St Mirren

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• Celtic have won six of their last seven meetings with St Mirren across all competitions (D1), scoring 23 goals and conceding just five times in that period.

• St Mirren have won just one of their last 34 away games against Celtic in all competitions (D3 L30). Stephen Robinson's side have failed to score in 24 of those last 34 trips to Celtic Park.

• Celtic's 2-0 defeat to Hearts in December this season is their only defeat in their last 59 Scottish Premiership home games (W49 D9).

• After winning two of their first three away league outings this season (D1), St Mirren have since won just two of their last 13 on the road (D3 L8).

• Despite playing just nine league games for the club so far, Adam Idah’s goals have been worth more points to Celtic than any other player this season (six). Five of his six league goals for Brendan Rodger's side have either given them a lead (four) or have equalised (1).

St Mirren travel to Celtic Park on Saturday for their final game before the split.

Who would you like to see start for Stephen Robinson's side?

Put yourself in the manager's shoes and pick your St Mirren XI here.

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

For a second consecutive campaign, the Buddies have delivered top-six status against the odds and outside expectation. Though Saturday ended in defeat to third-place Hearts, an electric start to the campaign and racking up of early points was enough to guarantee ending the season at the top table with a match to spare.

Reducing football to a comparison of balance sheets and turnover can strip the soul out of things, but context is important. In producing back-to-back top-half finishes, the fan-owned Saints are overperforming to a degree where it has become the expected standard.

Saturday's home match against Hearts, a side coasting in third place, was a close fought loss in front of a sold out and bouncing SMISA Stadium. In terms of bums on seats, second only to last season's equivalent fixture pre-split with Kilmarnock.

The Northbank fans group made their pre-game appeal for scarves and noise from the rest of the support, and were met with exactly that to accompany their two-stand display.

Since opening the "new" stadium in 2009, there have now been 15 attendances of over seven thousand inside the eight thousand capacity venue. Of those, 11have come since the appointment of Stephen Robinson.

Fans are coming out in their thousands, the squad are confounding their budget and expectations, and there is a feeling in Paisley that there could well be more to hope for between now and the end of the season. It would take a brave person to bet against it.

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

Toyosi Olusanya has been picked in Sportscene presenter Jonathan Sutherland's Team of the Week, despite St Mirren's 2-1 defeat to Hearts.

The striker may have been on the losing side but his run and finish from the half-way line was so good he simply had to be included.

On today's episode of the Scottish Football Podcast, Liam McLeod is joined by Kenny Miller and Alan Stubbs.

They discuss Sunday's Old Firm thriller and look back on an action-packed Saturday in the Scottish Premiership.

Listen to the episode in full here.

The Sportscene team discuss whether St Mirren should have had a last-gasp spot-kick in their defeat to Hearts.

(Available to UK users only)

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• Hearts have scored in each of their last five games in the Scottish Premiership, scoring seven goals in that run.

• St Mirren have scored in each of their last six games in the Scottish Premiership, scoring nine goals in that run.

• Alex Cochrane attempted six tackles in this game, more than any other player on either team.

• St Mirren have a record of W1, D5, L11 when conceding the opening goal in the Scottish Premiership this season.

• Hearts have stopped the opposition from scoring a first-half goal in 23 of their 32 games, only Celtic (25) have done this more often in the Scottish Premiership this season.

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Toyosi Olusanya was a livewire for St Mirren despite the blustery conditions, scoring a stunning goal with his deep run and forcing another key stop from Zander Clark.

Did you take in the action in Paisley this afternoon or were you following along from elsewhere?

We want your views on this afternoon's match.

Get in touch here.

St Mirren manager Steven Robinson: "With the resources we have at this club, when there's teams below us with riches beyond our dreams, it's a credit to this group of players, the staff and the board who have tried to build a football club as we go.

"It's the first time in 39 years that we've gone in the top six twice so the expectation levels have risen. I'm especially delighted for the staff who've worked tirelessly and drag every last drop out of the group of players. It's been a team effort from the boardroom all the way down.

"It was horrible conditions, balls flying out of play, players struggling to control it, it wasn't pretty on the eye, so I don't want to take away the achievement from this group of boys."

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Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland

The celebrations in Paisley were slightly muted, but the main aim for the season has been achieved - back-to-back top-six finishes. It's well-deserved too, as they've hardly been out of the upper half all season.

They might feel hard done to by the first-half penalty decision after a similar incident in the second-half was not overturned in their favour. But St Mirren were much better in the second half.

As for Hearts, no Lawrence Shankland, no problem. While he was in his sick-bed, the third best team in the country proved their credentials once again.

Solid at the back and enterprising up front, Hearts always looked in control.

The next big one for them is the Scottish Cup semi-final with Rangers in fortnight. They'll want their talisman Shankland fit and healthy for that one.

The surprise team news from Paisley is the absence for Hearts of top scorer Lawrence Shankland, who misses his first league game this season.

The Scotland forward, along with Beni Baningime, misses out through illness, with Kye Rowles and Cammy Devlin coming into the line-up.

The home side make three changes to the side that drew with Motherwell last weekend.

In come Richard Taylor, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Elvis Bwomono to the team, with Mark O'Hara, Ryan Strain and James Bolton dropping to the bench.

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St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Bwomono, Kwon, Boyd-Munce, Tanser, Kiltie, Mandron, Olusanya

Substitutes: Urminsky, Bolton, Dunne, Brown, Baccus, O'Hara, McMenamin, Scott, Ayunga

Hearts: Clark, Kent, Kingsley, Grant, Devlin, Rowles, Forrest, Cochrane, Tait, Vargas, Lembikisa

Substitutes: Gordon, Oda, Atkinson, McKay, Sibbick, Denholm, Fraser, Tagawa, Wilson

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James Bolton returned to training on Friday after coming off early in St Mirren’s game against Motherwell last week with a bruised hip and he will be assessed. Ryan Strain recently returned from groin surgery but he picked up a niggle in training earlier in the week and his fitness will be monitored.

Hearts are set to be without Beni Baningime through illness, while Craig Halkett and Peter Haring are still out with knee problems, and Liam Boyce and Calem Nieuwenhof remain sidelined with hamstring issues.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson wants top-six finishes to become "more of a norm" in Paisley, as his side look to secure successive top-half finishes against Hearts on Saturday.

A win at the weekend would guarantee St Mirren a top-six finish, as would anything other than a Hibs win against St Johnstone.

“It is a game we very much believe we can take something from and obviously guarantee the top six," Robinson said.

“Expectations have risen massively here but if you look at the history, we haven’t had consecutive top-six finishes for 39 years so that tells you that it hasn’t been a habit, it hasn’t been something that should be expected but it is credit to this group of players and staff that we have got ourselves into this position to raise the expectations so we have to embrace that.

“At St Mirren you can’t expect to be top-six every year but what you have to try and do in these good periods is try to put the foundations in to give yourself more of an opportunity to be a top-six side.

“If we can be a top-six side three out of five times then that is a huge success but we want to put the building blocks and foundations in and that becomes more of a norm.

“We don’t go into it with any fear, we go with a lot of respect and it is something we are going to enjoy.

“We are looking forward to it, can’t wait. There will be a big crowd, windy conditions, not great weather but the crowd will turn up and back us again.

“In our eyes we have earned the right to be there.”

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Caolan Boyd-Munce's St Mirren contract has been extended until the end of next season due to the midfielder meeting an appearance-based clause.

The Northern Irishman has become a mainstay in the centre of the park for Stephen Robinson's side, racking up 36 appearances in all competitions this term.

Having initially joined the club on a short-term deal in March 2023, the midfielder earned himself a year-long deal, which has now been extended to the summer of 2025.

Earning himself a international call-up with his form in Paisley, the 24-year-old says he's delighted to prolong his stay.

"I'm over the moon that it's finally done," Boyd-Munce told club media.

"We've been talking about it for a while and even if the clause hadn't been triggered I think we would have still come to a similar arrangement.

I've loved it. It's been a good season for all of us. I think I've improved massively and hopefully everyone can see that this season. Every month I feel like I've got better and still think I've got a long way to go."

Stephen Robinson's star is rising again since his return to the Premiership from Morecambe two years ago.

So much so that the former Motherwell boss has been touted by some for the Aberdeen vacancy.

Given St Mirren are four places and 10 points better off, the Pittodrie hierarchy would quite rightly have pondered what the Northern Irishman might achieve with their greater resources.

The Paisley side are sitting safely in fifth place and need just two more points to secure a second successive top-six finish.

That feeling of "job done" might explain why the form has dropped a bit in recent weeks for both St Mirren and visitors Hearts, who have only won two of their latest six games.

However, assuming his side do finish in the top half, Robertson will want to improve on last year's season run-in, when they failed to beat any of the other top six.

They have won four and lost three of their latest seven home games - but two of those defeats were against Celtic and one versus Rangers.

Now, with the third-top side visiting again, a repeat of September's 1-0 win over Hearts would go some way to suggesting they can be more competitive this time.

• Read our Premiership Picks in full

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Having spent practically the whole season in the top six, St Mirren would be devastated to drop out ahead of the Scottish Premiership's split in two games' time.

Stephen Robinson's side can secure top-half football this weekend, with their destiny in their own hands. Three points at home to third-placed Hearts would do the trick.

Should the Jambos leave Paisley with a point or more, St Mirren's spot can still be confirmed on Saturday. If Hibs fail to beat St Johnstone at Easter Road, the Buddies' place in the top six is secure.