Stephen Robinson admits St Mirren face an injury sweat after Alex Iacovitti limped off at Queen of the South.
The 27-year-old central defender will have a scan on his hamstring following Saturday’s 3-1 win at Palmerston in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.
Iacovitti was out for three months with a hamstring problem in the first half of the season but Saints gaffer Robbo confirmed this injury is to his other leg.
And he says the diagnosis could affect the club’s January transfer window plans as the Northern Irishman plans further ins and outs at the SMiSA Stadium..
“We don’t feel it’s as bad as the last one,” he said. “But it’s still a huge blow to us. We were looking to sign a centre-half anyway and get Luke Kenny out on loan but that will have to be put on hold for now.
“We’ll have to go back into the market for another centre-half. Will Alex need to get a scan? Yes, definitely but I don’t really know any more than that.”
Robbo handed teenager Callum Penman his first start in Dumfries and the Ralston protege produced a positive performance which included setting up Toyosi Olusanya’s second goal.
“We thought this was a really good game for him to get his full debut and I thought he was excellent,” he added. “I thought he was really composed. He’s got great pace and energy.
“He’s just turned 17 and we’ve got real high hopes for him. We want him to go and get games and he’s certainly shown that he could be a real player for the future. But we have to be patient with him.”
Strike star Olusanya reached double figures for the campaign as the Buddies stormed into a 2-0 lead after just 21 minutes.
Brennan Dickenson reduced the deficit as the Doonhamers dreamed of a comeback but substitute Caolan Boyd-Munce lashed home an Owen Oseni pass to send Saints into tonight’s fifth-round draw.
Robbo felt Saints were well worth their win overall and added: “We were in total control and showed a great mentality.”
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