Shamal George will make Scottish football return with St Mirren a family affair
Shamal George insists his move to St Mirren will be a family affair once his best Buddies join him north of the border.
The 27-year-old keeper made his debut for Saints in Sunday's 2-1 win over Ayr United in the Premier Sports Cup after joining on a season-long loan from Sky Bet League One side Wycombe Wanderers.
George is up here on his own just now with fiancee Anna and six-month-old twins Mateo and Alani-Rae still at their home in Oxford.
However, that will all change in the coming weeks – and ex-Livingston custodian George admits he wants them by his side as he begins his Paisley adventure.
'They're not up here with me yet,' he said. 'The kids are sleeping well but it's a bit tough leaving them. But they are coming up in two or three weeks. We've got a boy and a girl – twins! They are Mateo and Alani-Rae.
'At first, they weren't sleeping well but now it's a bit better. The thought of leaving the kids made it a difficult decision to come up here.
'We were living in Oxford so that's a seven-hour drive. It was tough to leave them when I did but I've got to get game time for my career so this was one I couldn't sit on.
'They are coming up here to be with me for the 10 months I'm here; I couldn't do without them.'
George explained the reasons for last summer's switch from the Lions to Buckinghamshire.
He said: 'At Livingston, the first year was really good. I really enjoyed it, it's a good club and really good group of lads. The second year didn't go to plan when we got relegated.
'I wanted to get back to England because my fiancee Anna was pregnant so we needed more help down the road.'
George's move to Wycombe turned into a nightmare when he suffered a horror injury during the 2-0 FA Cup win over Portsmouth in January.
'Last season was tough for me but I'm happy to be back playing football,' he said. 'My groin came off my bone and I had a hernia on the same side so, not ideal. I got injured in the first seven minutes. I kicked the ball and heard the pop. It was very painful.
'We had great physios at Wycombe, they made it fly by – and obviously having kids, they came around the time I got injured. I could spend a bit more time when them. It made my time out injured that bit easier.'
George has enjoyed a full pre-season so is raring to go and looking forward to working with boss Stephen Robinson and goalkeeping coach Jamie Langfield.
He added: 'I had to get game time this season. I believe St Mirren had been after me for a while so I spoke to the gaffer and Langers.
'They called me and what they had to say really interested me. I was happy to come back to the Scottish league and get valuable minutes.'
Meanwhile, Saints' Slovak stopper Peter Urminsky has joined Northern Irish Premiership side Glentoran on a season-long loan meaning George and Ryan Mullen will be the first-team keepers at the SMiSA Stadium going forward.
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