St Mirren

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

Such is the degree of VAR-driven woe blasted in the direction of St Mirren fans this season, I would now accept as fact the suggestion we are the targets of some SFA-backed Punk'd revival. See also: Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Beadle's About, Noel's House Party or the shortlived Rio's World Cup Wind-Ups - depending on your personal vintage.

Let's get the formalities out the way - Celtic scored five and Hearts scored three. Fair enough. There shall be no rewriting of history by this petulant keyboard warrior.

Toyosi Olusanya had a few golden chances he should have put away. Ryan Alebiosu conceded a clumsy penalty. Richard Taylor didn't have his best Wednesday night. Killian Phillips, on another night, might not have received the benefit of doubt when his Edinburgh red card was overturned.

On both nights, the Buddies showed plenty of what they're capable of before ultimately falling away in the last half hour or so.

Entire seasons for clubs like St Mirren are decided on fine margins, whether that be routinely collecting single-goal victories or falling to the odd goal in tight contests.

For what feels like the 10th time this season, the weekend is over and most Saints fans are awaiting the tedious punchline of KMI panel consensus on another possibly game-changing error or omission.

The Buddies have made their way through a four-game stretch against Edinburgh and Glasgow opposition, with an unexpected win at Ibrox (insert your own quip here about Philippe Clement, Barry Ferguson etc) their sole reward. A precarious sixth-place standing has turned to ninth-placed nervousness, equally close to third as 12th.

What lies ahead now is, to put it simply, season defining. Four consecutive games to take us to the split, all against opposition of similar position, station or frustration to ourselves.

Wrestling a near full complement of points from these fixtures could still see an unlikely third top-half finish be delivered. Any less, and handing those points to the teams around us in the quagmire, could lead to a relatively nervous run-in.

In this topsy-turvy campaign of unexpected drama and repeated hard knocks, preventing that nervy run-in would undoubtedly count as a job well done.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

BBC Scotland Sportscene pundits Michael Stewart and Cammy Bell rave about Declan John's stunning goal for St Mirren against Celtic.

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Watch all the highlights from Celtic's 5-2 win at St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

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We asked for your views on St Mirren's 5-2 defeat against Celtic.

Here's what some of you said:

Douglas S: Once again, Saints denied a stonewall penalty when 3-2 down. VAR never intervened - but that's the reason we have it. Had it been at the other end Celtic would have got a penalty. Saints were brilliant but must take their chances.

Douglas M: Easy to look at this result and think that Saints were routed by a good Celtic team, but the reality was that Saints certainly didn't deserve a 5-2 defeat. The teams were much closer than the finishing margin. Yes, Celtic improved after the substitutions, but Saints ran them close for long periods of the game.

John: Yet again done out of a clear penalty when we were 3-2 down. What's the actual point of having VAR?

Stephen: We were marvellous in our press, just a little bit wasteful in front of goal. Denied another stone wall penalty by VAR. We need VAR to actually work to have a chance in a game like this!

Alistair: Our boys put in so much effort and if Toyosi Olusanya finishes any of those three chances, we would have got what we deserved. On the other side, the decision not to give a penalty is ridiculous, the officials seemed to have taken no time at all to dismiss it.

Paul: What a disgrace that penalty wasn't given. What use is VAR when it doesn't intervene for this type of situation? Celtic go up the park to make it 4-2 when it could and should have been 3-3.

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• Nicolas Kühn has assisted seven goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), no player has more.

• Daizen Maeda has scored in his last three games in the Premiership (four goals in total).

• Yang Hyun-Jun has contributed to goals in his last three games in the Premiership (three goals, two assists).

• Daizen Maeda has contributed to goals in his last three games in the Premiership (four goals, 0 assists).

• Celtic have scored in 27 of their 29 games, more often than any other team in the Premiership this season.

• Celtic have scored in each of their last 10 games in the Premiership, scoring 35 goals in that run.

• St. Mirren have scored in their last three games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of four games from 14 December 2024 to 29 December 2024.

• St. Mirren have scored in each of their last three games in the Premiership, scoring five goals in that run.

Celtic are now just three wins away from retaining the Scottish Premiership crown after seeing off St Mirren in a seven-goal classic in Paisley to extend their lead at the top of the table to 16 points.

If Brendan Rodgers' side win their next two league games against second-top Rangers and Heart of Midlothian, they will travel to Perth in the first week of April knowing a win over St Johnstone will wrap up a fourth consecutive title.

They were made to work extremely hard for their victory by a St Mirren side that refused to lie down and twice came back to equalise before a fine late double from from Yang Hyun-jun either side of an excellent goal from Daizen Maeda.

Japan forward Maeda now has 13 goals from his last dozen games, while South Korean winger Yang - whose fine assist set him up - looks a much-improved player, and his two-goal cameo may make it hard for his manager to leave him out of the starting XI.

St Mirren fans, were you in Paisley on Saturday evening or following the action from home? Either way we want your views on the game. Have your say., external

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "I don't think many teams press Celtic like that and create that many chances but we didn't take enough of them.

"That's probably been the story of our season - we can't afford a striker that gets 20 goals. There's very very good points in that performance but we want to come out with three points.

"It's a penalty. It's very clear, the Celtic bench were very clear on it. It's not given, they go up the other end and score. Football is very cruel at times.

"The decision changes things but we still go and concede the goal. If you keep it at 3-2 and he doesn't give the penalty, the game is very much still alive.

"There's four games to play, 12 points to play for and that can make a huge difference in the standings.

"The top six is hard to get into, we've overachieved in the last two seasons, we know what we're missing but financially that's hard to do. to still be in the running it's very much a case of how many points we can pick up in the next four games."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Home boss Stephen Robinson will no doubt have mixed emotions.

He will be feeling the bitter sting of defeat with disappointment but also knows his side contributed fully to a fabulous game of football.

They gave Celtic a real run for their money, drew several top-class saves from Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and will no doubt rue the concession of a needless penalty just before half-time that made their job even more tricky.

The energy, pressing and organisation of this St Mirren side caused Celtic a fair few problems and, if they can keep up the intensity in the run-up to the Premiership split, they will still fancy their chances of making the top six for a third consecutive season.

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Ryan Alebiosu and Jonah Ayunga (ankle) are doubts for St Mirren after coming off against Hearts in midweek.

Alex Iacovitti is back in training but the game comes too soon while Conor McMenamin (calf) and Evan Mooney (ankle) remain out.

Greg Taylor returns for Celtic, who remain without James Forrest (foot) and Paulo Bernardo (ankle).

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St Mirren are in contracts talks with in-form striker Mikael Mandron and two other players, manager Stephen Robinson has confirmed.

Mandron, 30, had netted just once this season until a burst of five goals in his past six games.

The French forward arrived from Motherwell in summer 2023 and his deal expires this summer.

"I think we offered him a new contract so he decided he's going to start scoring goals and try and get more money out of us! I'm sure that's his ploy," Robinson said.

"But Mika is a very important part of the squad. Even when he is not scoring, he brings people into the game.

"He's a character around the dressing room as well and he's a really intelligent footballer. He's added goals in the last month to his game and we're sure he'll continue to do that.

"I'm hopeful for everybody to sign but everyone's got options. We're still speaking actively to Mika and two other players as well in the current squad and trying to get business done."

Robinson, meanwhile, expects plenty of twists and turns in the run-in of the top-six chase as his side prepare to host Celtic on Saturday in a game where they have "nothing to lose and everything to gain".

The Buddies have won only one of their past five games in all competitions - a 2-0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox - and slipped out of the top six with a 3-1 defeat at Hearts on Wednesday.

Following the visit of the league leaders, the Paisley outfit face bottom-six sides Motherwell, Kilmarnock, Dundee and Ross County before the split.

"There's five games left before the split, a lot of points to play for and I think there will be a few twists and turns in the next few weeks," Robinson said.

"I said the three games against Rangers, Hearts and Celtic are all bonus points and there's nothing to fear and as I said before, everything to gain.

"People will drop points when we don't expect it and probably gain them when you don't expect it. So it's something to look forward to. It's to be embraced not feared.

"Celtic are a very, very good side. But they're not invincible and we have to believe that, we have to turn up and play at the top of our game."

• St Mirren have lost their past seven meetings with Celtic in all competitions, last losing eight in a row against the Parkhead club in December 2012.

• Celtic have only lost one of their last 20 away games at St Mirren across all competitions (W16 D3), going down 2-0 in September 2022 under Ange Postecoglou.

• St Mirren are winless in their past four home league games (D1 L3), last going longer without victory in December 2021 under Jim Goodwin (6).

• After winning 10 successive away league games from April to December 2024, Celtic have since won just two of their past six on the road (D2 L2), losing 2-1 at Hibernian in their most recent away outing.

• Celtic's Daizen Maeda has been directly involved in more goals in the Scottish Premiership this season (18 – 11 goals, 7 assists) than any other player. The Japan international has 13 goal involvements (9 goals, 4 assists) in his last 10 league appearances – as many as his previous 41 beforehand.

Sportscene pundits Michael Stewart and Richard Foster analyse the VAR-prompted decision to downgrade midfielder Killian Phillips' red card to yellow in St Mirren's midweek defeat at Hearts. (Available to UK users only)

We asked you for your thoughts on the 3-1 loss to Hearts at Tynecastle that dropped Hearts out of the top six.

Here's what some of you said:

John: We are way too inconsistent and have been throughout the season. We can't seem to hold on to a lead, and maybe we should think of strengthening the defence over the long term.

Ryan: Two horrendous mistakes by big Richard Taylor, who has otherwise been tremendous this season, derailed what looked like another masterclass from Stephen Robinson.

Extremely frustrating and symptomatic of the season, looking probable that we will miss out on top six unless we can pull it out the bag in the next five games.

W: Two very obvious mistakes in defence led to two goals, but we tend to forget the mistakes made up front which were good opportunities and were missed.

Overall it was a tight performance, we actually were probably better than Hearts for large chunks of the game, but you can't give easy ball away to reasonable players and then not expect to get hurt.

Eddie: Two mistakes cost us the game. Taylor is going to be a class player but he really needs to do the simple things just put the ball out of the park. Now we need to move on, the next five games are vital to get points from. We really need to start taking our chances.

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• James Wilson has scored five goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), no Hearts player has more.

• St Mirren have lost an away game after leading at half-time in the Premiership for the first time since 16 March 2024 against Kilmarnock (seven games without defeat).

• Hearts have won after trailing at half time in the Premiership for the first time since 3 February 2024 against Dundee (11 games without a win after trailing at half-time).

• Hearts have won after conceding the opening goal in the Premiership for the first time since 13 April 2024 against Livingston (16 games without a win).

• St Mirren have lost after scoring the opening goal in the Premiership for the first time since 28 September 2024 against Motherwell (seven games without defeat).

Watch the best of the action as Hearts come from behind to beat St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

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Hearts leapfrogged St Mirren to move into the Scottish Premiership top six for the first time since August as they came from behind to beat the Paisley side at Tynecastle.

What did you make of that, St Mirren fans? What went wrong in Edinburgh? Did anyone impress?

Let us know your thoughts, external.

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St Mirren's Stephen Robinson told BBC Scotland: "I thought our performance was similar to Saturday, really good for long periods. We were in total control of the game, but we have two individual errors in the second half, and credit to Hearts, they punished us.

"From there, we created chances and missed them, and got done on the counter. Performance-wise, it was very good. To come here and take the game to them was pleasing. The individual errors, you can't control.

"I wasn't too hard on the players in there, any points from these three games were a bonus for us and it's very much still all to play for."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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When St Mirren beat Rangers in December, they went on to lose their next four games.

It looked like they were going to display the kind of control that saw off Philippe Clement at the weekend, and make it two solid wins from two on the road.

But when things started to go against them, they lost their heads a little and the physicality was upped a level - not always legally.

Mandron was lucky not to see red - for either his elbow on McCart on for his foul on Baningime moments later.

Phillips, too, can consider himself fortunate. He was sent off for 'an elbow' and therefore violent conduct, but VAR Gavin Duncan pointed out to the referee that there was 'no elbow contact'.

Ultimately, Stephen Robinson will be frustrated. His side edged large parts of the game and did have chances through Toyosi Olusanya, but he was not able to drag his side back into the match.

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• Hearts have won 16 of their last 20 top-fight home games against St Mirren (D2 L2), including their last two in a row without conceding.

• St Mirren have only won once in their last five league meetings with Hearts (D1 L3), a 2-1 victory at home in September of this season.

• Hearts' Lawrence Shankland has scored (four goals) or assisted (one assist) five goals in his last six Scottish Premiership appearances against St Mirren, including two goals and an assist in his last two games against the Buddies at Tynecastle.

• St Mirren have won two of their last three league games played on a Wednesday (D1), as many as their previous 13 beforehand (W2 D4 L7).

• St Mirren's Stephen Robinson has won just two of his nine managerial away games at Hearts in the Scottish Premiership (D2 L5), a 3-2 victory with Motherwell in September 2019 and a 2-0 win with the Buddies in April 2023.

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Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin remains sidelined with concussion, while defenders Craig Halkett, Stephen Kingsley (both hamstring) and Frankie Kent (quad) are still out but Yan Dhanda is fit again after a hip issue.

St Mirren have major doubts over Killian Phillips, Caolan Boyd-Munce and Ryan Alebiosu but Alex Iacovitti is back in training.

Evan Mooney will have a clean-up operation on an ankle injury and Conor McMenamin (calf) remains out.

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Mark O'Hara will be "very proud" to cap an emotional week by reaching the milestone of 100 St Mirren appearances.

The captain lost his grandfather last Thursday night but overcame his grief to lead Saints to their first win at Ibrox in 34 years on Saturday in a game which ultimately ended Philippe Clement's tenure.

"It was a bit of a surreal 48 hours and the manager said take as much time as you need," the midfielder said.

"I felt I had to come in Friday and I was feeling good. I think that's what my granddad would have wanted as a massive football fan. I'm sure he would have enjoyed that on Saturday.

"He was in the stadium the week before. It was quite sudden. He was at the stadium for the Hearts game. I think it was good the fact that it was so sudden and he wasn't then suffering.

"It was a bit of a shock to everyone but to repay him with a result on Saturday was special. I think all my family enjoyed that."

Now the 29-year-old is make his 100th Buddies appearance on Wednesday night when Stephen Robinson's men face Hearts at Tynecastle.

"I've never done that at a club so it's something you set out to do," he added.

"When you look on the stats online you want to see the three digits. Hopefully [Wednesday is] the night, and I'm very proud of it.

"It's funny, I've never felt this settled in my career before. I think the manager has played a big part in that, bringing me here. The changing room's definitely a big help. I've obviously grown up very local.

"It just seemed to all fit and we've achieved some success together and hopefully there's more success to come."