Striker David Clarkson admits he is just desperate to play games after joining St Mirren from Motherwell on loan for the remainder of the season.
The 30-year-old has failed to make a single Premiership start in a total of eight appearances for the Steelmen after rejoining the club under then manager Ian Baraclough last summer.
The arrival of Mark McGhee in the Fir Park dugout has seen the two-times capped Scotland internationalist fall behind the likes of Scott MacDonald, Louis Moult, Wes Fletcher and James McFadden in the pecking order.
But Clarkson is relishing the challenge of trying to ignite Saints’ push for the Championship play-offs.
Clarkson said: “As much as I love being at Motherwell, I’m at the stage of my career where I need to be playing regular football.
“I spoke to the manager and he understood that and I thank him for allowing me to go to St Mirren.
“I’m looking forward to getting started.
“Every game is a big game and the more games we can win, the more confidence we can get from that.
“Hopefully we can go on a run of games and push up the table and try to get the club back to where it has been.”
Despite his lack of competitive action, Clarkson, who came off the bench in Motherwell’s recent 6-0 drubbing at Hearts, insists he can hit the ground running.
He added: “I’m ready, I’ve been fit all season and I’m as fit as I’ve ever been.
“I’ve been playing games, playing for the 20s and I like to keep my match fitness up.
“I’ve been training hard and making sure that when my time came, wherever it may be, I was ready and match fit, and hopefully up to speed with everyone else really.”
Motherwell manager Mark McGhee said: “David is a player who I have worked with on three occasions and I have huge respect for him both personally and professionally.
“We weren’t able to guarantee him a regular start, but wanted to be fair to him.
“We’ve still working on reshaping the squad and have now cleared some space for some new faces to now arrive.”
