St Mirren

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

If, and it's a big if, there was a piece missing from Stephen Robinson's success pile at St Mirren - a deep cup run would be it.

A calling card of these past three years has been his ability to select a motivate a side for the one-offs, the big games and the decisive moments.

Beating both Celtic and Rangers, last-minute goals to secure top six, winning through or holding firm on European nights. Far more than I can remember in recent history, this is a Saints team capable of anything.

That quality had not yet shone through into domestic cup competition, admittedly often due to drawing Celtic at an early stage and suffering glorious failure.

This season, with significant evolution in the playing squad, things feel a little different. That same battling quality is there, that same connection to the stands, that same ability to rise to the big moment - but there is something else.

Mika Mandron, surely the best current Scotland-eligible forward not to have been sniffed at by Steve Clarke, is flicking the ball over defenders' heads as if he's advertising sportswear in a Brazilian airport.

Killian Phillips is, quite literally, everywhere. Jayden Richardson is plucking the ball out of the air on his chest and burying a volley that took us back to Zidane at Hampden in 2002.

And, more than that, just as it was in the previous round, the Buddies held their nerve in the tensest of situations.

Ten penalties taken in shootouts these past two ties, 10 scored. A penalty saved in each by the incredible Shamal George.

The Saints are back at Hampden, in front of fans when doing so for the first time in a long while. Count them out at your peril.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

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Stephen Robinson's personality and work ethic is on full display in how his St Mirren team play, according to former Celtic striker Cillian Sheridan.

The Northern Irish manager has guided the Buddies to three successive top-six finishes in Scotland's top flight on one of the league's smaller budgets.

His side beat Kilmarnock on penalties on Friday to reach the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals, where Sheridan says they combined grit with some eye-catching football.

"Everything about Stephen Robinson, you can see in how his team plays and how the players play for him," Sheridan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Having seen him up close on the sideline, he's really animated and involved in everything - you can see that in how his players play.

"He is St Mirren at the minute. There's no superstars, just a hard-working team that I imagine other teams hate playing against.

"It was nice to see them scored some nice, attractive goals against Kilmarnock as well."

We asked for your thoughts after St Mirren sealed a semi-final spot in the Premier Sports Cup with a penalty shootout victory at Kilmarnock.

Here's what you had to say:

Kev: It's a fantastic achievement, and reinforces my belief in our manager's ability to build a team that plays with a togetherness that can overcome the challenges of the season and inspire them to succeed.

Davy: Excellent result and a professional performance at a ground we often struggle at. We seem to be getting better every game.

Alistair: I thought that was a great game of football, both teams had a go and it was a shame it had to be decided by penalties. So happy the Saints got what they deserved. Certain pundits wouldn't pay to watch us but over 2,000 travelled and had a ball. Hampden here we come.

Marcelo: I am by no means surprised. Stephen Robinson is a terrific manager and delivers an outstanding job with a brave teams that has no fears, and the outcome just could be achieving Hampden. With a little bit luck, silverware is feasible.

Alan: Great game and our goals were first class. The atmosphere from the fans was amazing, can't wait till the semis now as we fear no one.

A flawless penalty shootout performance helped St Mirren secure a Premier Sports Cup semi-final as they edged past a stubborn Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Malik Dijksteel, who scored the winning spot-kick in the previous round against Hearts, converted from 12 yards after Kyle Magennis missed for the hosts.

Read the full match report here.

Give us your thoughts on the game.

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Stephen Robinson tells BBC Scotland: "It's probably the one thing we haven't managed to do since we came to the club.

"The first 30 minutes we were brilliant and I thought we controlled large parts of the game.

"We got done by a wide free-kick and a penalty, which the boys don't think it was. We seem to do it the hard way - certainly not good for the nerves.

"Incredible because we don't practice [penalties]. It takes a mentality and a bit of luck. We expect Shamal to save at least one penalty.

"You see the crowd that turned out tonight - fantastic support and the players give them everything. It's a togetherness at the football club that's driving it.

"I've never enjoyed getting to Hampden and losing. I've won the two semi-finals I've got to - hopefully that's a good omen.

"Our record against the top six teams has been incredible. We deserved to win tonight against a good Killie side. We'll enjoy the moment and refocus again on Monday."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Players are usually falling over themselves to swap shirts with Lionel Messi after playing against the Argentina legend.

St Mirren defender Richard King faced the great man twice earlier this year - but had no interest in picking up a Messi memento.

King's former club, the Jamaican league winners Cavalier, played Inter Miami in the last 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup in the spring but lost both legs 2-0.

"That was really nice, you know, Messi, [Luis] Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, some big names, some legends, that was a good game," King, 23, said.

"I didn't get any shirts. I didn't want them, to be honest, because we could have won. I was kind of vexed.

"With Messi and all the stuff you see on TV, how he plays, how he moves on the pitch, it's the same and it's really difficult to get near him."

A few months after meeting Messi in Miami, King was on his way to play in Paisley despite links with clubs around the world.

"I'd had the chance to sign him before that," Buddies manager Stephen Robinson said.

"But we were in a little bit of a sticky run around about Christmas time, and we decided to just keep monitoring the situation. We were very lucky because I believe there was a large bid turned down from an MLS club in January last year.

"We managed to get him for buttons further down the line. We believe we've got a real, real find, a really top talent."

Robinson believes that as well as making his mark in the Premiership, the composed defender could cut a dash on the world stage next year.

"There's a good chance he'll probably end up going to the World Cup as well with Jamaica. They've had a fantastic run under Steve McClaren. We hope that he will continue progressing," said Robinson.

Playing at the finals in North America 2026 is a big motivation for King, who has become a regular for Jamaica under McClaren.

"We're in the final group stages of qualifying and we've won our first two games, so it's a good start to the campaign," King added.

"We win our next two games, we'll be heading to the World Cup for sure.

"Playing there is a really big incentive. It would be the second World Cup finals in our history, the first one was in 1998, so it will be really massive for our country as well."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Stephen Robinson has revealed he's become a Rugby Park regular recently - and so has his wife.

Never mind a leisurely Sunday lunch or romantic walks in the countryside. The Robinsons have been on reconnaissance missions with a future date at Hampden in mind.

Robinson's St Mirren play Kilmarnock in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup on Saturday, and the hosts have been well scouted as the Buddies seek just a second win at Rugby Park since 2013.

"I've watched a lot of Killie. It's my local team, so I get to see them. I've dragged my wife along every Sunday to watch them lately," said Robinson.

"They've got some very, very good players. They have a lot of physicality on the team, but also a mix of really talented boys as well. It would be nice to get one over on them.

"We go there confident after our start to the league season but it's a tough game. It's an opportunity for both sides."

Robinson wants to reward the Saints support by securing a semi-final trip to Hampden.

He added: "I've said to the players, sometimes these opportunities sometimes come around once in a career, so you have to grab these opportunities.

"It can bring the whole town together. It can really lift people's spirits, people rely on this football club. A lot of times it's their life and what they cling on to. So we'll be doing everything in our power to make sure we're in that semi-final.

"You see the display the fans put on last Saturday in the league match away at Falkirk and what they've done during the season, the amount of effort and time and money that's spent on it. You'd love to reward them.

"We feel like we've earned this opportunity because it's been a long time in the making. We started right at the early rounds and had some really good performances."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Stephen Robinson has been speaking to the media before St Mirren's trip to face Kilmarnock in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals on Friday night.

• Robinson wants to "reward" Saints fans by securing a spot at Hampden: "As I've said to the players, sometimes these opportunities come around once in a career. So you have to grab these opportunities. You have to go and be brave and play to your strengths. We want to progress in any way possible."

• He says reaching a semi-final can bring the whole town together and lift people's spirits.

• Robinson says winning semi-finals with Motherwell at Hampden against Rangers and Aberdeen were among the "best days of my career".

• St Mirren go to Rugby Park confident after beating Falkirk for a first Premiership win of the season, but will have be "at the top of their game" in a tough tie.

• Defender Marcus Fraser's ankle injury isn't as bad as first feared. He's had a scan and will miss Friday's game, while the full extent of the injury should be discovered today.

• Robinson believes the Buddies have made a "real find" in Jamaica defender and "top talent" Richard King, who has a good chance of playing in the World Cup next year after being signed for "buttons" in the summer.

• On Chris Sutton's criticism of his team's playing style: "I don't actually care. I'm fairly confident in what I do. You don't get 400 league games if you don't know what you're doing. Everyone's entitled to their opinion."

• Robinson agrees with Stuart Kettlewell on the controversial penalty awarded against Killie at the weekend for handball and says the rule is "a little bit confusing", adding: "We did get told that things like that probably wouldn't be penalties."

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The draw for the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals will take place on Sunday after Partick Thistle v Celtic (15:30 BST) concludes.

The semis will be played on the weekend of 1-2 November with the final scheduled for Sunday, 14 December.

St Mirren's trip to Kilmarnock on Friday night (19:45) gets the quarter-finals under way before Aberdeen host Motherwell (15:00) on Saturday followed by Rangers v Hibs (17:45).

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• St Mirren's solitary League Cup triumph came in 2013 when they beat Hearts 3-2 in the final.

• They have been runners-up twice and made seven semi-final appearances, with their last one coming in the 2020-21 campaign.

• St Mirren have faced upcoming quarter-final opponents Kilmarnock 18 times in the competition, winning eight.

• The Paisley club's biggest League Cup win was a 7-0 trouncing of Dumbarton in the second round in 2008.

• St Mirren have netted 21 goals in their five League Cup games so far this season with 11 different scorers. Killian Phillips leads the way with four, followed by Mikael Mandron on three.

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

Saturday's trip to Falkirk had the feeling of something big.

Pressure, I suppose, is always dialled up a little coming out of the howling normal fitba' vacuum that is international week.

Add to that the growing wait for a league victory this season, the quality of performances thus far for limited reward, and the renewal of top-flight competition with Falkirk for the first time in 15 years - the stage was very much set.

Philosophically, at least in the eyes of Chris Sutton and other pundits of equivalent attention to the other 10 teams in the Premiership, this felt like a clash of ideas. Good (honest, passing football) versus bad (boys who tackle quite hard and run about too much).

Falkirk's style is effective and has already earned them a win at Pittodrie, as well as plenty of podcast inches about "doing it the right way, uh huh". Similar to Motherwell's development under Jens Berthel Askou, it'll be fascinating to see how this plays out over a full top-flight season.

Stephen Robinson knows what plays out a top-flight season in Scotland. While I resent the accusation his St Mirren side are hammer-throwing anti-football anarchists and destroyers, I'm very comfortable in us using that reputation as the edge that often earns points against teams of lesser fortitude.

Saturday's rain-soaked battle at the foot (neck?) of the Kelpies unfolded as such. Falkirk played some impressively patient football while St Mirren took their time to have influence on proceedings, but, crucially, held their nerve defensively.

As the second half gathered pace and urgency, there was only one winner and it was the cannier, more urgent, harder-chasing and more resolute Saints who had enough.

Hopefully, for St Mirren's sake, this is an indication of what to expect over the next seven games of this first round of league fixtures.

Having had most of their top-table (and Rangers) tests early, Robinson's gritty and relentless Buddies should now pick up the points that their preparation and application levels deserve.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

St Mirren secured their first Premiership win of the season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Falkirk on Saturday.

Richard King came on for the injured Marcus Fraser, stepped forward impressively and was unlucky not to score with a drive well saved by Scott Bain.

Another Buddies defender also makes my team of the week. Declan John's deflected effort opened the scoring and he supplied the assist as Mikael Mandron made it two.

Watch all the highlights as St Mirren avoided a late scare to beat Falkirk 2-1 in the Scottish Premiership.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson hopes to lead his team to Hampden after a promising start to the season.

The Paisley club moved into the top six of the Scottish Premiership with a 2-1 victory over Falkirk thanks to goals from Declan John and Mikael Mandron.

Robinson's side now prepare to face Kilmarnock in the League Cup quarter-finals on Friday and the boss is hoping they can continue their good form.

"It's a game we're looking forward to," Robinson said.

"We've started the season really brightly. And that would be the icing on the cake after the first block of games to be sitting in the top six and hopefully have a semi-final.

"But it's a tough task ahead. It's going to be similar [to the Falkirk game] on a sticky pitch. It's going to be a tough game. Killie are a big, big strong side with two big centre-forwards that cause real issues.

"We're going to have to deal with the physicality and then they've got good players as well. They can really hurt you."

We asked for your views on St Mirren's 2-1 victory over Falkirk on Stephen Robinson's 400th game as a manager.

Here's what some of you said...

John: A comfortable day at the office. 2-1 flattered the Bairns a little. Declan John and Alex Gogic excellent for the Buddies.

Douglas: Another solid but unspectacular performance from St Mirren, but then we have learned to expect this type of game from Stephen Robinson and again on his 400th game in management, they delivered the desired result. The introduction of Dan Nlundulu into the front line was encouraging and he fitted in well from the 60th minute. A hard worked three points, but probably just deserved and now on to the League Cup quarter final at Kilmarnock.

St Mirren held off a late rally from promoted Falkirk as Stephen Robinson's side grabbed their first Scottish Premiership win of the season on his 400th game as a manager.

Share your thoughts on the game.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "The game was sticky at the start, both teams after the international break and days off, looked rusty.

"But we came out really well in the second half and dominated the game. But for the goalkeeper, Scott Bain has made two terrific saves from Killian Phillips and Richard King, it could and should have been more.

"Then we concede a goal we should never concede and gives Falkirk a little bit of hope. We had to defend, and did it well when we needed to.

"We can be better than today in terms of the quality we can show. But we said grind out the result whatever way, and we did."

Robinson says the injury to Marcus Fraser is a "concering one". The ever-present defender was forced off with an ankle injury just before the break.

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Falkirk could include new signings Ethan Williams, Filip Lissah and Sam Hart for the first time.

But Kyrell Wilson, Aidan Nesbitt, Ethan Ross, Jamie Sneddon, Tom Lang, Finn Yeats, Coll Donaldson and Barney Stewart are all set to miss out.

Conor McMenamin (calf) and Liam Donnelly (Achilles) have both have returned to training but this weekend could be too soon for the St Mirren duo.

Fellow midfielder Killian Phillips and defender Richard King will be assessed following their international duties.