ST MIRREN gaffer Oran Kearney admits his bloated squad is so big that he has been forced to split it in two just to make training more manageable.

The Buddies boss trimmed back his numbers this week by sending loanees Nicolai Brock-Madsen and Hayden Coulson back to their parent clubs.

But that still leaves the Northern Irishman with a first team squad of 29 players, which is causing a headache when it comes to organising training sessions.

READ MORE: St Mirren confirm Nicolai Brock Madsen Birmingham City return

"At its peak, the squad had 31 players," said Kearney. "You can only put out 11 on a Saturday, so that I suppose leaves some people frustrated.

"There is probably an optimum number to have in a squad that you'd like to have - something around the 22 mark - but a squad of 29 to 30 is too big, even just for the functioning of the training ground and the training pitch.

"We've even had to split the training squads just to get manageable numbers, which isn't ideal, even though it's no disrespect to the players who are not on one side of the training ground.

"It possibly can lead to friction but that's football and I have to concern myself with the 18 who are playing on a Saturday."

Striker Brock-Madsen has returned to Birmingham after failing to net in his five appearances for the Paisley outfit.

Coulson started the season brightly but managed just 43 minutes of action following Kearney's arrival before he was sent back to Middlesbrough.

Both players were among a raft of 11 signings made by former boss Alan Stubbs in the summer but his disastrous recruitment drive ended up costing him his position after just four league games.

It is now Kearney's job to clean up that mess - and he admits more players are likely to go in January.

READ MORE: Hayden Coulson sent packing as St Mirren clear out continues

He said: "At this point in time, the squad still is big of number. The two players made the decision to move on this week. We wish them all the best. Sadly, it just wasn't the right time for them here but that's football.

"They haven't figured a huge amount in relation to the games and, with the players we've brought in since, that was probably going to limit their opportunities even more going forward. With that in mind, a collective decision was made."