Stephen Robinson has admitted his major relief as Jim Gillespie is set to stay at St Mirren despite interest from Rangers.

The experienced businessman was a leading candidate for the vacant chief executive post at Ibrox but pulled out of the running and will remain in post as vice-chairman in Paisley.

Gillespie - who is an award-winning director with local Renfrewshire charity Kibble - has been a board member at the SMiSA Stadium since 2020 and is credited with helping transform the club alongside Robinson.

With Gillespie a key figure behind the scenes - heavily involved in transfer dealings at St Mirren - Robinson admitted he had feared how he would be replaced should the move to Rangers have materialised.

"It's massive news for us and I'm absolutely delighted," said the St Mirren manager.

"At every football club, you've got somebody that drives, somebody that's got vision, somebody that's got the ideas, somebody that challenges everything within the four walls; Jim's that person. So there was obviously a fear in my mind of how that would be replaced.

"Previously people may have been quite happy to bounce up and down divisions and finishing third from bottom to stay alive. That whole mindset has changed because of Jim. He's been the driving force behind it. There's no two ways about that.

"He's driven the board and he's driven the ambitions of the football club and every day he's challenging everybody. So, from my point of view, delighted.

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"I don't speak to Jim about anything other than St Mirren and we've continued to have that dialogue all throughout this year. Jim's never wavered from St Mirren with me.

"All we spoke about his signings and the next window and the next piece of the jigsaw we can put at the training ground or the academy. So yes, superb news for me."

While Gillespie is no longer in the running for a move along the M8 to Ibrox, Robinson would not be surprised to see the highly-rated operator targeted by other clubs as he urged St Mirren to make the most of having him while he remains in Paisley.

"Jim's a very successful businessman," said Robinson responding to the suggestion of a lukewarm reaction from Rangers supporters over Gillespie being linked with the club.

"He's got a lot of experience in running big companies and turning them around. I have no doubt he'll be on the radar of other people as well, as Rangers potentially.

"While we've got that focus and that drive, we have to embrace it. I can't work on anybody else's opinions. All I can say is, from St Mirren's point of view, I think it's a massive plus."