St Mirren: Gary Teale has 'passion' to stay on after relegation

Manager Gary Teale believes he can lead St Mirren's recovery following confirmation of the club's relegation.

The 36-year-old is under contract until the end of the season, having taken charge following the sacking of Tommy Craig in December.

And Teale hopes he is given the chance to stay on in the post.

"I've got the passion and the motivation to take the club forward if that's the route the board take," he told BBC Scotland.

Motherwell's victory over Kilmarnock on Friday left St Mirren with no prospect of catching the teams above them.

"It's a sore one but it has been coming for the last couple of weeks," explained Teale.

"We've just not had a consistent run of results as we tried to get out of it."

Teale will use the final three matches of the campaign to assess his squad, with a view to life in the Championship.

"Sometimes you need to take a step back to take two forward," he added.

"You look at Hearts and the squad they've been able to build this year after the experience of relegation - and Hibs to a certain extent. They have managed to regroup.

"I'm looking for the younger players to show me what they've got, to see if they can handle it.

"I'll be encouraging these guys coming into the team and if they can express themselves, that will show the fans that the future can be bright."

Like Teale, many first team players at the Paisley club will be out of contract in the summer.

"When you are relegated there has got to be a lot of changes to freshen things up for next season," he said.