St Mirren

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• St Mirren have failed to win any of their last six matches when conceding first in the Scottish Premiership, since a victory over Aberdeen on 2 March 2024.

• St Mirren attempted 16 shots in this game, their highest total in a league match this season.

• Dundee United have kept a clean sheet in three of their seven games, only Rangers (four) and Celtic (six) have done this more often in the league this season.

• Dundee United have avoided defeat in their last eight matches when scoring first in the Premiership, since a 1-3 loss to Hearts on 4 February 2023.

Dundee United extended their unbeaten away run in the Scottish Premiership to four matches with a hard-fought win over St Mirren.

Emmanuel Adegboyega nodded in the winner in the final quarter after St Mirren goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe parried Ross Docherty's thumping shot.

It was an apt winner in a game defined by industry in midfield and set-pieces rather than flowing football and lots of attempts on target.

What did you make of St Mirren's performance? Have your say here, external.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "Very disappointed with the result. We're in a moment where things aren't going right for us.

"There are plenty of good things. I don't know how many chances we need to score a goal. The amount of crosses we put in and half chances we had, but the disappointing thing is we haven't hit the target often enough - which we work on tirelessly.

"The final product is missing. We have been scoring goals up to now, we've created and missed a lot of chances.

"And we've conceded from their only real chance of the game. We don't deal with the second phase well enough.

"It's a moment. I've been here plenty times at St Mirren and other clubs and it's about getting people together, putting the best team out available to me and working on it over the break."

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Thomas Duncan, BBC Sport Scotland

Victory against struggling Hearts a fortnight ago could have been a turning point for struggling St Mirren, but it remains their only victory in 10 games.

Stephen Robinson switched from his usual three centre-back formation to a flat four, bringing in winger Roland Idowu and striker Kevin van Veen.

But neither seriously impacted the game, apart from Idowu's first-half effort which he dragged just wide.

Toyosi Olusanya and Killian Phillips looked the most likely to score for the home side, but the pair only managed to hit the target twice with their combined nine attempts at goal.

Van Veen, meanwhile, looks a shadow of the player who hit 29 goals in the 2022-23 season for Motherwell and it's now 16 Premiership appearances for Kilmarnock and St Mirren without scoring.

The most St Mirren worked United goalkeeper Jack Walton was Caolan Boyd-Munce's fierce shot from distance.

Three attempts on target from 16 shots and an expected goals rating 0.97 shows how much they toiled to create clear chances.

Stephen Robinbson makes three changes from last week's defeat by Motherwell and there could be a change of shape with both wing-backs dropping out.

Roland Idowu and Charles Dunne coming in for Elvis Bwomono and Scott Tanser could mean a switch to a back four, or a change of position for centre-backs Marcus Fraser or Richard Taylor. We shall see.

Up top, Kevin van Veen makes his first start for St Mirren in place of Mikael Mandron.

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In: Dennis Adenirany, midfielder (Hapoel Petah Tikva); Alex Iacovitti, defender (Port Vale, undisclosed); Shaun Rooney, defender (Fleetwood Town); Oisin Smyth, midfielder (Oxford United); Jaden Brown, defender (Lincoln City, loan to permanent); James Scott, forward (Exeter City, loan to permanent).

Loan in: Killian Phillips, midfielder (Crystal Palace); Kevin van Veen, forward (Groningen); Ellery Balcombe, goalkeeper (Barnsley); Roland Idowu, midfielder (Shrewsbury Town).

Out: Ethan Sutherland, forward (Wolverhampton Wanderers, undisclosed); Ryan Strain, defender (Dundee United); Keanu Baccus, midfielder (Mansfield Town); James Bolton, defender (Fleetwood Town, undisclosed); Alex Greive, forward (Bohemian); Ryan Flynn, midfielder (Arbroath).

Loan ended: Hyeokkyu Kwon, midfielder (Celtic); Zach Hemming, goalkeeper (Middlesbrough).

Loan out: Kieran Offord, forward (Crusaders); Lewis Jamieson, forward (Raith Rovers); Gallagher Lennon, midfielder (Annan Athletic); Fraser Taylor, midfielder (Arbroath).

Read the Scottish Premiership ins & outs in full here.

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St Mirren defender Scott Tanser is banned after being sent off against Motherwell and Shaun Rooney remains out after being suspended by the club following an assault charge.

Alex Iacovitti (tendon) is out long term and Conor McMenamin (knee) is working his way back to fitness.

United are without Ryan Strain, who is making good progress following hamstring surgery.

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St Mirren assistant Brian Kerr insists the Paisley club are "moving in the right direction" amid a testing start to the season.

The Buddies currently sit sixth, but have won just one of their last nine matches across all competitions after balancing early-season European exertions with domestic duties.

Saints host Dundee United on Saturday and Kerr, who has stepped up to assistant following DiarmuId O'Carroll's exit to Newcastle, said: "We've had some up-and-down results but we're in a position that if we win at the weekend, we can step into fourth place.

"We know how important the weekend is going into an international break, and we always want to win the games, because it gives you a couple of weeks to enjoy things, if that's possible at this level. That's something we're looking to achieve.

"It's a difficult league, and I don't think we can expect anything.

"We know we need to keep working hard and we have brought good players in who know their jobs and responsibilities and they need to understand that's required every week.

"That the hard work and resilience that the boys have showed over the last couple of years, needs to continue."

Striker Mikael Mandron is also confident Stephen Robinson's side are poised to kick into gear.

He said: "I think we're very close to being a very good team. We're very close to everything coming together. I think you can see it.

"You can see game after game that we are getting better, and the results will follow. That's for sure.

"I think it's about the full performance over the whole 90 minutes. We've had games where we've started well, and then the second half didn't quite follow or vice versa, so being able to put in a performance along with the result. I think that's the last thing that's missing."

Former Hearts, Dundee United and St Johnstone defender Ryan McGowan says non-Old Firm fans will have enjoyed Celtic and Rangers being given a "taste of their own medicine" by "taking a pasting" in Europe against teams with a bigger budget.

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Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Jim Goodwin has urged Dundee United to replicate their League Cup performance against St Mirren when they head to "the land of the giants" on Saturday.

It will be the second meeting of the sides this season, with United having knocked the Paisley team out of the League Cup in August.

"You know what you are going to get with St Mirren," Goodwin said of his former side.

"They are probably the most physical team in the league, it really is land of the giants when you play against them and you have got to do the basics well against them to get results.

"You have to win those individual battles, show aggression, and match them in every area. That is what we did in the recent cup game when we beat them at Tannadice.

"We are needing a repeat of that performance. It is going to be a difficult game, no doubt about it.

"This will be the third away fixture in a row for us so it has been quite demanding but the players are looking forward to it."

Having lost just one of their opening six Premiership games, Goodwin says his newly-promoted team have already proved they can compete in the top flight.

"If you look at the fixtures we have played until now, we have already played five of last season's top six," the Irishman added.

"We beat Hearts, drew with Dundee and had a narrow defeat to Rangers so I think the fixtures we have already played have hopefully proven to the group that they are more than capable of playing at this level."

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• Dundee United have only won one of their last nine Scottish Premiership meetings with St Mirren (D4 L4), a 2-1 away win in March 2022.

• St Mirren have won both of their last two league meetings with newly-promoted opponents, last winning three in a row in the top flight in November 2012.

• Since the start of April, only St Johnstone (9) have lost more Scottish Premiership matches than St Mirren (8), while the Buddies' 27 goals conceded in the competition is behind only Dundee (29) and the Saints (29) in this time.

• Dundee United are yet to lose away from home in three games in the Scottish Premiership this season (W1 D2); the only newly-promoted sides to avoid defeat in their first four on the road in a campaign in the competition since it rebranded in 2013 are Hamilton (5 in 2014-15), Hibernian (9 in 2017-18), and Hearts (5 in 2021-22).

• St Mirren have dropped more points from winning positions (7) than any other side in the Scottish Premiership this season. The Buddies have scored first in each of their last four league games but have won just one of them (D2 L1).

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Peter Hartley's primary goal is to "bridge the gap between the under 18s and the first team" at St Mirren as he links up with Stephen Robinson once more.

The former Motherwell captain has been appointed as the Buddies new head of first-team transition and loan pathways after previous incumbent Brian Kerr recently stepped up to become assistant manager.

Hartley served under Robinson in Lanarkshire, and reunites with his old boss after calling time on his playing career in the summer.

"Peter was my captain at Motherwell and I stayed in touch with him in terms of his progression as a coach," Robinson told St Mirren’s website.

"We spoke to numerous people. We wanted somebody that had coaching experience but was also still aligned with the dressing room. We also wanted someone that had worked in a development role and had the relevant qualifications, which Peter certainly does.

"He will work every day with the first team and the biggest thing is to bridge the gap between the under 18s and the first team.

"He’ll manage the loan players, to ensure all the aspects that we believe will develop those players for now and further down the line. It’s a big role for the club and important we’ve got the right person."

On his appointment, the former Hartlepool centre-back said: "The manager has really high standards but I knew that coming in.

"I know exactly what he is about and with me being a young coach, making the transition from playing, I don't think there is a better person to learn from."

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

Where better to start discussing Saturday's gut punch of a defeat in North Lanarkshire than with a contrived comparison to 1998's rom-dram-edy Sliding Doors?

Think of John Hannah's James as three points against ten men, and - bear with me - think of Gwyneth Paltrow's Helen getting on the train as Mark O'Hara slotting a penalty comfortably by Aston Oxborough.

Still with me? Good.

At 2-1 down after a first half with its own controversies to juggle, Dan Casey's save on the line from a Killian Phillips snapshot reduced Motherwell to 10 men and offered a chance to level terms with a full half left to play. However, Oxborough showed quality typical of his season thus far to keep captain O'Hara off the scoresheet.

Train missed. Happiness ruined.

What followed was a test of patience for all but the most saint-like of Saints followers. Recovering from the disappointment well, the Buddies dominated possession and began knocking on the door with increasing intensity before fate intervened once again.

Calmly and casually winning the ball in harmless field position with the side of his foot, Scott Tanser was inexplicably shown a second and unreviewable yellow card. If I had to guess, I would venture that this yellow card was for having thought about slide tackling someone once in his teenage years.

The rest is history. Motherwell stepped up at 10 v 10 and were good value for their three points; the Buddies struggled to recover from this further setback and were largely held at arm's length by cannier opponents.

I won't spoil the rest of Sliding Doors, but for all the short-term pain felt on Saturday, I maintain hope that the Saints will bump into those three points again in a lift somewhere by the end of the season.

Killian Phillips is fast becoming the example for other Stephen Robinson players to follow. Relentless in his running, pressing and harrying of opposition defences, he has already shown a deftness of touch and calm head to match his physical commitment.

This was confirmed in style early on Saturday, pulling down a testing cross before spinning to ripple the net behind Oxborough for the Saints' opener.

He'll surely contribute to happier results before too long.

Mark Jardine can be found on the Misery Hunters podcast, external.

Watch highlights from Motherwell's win 2-1 against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK viewers only.

We asked for your views on St Mirren's 2-1 defeat against Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

Eddie: We really have to start taking our chances. We are too slow in moving the ball from back to front. I have said it before, our midfielders are not strong enough. Thank goodness Greg Kiltie and Conor McMenamin are back soon.

Jim: Another nearly fine performance from St Mirren. Unable to defend corners and suspect on both wide sides. A striker who has been given too many chances and is not good enough. Let's get the team sorted out.

Stuart: I don't want to even talk about the game, as a St Mirren fan I am just disappointed we lost a game that we should never have lost even with the worst officials ever seen in Scottish football.

I am not even going to solely blame the referee who was utterly atrocious, VAR must also take a huge blame in numerous mistakes by the referee.

William: St Mirren should never have lost this game. Refereeing was as we excepted, isn't an easy task but this man had a big impact on the result.

Some very debatable decisions but Saints failure was so many missed chances. Credit to Motherwell's keeper but we must do better and take the chances which could see us sitting deservedly higher in the league.

Huey: The Shaun Rooney debacle has no doubt unsettled the squad, but Mark O'Hara's missed penalty, a harsh second yellow for Scott Tanser and wasteful finishing was our undoing. Our inability to defend a lead is worrying - yet again we went in front only to end up losing - a top-six finish will be a stretch, unfortunately.

Daniel: Poor performance by Saints, plus some of the worst refereeing I've ever seen. Three terrible decisions against us that ultimately cost us the game.

• St Mirren have scored in their last four games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of four games from 15th May 2024 to 11th August 2024.

• Motherwell have won after conceding the opening goal in the Premiership for the first time since 6th April 2024 against Dundee (six games without a win).

• St Mirren have attempted 15 shots in this game, their highest total in a single match in the Premiership this season.

• Motherwell have won three points from losing positions in the Premiership this season, no team has recovered more.

Two penalties, two red cards and a double from teenager Lennon Miller.

There's plenty to talk about so we want to hear from you!

Let us know your thoughts on Saturday's defeat by Motherwell here., external

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson told BBC Scotland: "I thought we put in a really good performance and should've won the match.

"We created numerous chances and we dominated large parts of the game.

"I can only control what we are in control of. All we can control is taking our chances.

"I'm not going to not be standing on the touchline for next week by criticising officials."

Adam Binnie
BBC Sport Scotland

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You've got to feel for St Mirren. On 48 minutes, they had a man advantage and reliable captain Mark O'Hara was standing over a penalty kick.

He had only missed three of his previous 19 career spot kicks, but couldn't beat Aston Oxborough from 12 yards.

The miss was then compounded 14 minutes later when Scott Tanser was controversially shown a second yellow card.

A second booking was an extremely harsh punishment for the full-back who made minimal contact with his opposite number in an unthreatening area of the pitch.

However, VAR could not intervene as it was not a straight red.

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Motherwell: Oxborough, O'Donnell, Casey, Gordon, McGinn, Wilson, Zdravkovski, Halliday, Miller, Ebiye, Robinson

Substitutes: Heygi, Seddon, Balmer, Sparrow, Stamatelopoulos, Kaleta, Maswanhise, Watt, Tavares

St Mirren: Balcombe, Bwomono, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Tanser, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, Phillips, Mandron, Olusanya

Substitutes: Urminsky, Dunne, Brown, Smyth, Idowu, Kiltie, Scott, Ayunga, van Veen

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Motherwell defender Stephen O’Donnell is set to miss out with a shoulder injury while Johnny Koutroumbis and Shane Blaney are edging closer to comebacks. Callum Slattery, Sam Nicholson (both knee), Harry Paton (ankle), Ross Callachan (hamstring) and Jack Vale (calf) are long-term absentees.

Shaun Rooney drops out for St Mirren after being suspended by the club following an assault charge. Greg Kitie, Kevin van Veen and Elvis Bwomono all played 70 minutes in a bounce game this week. Conor McMenamin (knee) and Alex Iacovitti (tendon) are out long term.