give my all for the benefit of the team and that I will score some goals." Kuqi will provide competition for Leigh Griffiths and Eoin Doyle, who started against Hearts. Manager Pat Fenlon said: "We pinpointed the forward department as an area that urgently needed strengthening, but it was crucial that we made the right signing. "With Shefki, what you see is what you get - he is an old fashioned target man, who can hold the ball up and get his head on the end of corners. "He offers us something totally different to what we had before and his wealth of knowledge will not only help the team right away, but also help the development of our young strikers such as Ross Caldwell and Danny Handling. "He is yet another strong-minded player and a good character, who will have a massive part to play for us."