Caolan Boyd-Munce has tipped Oisin Smyth to be a fans’ favourite at St Mirren, describing the former Dungannon Swifts youngster as “a machine”.
Smyth is settling into life with the Saints after joining the Scottish Premiership side from Oxford United last month. The midfielder has agreed a two-year deal with Stephen Robinson’s men.
Boyd-Munce has been rooming with Smyth during the club’s pre-season camp in Spain, as the pair gear up for St Mirren’s opening Europa Conference League tie against the winners of Valur/KF Vllaznia.
Smyth joined Oxford from Dungannon in the summer of 2022 and had a brief loan spell with Solihull Motors. Now he is preparing for life in Scottish football with the Buddies.
And former Northern Ireland Under 21 teammate Boyd-Munce expects his pal to hit the ground running.
“Oisin will slot in perfectly here. You can see already that everyone has taken to him, which I did not doubt about,” Boyd-Munce told St Mirren’s social channels.
“As a player, I played with him at Under 21 level. He was my midfield partner for a while. He is a cracking player, a machine.
“He can run and he will bring a bit of quality into the middle as well, alongside that power. So I think the fans will love him.”
Boyd-Munce has kept in close contact with Smyth since their U21 days and says the pair chatted frequently about his move to St Mirren.
“I chatted to Oisin loads before he signed. I would chat quite regularly anyway from the 21s. He leaped to come across the water, which for the Irish boys is a big thing,” he added.
“Leaving home and starting afresh somewhere else is a big thing, so I always kept in contact with him. And once I knew that there was a chance of him coming here, and he knew, then it was a no-brainer.
“He was asking about coming and how he would fit in, and I knew he would fit in perfectly.”
Meanwhile, Boyd-Munce admits he is feeling fit after joining up with St Mirren for their summer camp in Spain.
The midfielder recently featured for Northern Ireland in their June friendlies against Spain and Andorra.
“It (camp) has been tough. I have had a lot less time off than the other boys which has been good. I am still quite fit, so it hasn’t taken me a long to get used to it,” he said.
“But it is a fit team as you can see from the scores and the standards are high. We have to maintain that.”