Greg Kiltie has targeted a regular starting slot at St Mirren in 2023.

The 25-year-old midfielder was “delighted” to sign a two-year contract extension with the Buddies, which ties him to the Paisley club until June 2025.

Kiltie, who joined  Saints from Kilmarnock in June 2021, has made just five starts in the cinch Premiership this season and ahead of the game against Killie at Rugby Park on Monday, he looked forward to the New Year and said: “I would probably like to start a few more games, if I am being honest.

“But I have been about the squad and played most games so I can’t really complain too much.

“But if there was going to be one thing, that’s what I would pick.

“But the squad is really strong and the competition in the squad – it’s not as if it is bad players who are starting ahead of you.

“As long as the boys on the pitch are doing the business then that’s all that matters.

“Everybody who is not playing is grinding away behind the scenes and pushing the boys who are playing and everybody is ready to come in.”

Diarmuid O’Carroll is pleased by the way St Mirren developed in 2022 but will strive for further improvement in the New Year.

The Buddies assistant manager and boss Stephen Robinson arrived at the Paisley club from Morecambe in February after Jim Goodwin departed for Aberdeen.

St Mirren finished ninth last season but currently sit in fifth place, behind the Dons on goal difference.

Assessing the period in charge while looking to the future, O’Carroll said: “It has been good. We are always looking for more.

“We were disappointed with certain games and certain moments in games; we could have held on against St Johnstone, their late equaliser, we could maybe have scraped a winner at Livingston on Wednesday, different things like that.

“But if you look at the points tally, it is the best in 34 years or something like that we have to be satisfied, understanding we have one of the lowest budgets in the league.

“We have had to change 40 per cent of the squad in terms of making it more of our team but there are still steps forward we can do.

“We still want more younger lads in the team from the academy, we want to kick on, play a better brand of football, press more. We are always looking for more.

“Context is key. We are ambitious. We want to kick on up the league and break records.

“We want to push on and see this club in Europe sometime, whether that is next season, the year after, we want to succeed and keep developing and that is progression from where we were last year, which was ninth. We are in a decent position.”