The defender said: "It's hard to believe big Sammy is only 22 as he's a big, athletic player with a great touch. He's been a breath of fresh air since he came in. He took a lot of heat off Scotty McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, although it was hard to break those two as they did so well this year. But when he came on he always looked lively and sharp and always brought something.

"The fans liked to see him on the pitch. Scottish people always tend to keep their feet on the ground - you're brought up to be quite humble - and then big Sammy comes on with his orange boots.

"As well as good players, it's characters the manager has brought in. You want quality players here. They need to be good enough to play here and he's certainly good enough."