New St Mirren striker Jake Young is determined to kick on after his goal beat Partick Thistle and sent the Buddies to Hampden for the third time this season.
The 24-year-old arrived from Stevenage in the winter window and had a tricky start to life in Paisley, being sent off in his first start, but has bounced back to win the trust of his new gaffer and score in his past two games.
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“I needed [those goals],” he told BBC Scotland. “It’s great to get the goals and it builds the confidence. I’ve still got a way to go to show my best, but it feels good to get a couple. Hopefully I can kick on and get a couple.”
The Buddies will face Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final, with Dunfermline meeting Falkirk on the other side of the tie.
“We’re going to have to play Celtic at some point,” Young added. “Just excited about tonight, happy to get to Hampden and looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
His performance against Thistle was also praised by both his manager, Stephen Robinson, and his striker partner Dan Nlundulu, who set up Young’s goal.
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“[For Jake’s goal] I was thinking of shooting!” Nlundulu admitted. “But then Jake started screaming. I put him quite wide, and it’s a better finish than my pass.
“In training, Jake does that all the time so I trusted him.”
Speaking after the match, Robinson said: “I’ve watched Jake [Young] for a couple of years. We got the opportunity to get him up and we knew it would take time for him to hit the ground.
“But he’s the most natural goalscorer we have. And for a club like St Mirren that’s difficult to find.
“He scores out of nothing, two great finishes, and when you’re not on top of your game, good strikers win games for you.”