Croft: Teale destined to be a coach
St Johnstone winger Lee Croft is looking to put Gary Teale's St Mirren further into relegation trouble on Saturday - but he has backed his former Derby team-mate to lead the Buddies to safety.
Croft and Teale performed on either flank for County five seasons ago and Croft recognised the Scotland international would go into coaching one day.
Croft said: "He's a great lad, I really want to see him do well as a manager. I know Jim Goodwin as well from my time at Huddersfield. I have a lot of time for both of them and I want to see them do well, but not on Saturday.
"Gary was a great pro. You could always tell he had that side in him. It wasn't really a surprise to me that he got into management. He had a great career, his time at Wigan was probably his best, in the Premier League.
"I'm sure the lads like working under him. They have got some good players and I'm sure he will stamp his authority on the team and the club and they will move up.
"As a player himself, he was very fit and good around the place. He would give 100 per cent in training and in games and it doesn't surprise me that's what he is trying to instil into the players at St Mirren."
Defeat for St Mirren would keep them on the bottom of the Scottish Premiership but the Perth Saints are also in need of points to boost their top-six hopes.
"We have got just as much to play for, for different reasons," Croft said. "It's a massive game for us. We have our target of getting into the top six and we will be looking to get three points on Saturday and get that step closer."
Four wins from his 14 games in charge has hardly put a smile on Teale's face - but the rookie St Mirren manager insists he is still relishing the task of saving the Paisley outfit from relegation.
The former Scotland winger replaced former Buddies boss Tommy Craig in December but is fast running out of time to rescue Saints.
With nine Scottish Premiership games left, Motherwell are a point in front, while Ross County's five-game unbeaten run has given the Staggies a four-point cushion over the basement boys.
The tension is cranked up with every missed opportunity to claw back ground on their rivals and Teale admits it took him 24 hours to "get over" last week's last-gasp 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock.
With the Saints board still desperately trying to find a buyer five-and-a-half years after putting the club on the market, dropping into the Championship could prove a fatal blow.
But despite having to deal with that pressure while juggling a family life, Teale insists he has had no second thoughts about launching his managerial career with Saints.
The former Wigan and Derby forward - whose side travel to St Johnstone on Saturday - said: "This job consumes everything in your life. I wanted to do this job so you've got to take it on board that it will be like that.
"The fans work all week and want to see a result or a performance when they come to the game on a Saturday. So I'm the figurehead, I'm the one with the responsibility.
"I need to step up and do the best I can do. I feel we have been doing that but yet here I am, talking about another hard-luck story from last week.
"Those sort of results don't change my view on the job though. I've really enjoyed it - as much as I can with where we are sitting in the league anyway.
"It's difficult with the position we are sitting in right now but I wouldn't swap it for anything. This is something I want to do and to continue to do.
"I'm so lucky to have my wife and kids supporting me with the way they are. They just let me get on with it.
"I try and switch off as much as I can because this job can be 24/7. If you win, then great. But if you don't the disappointment carries on.
"But I try to make sure I'm giving the family as much attention as I can after the game on a Saturday.
"That's what I'm doing all this for - to provide for my family like everybody else does."
Source: PA
