Name: Ryan Strain
Date of Birth: 2nd of April 1997
Place of Birth: Coventry, England
Nationality: Australian
Position: Right Wing Back
Height: 5ft 11in
Weight: 12st
Signed: 28th June 2022 from Maccabi Haifa (Freedom of Contract)
Departed: 23rd May 2024 (Freedom of Contract)
Debut: 16th July 2022 v Cowdenbeath (2-0)
Final Match: 18th May 2024 v Celtic (2-3)
Apps: 64
Goals: 5
Honours: 5 Caps for Australia

A cultured right sided player comfortable at wing back or as a more orthodox winger, Strain arrived in Paisley after a spell in Israel with Maccabi Haifa, where injury limited him to just 15 appearances during his solitary season in the Mediterranean country.

Prior to this, Strain had spent his entire career in Australia, where he had moved as a teenager from England and gained citizenship in 2020, allowing him to make his debut for the Socceroos prior to the 2022 World Cup as a Buddie.

A free kick expert, Strain is famously the grandson of Saints legend Gerry Baker who played for the club between 1958-60, scoring 63 times in 85 matches, and the naturalised Aussie also endeared himself to the Saints support with a series of outstanding performances during the 2022/23 season where he managed 4 goals, 3 of which were from direct free kicks.

Despite repeated speculation about a move away from Saints in the summer of 2023, Strain remained in Paisley and started the season in similar form to the previous campaign when he set up 4 goals in the League Cup Group stages and scored the winner against Hearts in the Premiership in late September, his third goal against the Edinburgh side during the calendar year.

As Saints broke all sorts of records with their blistering start to the season, Strain was an integral part of the success along with fellow wing-back Scott Tanser, the pair forming one of the most potent wide teams in the entire country during this early spell, where Saints topped the division for a period.

Unfortunately, Strain suffered a serious groin injury after playing for Australia at Wembley against England, where he missed the best chance for the match to salvage a draw for the Socceroos, and this would lead to surgery for the wing back and an absence for over 4 months from the side where he missed over 20 league matches.

Saints found it extremely hard to replace the cultured Strain, although he did return for the important run-in to the season where 5th place and European football was confirmed, the best finish for 40 seasons. Despite having a contract extension on the table for 6 months, Strain announced via Instagram on the 23rd May 2024 that he was leaving the club after 64 matches, which was confirmed by Saints a few hours later.