St Mirren sign defender Josh Heaton & striker Cody Cooke

Josh Heaton's signing is 'quite a coup' according to Alan Stubbs

Alan Stubbs has made his first two signings as St Mirren boss with the arrivals of Darlington defender Josh Heaton and Truro striker Cody Cooke.

Centre-back Heaton, 21, has agreed a three-year deal after Saints paid a reported £75,000 - the largest fee they have paid for a player in 25 years.

He played six games last season for Darlington in National League North.

Cooke, 25, who also played in England's sixth tier in National League South, has signed a two-year deal.

Both players were members of England striker Jamie Vardy's V9 Academy, which seeks to launch non-league talent into professional football.

Stubbs says the Buddies beat off competition from English Premier League and Championship clubs to sign the highly-rated Heaton.

"I'm absolutely delighted," he said. "It's a sign of intent and I'd like to thank the board for putting their trust in me.

"You only have to look at the clubs who were wanting to get Josh, and to have got him is quite a coup."

Heaton added: "I can't wait to get going. The thought of playing against the big teams and striving to be the best and play first-team football was something that brought me here.

"Every time I step on that park I want to win. I want to keep a clean sheet and I want our strikers to score as many goals as possible. I want to win games and I want to win trophies."

Cody Cooke was also a member of Jamie Vardy's V9 Academy

Stubbs says Cooke "has a real good work ethic about him".

The striker told St Mirren's website: "I'm over the moon. It's a huge opportunity and football is all about opportunities - I want to grab this one with both hands.

"I'm delighted to be here. To get a call from Alan was something that I was just delighted about. I feel ready for the test and it should be an exciting one."