Former Irish League ace Oisin Smyth revealed Saturday’s thunderbolt free-kick in Dingwall was borne of childhood coaxing from his footballing family.

The Northern Irishman’s breathtaking strike to earn a 2-1 win at Ross County in a Highland rainstorm took 10-man St Mirren five points clear in the top six and made it an impressive five wins from eight for Stephen Robinson’s men.

Smyth started working on his technique in his back garden as a kid and has spent hours every week practising his dead-ball strikes.

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He credited dad Liam and grandad Pat McGibbon for the spectacular moment. Liam played Irish League football for Portadown, Larne and Lurgan Celtic, while grandad Pat is father of the namesake former Manchester United player.

Asked if he spent much time practising free kicks, Smyth said: “I do, every day. It was something I was taught when I was young by my dad and my grandad. I have always thought if you can provide free kicks it’s worth five or 10 goals a season.

“That’s my first free kick goal in a competitive game so it’s a special one for me. I enjoyed celebrating with the fans. It was something I had been looking forward to doing for a while.”

The former Dungannon Swifts captain, who joined Saints in the summer, was glad to get the points after Scott Tanser’s early second-half red.

Smyth said: “It’s a massive result. We were down to 10 men for 35 minutes and we knew it was going to be a battle. It was a tough shift but we were brilliant to a man.”

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