ST MIRREN Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick hailed securing manager Jack Ross and assistant James Fowler on long term contracts as a huge coup for Saints.

The pair committed to the Paisley club earlier this month, signings deals which extended their contracts at the club by one year, until 2020.

Ross’ future was cast into doubt in June when Premiership side Dundee showed interest in the former Alloa boss.

But with the pair putting pen to paper, Fitzpatrick is adamant the club has the right management team at the helm to guide Saints back to the Premiership.

He said: “We made it clear from when we came in a year ago that we wanted stability at the club. Before there was managers in and out, but we think we have the right guys.

“To get Jack and James on those contracts gives the club that stability, and that is vital now.

“We have great belief in Jack and James. I think Jack will go on to bigger and bigger things in the future.

“It shows a lot of faith from us to say that we’ve chosen the right people going forward. We’re trying to get the club back up to the Premiership, it is not easy, but hopefully we are making the right sort of decisions to help us towards that and a massive one was keeping Jack and James.”

Despite Ross rebuffing the Dens Park club, Fitzpatrick believes the manager will one day move on to a bigger club.

The club legend played under St Mirren’s most esteemed managers during his playing days.

And Fitzpatrick says he can see similarities in the way Ross leads his squad to the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Alex Miller.

He said: “Jack has great traits to be a manager. He is great on the coaching field which is vital these days, but he is also a great man manager, he is a leader of people.

“The best managers I played under had those traits, they were leaders of men. Jack is still young but he has those traits.

“Players respond to him, you have to earn that respect and I have to give him great credit for that.”