COLERAINE goalkeeper Chris Johns insists St Mirren would be recruiting a top manager in Oran Kearney if the 40-year-old makes the switch to Paisley.

Former Southampton trainee Johns was brought to the Showgrounds by Kearney in January 2016 and admits he has nothing but respect for the Bannisters boss.

The Buddies have made Kearney their number one target after sacking Alan Stubbs on Monday just four games in the Premiership campaign and Johns admits he would be sorely missed at Coleraine.

He said: “In my short time in the game, he's the best man manager that I've worked with, and that includes my time in England.

"If you look at our team before last season, we had no big name players, we didn't have the budget of the likes of Linfield or the pull of the Belfast clubs but he still got us to third that year. I don't know how he does it.

"I'd love people to come and be able to sit in on one of his team-talks just to see what it's like. Sometimes you have managers who try and bulls**t their way through a team-talk but with him it's different.

“Everyone is listening to every word, and that doesn't always happen - honestly.

“He's not afraid to single people out either but he doesn't do it in a way that would destroy them, it's about making them better and making the team better.

“I feel that when some people are trying to motivate you, it can be like they're doing it from a manual.

“It's like A, B and C but it's never like that with Oran. He's so individual in the way he does things. He just has that leadership in him.”