St Mirren face an important week before Friday's transfer deadline after manager Alan Stubbs insisted they needed to strengthen in the wake of a 2-0 home defeat by Livingston.

Saints did not manage one shot on target or a clear-cut chance and lost two goals from first-half corners as Jack Hamilton and Alan Lithgow earned Gary Holt three Ladbrokes Premiership points in his first game as Livi manager.

The visitors could have scored more and the home side were booed off at the break and full-time.

READ MORE: Buddie Magennis delighted to make Scotland squad

"Between now and Friday hopefully we can do something to strengthen the squad," Stubbs said. "It is something I have been saying for the last few weeks."

The only sign of a cheer from the Buddies fans came when Jack Baird and Cammy Smith, key players in Jack Ross's Championship-winning side, came off the bench.

Summer signings Cole Kpekawa, a former QPR, Barnsley and Colchester defender, and Nicolai Brock-Madsen - an on-loan Birmingham striker - both struggled badly and were taken off.

The Gazette:

Nicolai Brock-Madsen failed to have an impact on the game (photo: Allan Picken) 

Stubbs, who fielded five of his new signings, is looking to move players on as well as bring others in.

The former Hibernian and Rotherham boss said: "I said early on some players were available to leave because they weren't going to get playing time. But we just have to do the best we possibly can in terms of making the squad as strong as we possibly can.

"It's not that the players here are not doing it, or the players I have brought in are not doing it. That's not the point.

"The point is that we need to be better as a group, whether it's the ones who are still here or the ones who have come in, we need to be better."

READ MORE: Lee Hodson looking forward to playing football again

Stubbs was inconclusive when asked whether Smith was free to leave.

He said: "I don't know, no. At the moment, no. You know what football is like, anything can change. But as far as I am standing here now, what I have got is what I have got.

"If something happens over the weekend or next week and we feel as if it's for the benefit of the football club and makes us stronger, then it might be something that we look at."

The Saints boss was more certain about his desire to bring in Kenny Miller, whose departure as Livingston player/manager did not disrupt the visitors.

"We've registered our interest so now we are just waiting to see," Stubbs said. "From a financial thing, I think that would be OK. It's just what Kenny wants to do now in terms of his options."