St Mirren

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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Stephen Robinson would have been hugely disappointed to see his side concede so early in the game, but it didn't change what they were trying to do.

They sat deep in numbers, looking to frustrate Celtic and pounce on the break when they did turnover possession.

The issue was whenever they did win the ball back, they were swarmed by a relentless Celtic press and St Mirren's front two of Toyosi Olusanya and Jonah Ayunga were left isolated, as evidenced by just the solitary shot the hosts had in the first half.

Ayunga was replaced by Mikael Mandron at half-time, while Roland Idowu came on for Alex Gogic, and for a period Robinson's side posed more of a threat.

Olusanya looked to be bearing down on goal but was denied by an excellent sliding tackle by Johnston, and Jaden Brown then forced Kasper Schmeichel into his only save of the afternoon.

St Mirren's season won't be defined by their results against Celtic though, and Robinson will be heartened by aspects of his team's defensive display.

There were several last-ditch tackles and blocks that kept the scoring down, and in Ellery Balcombe they appear to have a quality shot-stopper. The battling qualities that have characterised Robinson's time in charge kept Celtic to just three.

They face Dundee at Dens Park on Saturday looking for a first win in six in all competitions.

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Ellery Balcombe. St Mirren's goalkeeper has shone since joining on loan from Brentford, and made five saves to limit Celtic's scoring to just three.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "Credit to Celtic. It was a horrible day in Paisley and they did the simple things much better than us.

"They started with a very good goal and that gives us an uphill battle straight away. We got what we deserved. We weren't the best version of ourselves, and if you're not, you don't beat Celtic.

"We've had a tough run, a tough set of games and we need to reset ourselves.

"I don't think we made a game of it today. We didn't really have any opportunities. We need to get our injured players fit again; once we do that, we've got a good squad."

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Stephen Robinson is hoping his side's experience against SK Brann will help them be better prepared to face Celtic.

The Buddies come up against the reigning champions on Sunday in what Robinson knows will be a "really tough" contest but believes his side can match anyone when they play at home.

"Brann were an excellent team, very similar styles of football [to Celtic]," he said.

"Celtic have proved over time that they’re a really tough opposition with real quality.

"They started the season as always, really well and have a fantastic manager in Brendan Rodgers. So we know what the task is. We know how we have to play to get a result.

"We've got results, we've played very, very well and we've taken Celtic all the way on lots of different occasions, and little bits of indecision or tiredness or maybe just sheer quality, in the end, have undone us.

"But we want to make a really good game of it. We believe we are a match for anybody at home and we go in with a large amount of confidence."

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New signing Killian Phillips goes straight into the St Mirren squad while captain Mark O’Hara has returned to training following a thigh injury and will be assessed. Conor McMenamin (knee) and Greg Kiltie (ankle) are both long-term absentees.

Celtic have Kyogo Furuhashi back from a shoulder problem but Mikey Johnston remains out with a facial injury and Maik Nawrocki is working his way back from a calf problem.

For the chasing pack, Celtic's early form is ominous.

While there were a few blips at the beginning of last term, this time Brendan Rodgers' side appear a well oiled machine, cantering to wins against Kilmarnock and Hibs and seeing off the latter opponents again in the League Cup.

Having missed chunks of the previous campaign, Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor are back making things tick, but their midfield partner Matt O'Riley may well be heading for pastures new.

With Brighton favourites for his signature, could Sunday's visit to Paisley be a farewell for the impressive 23-year-old?

Celtic are aiming for a sixth successive victory over St Mirren, having won last season's five meetings by an aggregate score of 13-3.

St Mirren's first European adventure in 37 years is over, but manager Stephen Robinson will be glad of the extra rest for such a tough test. He will also be hoping skipper Mark O'Hara can return to add steel and drive in the middle of the park.

After three defeats on the road, St Mirren will be happy to be back on their own patch, where they swept Hibs aside on week one.

However, the Buddies have only celebrated one win from the past 19 home encounters with Celtic, losing 15 of those.

Celtic will want to go into the first Old Firm showdown of the season with a lead over Rangers but, if O'Riley does move in this transfer window, he won't be around for the derby.

Read the rest of this weekend's Premiership picks.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson says vice-chairman Jim Gillespie would be a "huge loss" if he were to leave the club, but insists he isn't aware of any impending departure.

Gillespie has been linked with the vacant chief executive role at Rangers, after James Bisgrove left the Ibrox club in May.

Robinson would not be drawn on speculation, but praised the work Gillespie has done during his time with St Mirren.

"I can't comment on anything about what's been written about Jim," Robinson said.

"Obviously, any conversation I've had in recent days is purely about St Mirren, about how we can get signings in and he was a big part in the Killian Phillips deal as well.

"So Jim has been fantastic for me. He's been a driving force behind the football club since I’ve been here.

"He was a driving force behind me coming here and he's pushed the club massively forward on and off the football pitch.

"So if it’s true, and I have no idea if it is – I've not asked the question. It's none of my business.

"My business is St Mirren, but he would be a huge loss for us."

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St Mirren forward Lewis Jamieson has joined Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers on a season-long loan deal, with the Buddies holding an option to recall him in January.

The 22-year-old has scored one goal in 35 appearances for St Mirren's first-team, having progressed through the Paisley club's academy.

"We’re very much trying to develop our young players," manager Stephen Robinson said.

"There are two ways to do that: either by playing in the first team or by getting them really good loan deals. I believe Raith is a very good loan for him.

"Lewis needs to play football at his age and he's going out with the view of coming back as a first-team player.

"The system we are playing this season doesn't really suit him so it's important we continue his development and get him games at a really good level."

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St Mirren midfielder Killian Phillips wants to redeem himself in Sunday's game against Celtic having had a painful experience against the same opposition last season.

The 22-year-old - who signed for the Buddies from Crystal Palace on Wednesday - spent last season on loan with Aberdeen and had a penalty saved in the Scottish Cup semi-final shootout defeat at Hampden against the Parkhead side.

This weekend the midfielder comes up against Celtic once again, this time in the Scottish Premiership.

"It was tough," he said, when asked about his penalty miss.

"It was probably the worst I ever felt on a football pitch but the type of person I am, it is sore in the morning but after that you can’t really dwell on stuff like that.

"The best way is to move on. The world keeps spinning no matter what.

"It was tough at the time and it stung for a couple of days but you have to move on.

"No one wants to miss but at the end of the day someone has to miss and if there is another penalty shoot-out I will put my hand up to take another penalty."

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• St. Mirren have lost each of their last five meetings with Celtic in all competitions, conceding 2+ goals each time.

• Celtic have only suffered one defeat in their last 19 visits to St. Mirren in all competitions (W15 D3), a 0-2 league loss in September 2022 under Ange Postecoglou.

• Since the beginning of last season, only Heart of Midlothian (10) have kept more home clean sheets in the Scottish Premiership than St. Mirren (8 – level with Celtic and Hibernian).

• Celtic have won each of their last eight Scottish Premiership games but they haven’t won their opening three top-flight games of a campaign in their two most recent seasons under Brendan Rodgers (W2 L1 in 2018-19, W2 D1 in 2023-24).

• Callum McGregor has now scored in each of the 11 Scottish Premiership campaigns since 2014-15, the only player to do so, whilst he is just one goal (1 in 2) from equalling his league return from the whole of last season (2 in 35).

• All 12 Premiership sides provided a total of 15,101 minutes to Scottish players aged under 21 in the 2023-24 season.

• Those minutes average out to just 1,258 per club, which is the equivalent of only 14 full 90-minute matches.

• Six teams failed to reach a total above 700 minutes.

• Celtic and Rangers were the worst offenders in the division, with Celtic managing just 89 minutes all in, while Rangers' total was even lower at only 26.

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St Mirren have signed midfielder Killian Phillips from Crystal Palace.

The 22-year-old will be on loan for the duration of this season before a transfer fee is paid next summer.

Phillips has agreed a contract until 2026, with the Paisley club holding an option to extend the deal for a further year.

Capped six times by the Republic of Ireland at U21 level, he spent last term on loan at Wycombe and Aberdeen.

He made 13 appearances for the Dons, including three Premiership starts.

"Killian is somebody we have looked at for a while," manager Stephen Robinson told club media.

"He needs a home and somewhere to settle. He’s still a young boy finding his way.

"He'll improve with the coaching, but he has the physical attributes. He’s a big boy, he can run, and he’ll hopefully help provide goals in the team as well.

"With a couple of bumps and knocks in the midfield it’s important we strengthen our numbers in there."

A lack of first-team action given to youngsters in the Premiership backs up the Scottish FA's assertion that Scotland is not bringing through enough emerging talent.

Just three of the 12 top-flight teams are able to say they provided over 2,000 minutes to Scots aged under 21 across last season's pre-split fixtures.

Dundee sit top of the 2023-24 table with 3,538, but a large chunk of that was clocked up by the one player - Lyall Cameron.

The same applies to the three next best clubs on the chart, Aberdeen (Connor Barron), Kilmarnock (David Watson) and Motherwell (Lennon Miller).

At the bottom of the table are both Old Firm clubs, with the pair posting concerning figures - Celtic just 89 minutes and Rangers only 26.

The report uses Hungary's top flight - a 12-team league - as a direct comparison. It shows Honved provided 6,544 minutes to Hungarian under-21 players, PAFC reached more than 5,000 and two more clubs achieved over 3,000.

Click here to read more on how Scottish football is failing young players.

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Clubs in Scotland are failing to bring through enough young players, a report, external by the Scottish FA has said.

The governing body says Scottish football is "significantly underachieving its potential" in youth development compared to countries of a similar size.

Using a range of data to compare leagues across Europe, it shows players under the age of 21 in Scotland are playing fewer minutes in the top-flight than countries such as Denmark, Norway, and Croatia.

Meanwhile, game time for young Scottish players in major European club competitions ranks below countries with smaller populations and fewer resources, such as Montenegro and North Macedonia.

It also stresses clubs are missing an opportunity to reduce wage costs and increase transfer revenue by developing their own players.

The report was commissioned by the SFA's professional game board at the end of 2023, and a working party comprised of SPFL and SFA representatives will now consider its findings.

Read the full story

Former striker Lee Miller, who turned out for Dundee United, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock among others, recounts his experiences of being on the move on transfer deadline day during his playing career.

Listen and subscribe to the Scottish football podcast on BBC Sounds

St Mirren have agreed a deal to sign midfielder Killian Phillips, 22, from Crystal Palace. (Herald - subscription), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened and you didn't lose to Connah's Quay Nomads or Sligo Rovers.

Thursday night was all that supporting St Mirren can be in a two-hour nutshell.

Overwhelming pride at exceeding expectations; conceding a painful and preventable early goal; scrapping for every morsel of possession; watching a local boy strut on to the field and set up a glorious equaliser; looking like they might just do it; being brought back down to earth with a couple of late gut punches; making plenty of noise anyway and storing the experience as motivation for next time.

SK Brann, over both legs of the tie, showed more than enough to claim the bragging rights and send their fans to their local Kazakh-specialist travel agent.

It is no exaggeration to say that in 20-odd years of watching the Saints, I can't remember many sides so comfortable on the ball and fluid in their movement. While they could certainly have been more ruthless, they look capable of challenging sides with far greater resources than us.

European defeat in Europe's rainiest city, mostly spent chasing shadows in some sort of large-scale devious rondo, is bound to have had an impact both mentally and physically on an already stretched side.

Stephen Robinson's challenge was to guide the group home and up to Tannadice for Sunday's domestic cup return, though redemption wasn't to be found there either.

In a battle that would have any casual viewers reaching for the remote and searching for a repeat of the Olympic breakdancing or dressage, it was Jim Goodwin's United who clawed out a winner.

For the first time in this young season, the Saints staff and players will now have a full week between fixtures. And, with last season's champions the visitors to Paisley on Sunday afternoon, that's probably just as well.

In the pain of a first European tour in 37 years ending, and the frustration in having half of this season's silverware chances snuffed out at the first hurdle, hopefully there is no loss of perspective.

Aye, it stings now, but these circumstances were only at play because of the joy and achievement of last season. Now, the focus can return to earning it all once again.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

We asked you for your thoughts after St Mirren's League Cup exit following defeat to Dundee United on Sunday.

Here's what you had to say:

Eddie: Delighted to see Fraser Taylor and Ethan Sutherland get time on the pitch. We looked jaded after Europe, no excuses though we just don’t have a big enough squad.

We have a lot of very good players to come back from injury. I will judge us after the first block of games. I am hopeful we will be much stronger by then.

Paul: There’s been highs and lows in the last seven days and despite a very tired looking performance from Saints, we still didn’t look too far behind Dundee Utd on the day. A bigger squad or fresher legs and we’d be in the next round.

Lewis: Genuinely just think we were tired. We’ll be back (after a loss to Celtic and a routine loss to Kilmarnock). Nice to see more of Fraser Taylor. Hopefully some of the younger boys can take their chances and become regular starters…

Mikey: St Mirren were visibly tired from their European efforts, but still not much in the game with United doing just enough to progress. More effort should be made to protect the Scottish teams in Europe otherwise we will never compete as equals and improve the coefficient.

Douglas: Saints were a shambles today. Couldn't pass the ball, every ball launched into the air and apart from Olysanya and youngster Fraser Taylor, we were static. Goalkeeper Balacombe at fault for goal, seems to be a bit nervous with cross balls. A poor poor performance.

Ross Graham’s close-range header proved decisive as Dundee United beat St Mirren to secure a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final place.

The towering defender got the vital touch from a couple of yards out after Will Ferry’s excellent corner delivery wasn’t dealt with by the St Mirren backline.

What did you make of that, Buddies fans? Did you deserve to progress?

Let us know your thoughts here, external.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson tells BBC Scotland: "[We lost to] a set play. We had four great chances from set-plays. They took theirs, we didn't.

"I don't think either side created a whole lot. There wasn't a lot of chances in the game, we didn't create anything from open play.

"We just lacked a bit of a spark. There's only six players who were there giving everything and it's the same six players that I'm constantly trying to drag minutes out of. It's hard to be critical of them.

"There's no chopping and changing now. I'll put my best team out now and try and get some consistency. There's no excuses today. We didn't take our chances."

"Perhaps I got it wrong today. There wasn't a lot of options in terms of the selection process. The young boys who came in did well."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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St Mirren have enjoyed their European foray and now face the challenge of regaining domestic focus quickly to set them off positively in their quest to match, or better, last season’s heights.

They face Celtic next on league business. The challenges they face show no sign of relenting.

Like Kilmarnock, they have been unable to build up any consistency as the starting XI is chopped and changed, with European endeavours clearing testing a squad unused to the rigours of playing twice a week.

The main problem today was a problem that has plagued the Buddies for years - they need a striker who can score at least 10 goals a season. They haven't had that since the days of Steven Thompson, a long time ago now.

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Dundee United: Walton, Adegboyega, Gallagher, Graham, Holt, Ferry, Babunski, Sibbald, Stephenson, Trapanovski, Van der Sande.

Substitutes: Richards, Moult, Odada, Middleton, Fotheringham, Docherty, Thomson, Cleall-Harding, Ubochioma.

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Iacovitti, Rooney, Smyth, Idowu, Tanser, F Taylor, Mandron, Olusanya.

Substitutes: Urminsky, Bwomono, R Taylor, Kenny, Sutherland, Brown, Mooney, Scott, Ayunga.