ST MIRREN captain Stephen McGinn is looking forward to a first ever midfield duel with brother John – and laughed he won’t be checking on the Hibs star once he’s “smashed” him to the ground.

The two brothers have never faced each other but will come face to face at the Paisley 2021 stadium tomorrow night as Saints look to spring a shock against the league leaders to keep alive their chances of avoiding the drop.

Their other brother Paul once crunched John during a Dundee versus St Mirren game then made the mistake of stopping to make sure his sibling was okay. But Stephen insists he won’t be doing the same if John ends up on the ground!

The eldest McGinn brother said: “I’ve never played against John before so this will be the first time. I’m looking forward to it. John played against Paul before and I know the two of them found that uncomfortable to say the least. There was one point where Paul smashed John and then went over to see if he was okay while St Mirren were breaking up the pitch. In the position we’re in, I can’t afford to check on him. If I smash John I’m leaving him on the deck!

“Brother aside, he’s probably Hibs’ best player. He’s a real driving force for them and Stevie Mallan and I will have to be right on our game to deal with him. He’s a top player for this level. If I can do anything to harm him if he stays over [tonight] then I will!

“I’m not surprised that Brendan Rodgers was talking about John last week. I know I’m biased but you couldn’t have been at Hibs’ cup tie against Hearts last week and not have been impressed with him. It was a top performance in a big game where there was expectation and pressure on him and he delivered. I’m not surprised if a lot of teams are looking at him.”

St Mirren’s victory over Ayr United on Saturday has reignited their previously slim hopes of avoiding the drop this season and McGinn, now captaining the team, believes that they have a chance despite the five-point gap to the play-off spot.

“If we play like we did on Saturday, I’ll have no fears about going into this game,” he added. “If someone had asked me that a few weeks ago, looking at bottom versus top, I would have said we just need to try to stay in the game. But with the attacking options we now have, with the way we counter on teams, it would be a shame not to go and have a right go at them.

“I watched Hibs last week at Easter Road in their cup tie against Hearts. They were bang at it and they are a right good side. They’re obviously top of the league so it’s top versus bottom tomorrow night. So it will be a really hard game for us.

“But we showed on Saturday that we have really young players who can handle a really tough occasion. They went out and expressed themselves and looked as if we would score goals. We have enough in our dressing room to hurt Hibs. We’ll give it a right go.

“It’s a good chance for us to take a scalp, there will be a big crowd and it ought to be a good game under the lights. It’s one of the games I came back for.

“We’re still in a lot of trouble at the bottom of the league but we’re at least building a bit of momentum. The teams above us will appreciate we’ve got a good team here and won’t relish the thought of us going on a run.”