Ludovic Roy has been handed the opportunity to go one better than last season and save the Saints from Scottish Premier League relegation.

St Johnstone have signed the St Mirren goalkeeper on loan until the end of the season.

The club lying bottom of the Scottish Premier League had been left with only teenager Kevin Cuthbert as their only senior goalkeeper after Alan Miller was recalled to the Blackburn Rovers squad for the Worthington Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Although 19-year-old rookie Cuthbert has impressed in goal, St Johnstone boss Billy Stark was keen to bring in a more experienced goalkeeper as they attempt to avoid relegation.

Stark said: "It would be unfair to ask him to take us through the rest of the season.

Shift top earners

"That's why we decided to go for someone with more experience like Ludovic Roy."

Roy has been a first-team regular at St Mirren Park.

But his departure is indicative of the debt-hit First Division club's desperation to cut costs and shift top earners off their salary bill.

The 24-year-old Frenchman has experience of the SPL, having been unable to prevent St Mirren from relegation last season.

Roy picked up a slight hamstring strain against Clyde last week.

But he is set to go straight into Saturday's basement battle between St Johnstone and Hibernian.

That match will now be Bobby Williamson's first game in charge of Hibs.