St Mirren

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St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson told BBC Scotland: "I thought we were very good first half. We took the game to them, pressed really well against a Hibs side who have been on an incredible run, so it didn't look a big difference in levels.

"We were the better side in the first half. Second half, not helped by the pitch, it becomes really, really scrappy.

"What we haven't done enough is draw games. Otherwise the table would look a lot differently than it does for us at the moment.

"But any St Mirren manager in the last 40 years, that's sitting in the top six with eight games to go before the split, we have to take it.

"Are there things we can improve on? Of course. If we can take our chances and be clinical, then we've got a right chance of being in the top six.

"We huffed and puffed a little bit, there were good performances without being clinical but that's us - we're getting every last drop out of every single player.

"Everyone's fully committed to trying to get us into this top six and certainly, we give ourselves another chance.

"We make a lot of chances. Our xG for making chances is very high. We control large parts of the game, we press really, really well so as a coaching staff and players are doing a lot of things right."

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Such was St Mirren's fast start, Hibs dropped Josh Campbell back from an attacking midfield role to sitter to try to match up the hosts.

It worked, turning the game into a more agricultural affair and stopping St Mirren's attack. Olusanya only broke in behind once, as player of the match Rocky Bushiri largely kept him well handled.

Perhaps the more direct play suits St Mirren. It certainly suits the pitch, which has come under criticism in recent weeks and had a real effect on the quality on show.

Worryingly, St Mirren have now registered the most blanks of any Premiership team this season, failing to score in 11 of their 26 games.

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Stephen Robinson insists St Mirren's showing in the Scottish Cup loss to Hearts should be enough to beat Hibs on Sunday.

The Buddies led for much of the 90 minutes against the Jambos, before conceding and ultimately losing on penalties.

"If we put on the performance that we did on Monday night, then we've a very good chance of winning the game," the St Mirren boss said. "But they've got some very talented players.

"The two wing-backs who are big threat, the two Cadden brothers [Chris and Nicky], who I know very well, big threats, really forward thinking, and Martin Boyle. I've always been a big fan of him, he's a very, very good player.

"He's been one of the main reasons that they're on a very good run, so it is something we have to be aware of."

St Mirren and Hibs haven't met since early November, when David Gray's side were still in the midst of a poor run that saw them win just one of their first 14 league games.

"It was a while ago we played Hibs, they are on a fantastic run now," Robinson said. "David's done a really good job in turning their form around, so we have to be prepared.

"They've not changed personnel massively. They're still the same players, but they're confident.

"There's no surprises in this league, you play each other that many times, and if we can put in the level of performance that we have done over the last month, then our results will pick up and we'll start looking up the table and potentially have another really good season."

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St Mirren's Conor McMenamin (calf) remains out. Alex Iacovitti (hamstring) will join in training next week while Scott Tanser is a doubt.

Recent signing Alasana Manneh is in contention for a Hibernian debut. Joe Newell (groin), Elie Youan (foot) and Marvin Ekpiteta (thigh) are closing in on comebacks but not this weekend.

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Toyosi Olusanya says he has not had any contract talks yet because he doesn't want to take his "eye off the ball" as St Mirren aim for a top-six finish.

The 27-year-old forward, who joined from Middlesbrough in summer 2022, has scored 11 goals this season and his deal expires in the summer.

The club have offered fresh terms, but Olusanya said: "I've not had any chats yet about a contract.

"I've spoken to the gaffer and he knows I just want to focus on each game as it comes.

"I feel that with contract talks, it's easy to get distracted and actually take your eye off the ball. You get into your contact talks, you start to not perform on a pitch.

"When the season ends and we see where we are as a team, and myself, and then obviously then I can start thinking deeply into it."

Following their Scottish Cup exit to Hearts on Monday night, Stephen Robinson's men this weekend face in-form Hibs, who sit three points and three places above them in fifth.

"Obviously everyone's feeling disappointed (about Monday), definitely, but there was a lot of positives to take from the game, and you have to move on with football, whether it's high or low," Olusanya added.

"We know how important the next eight games are in the league, very important for us.

"Hibs are more consistent of late. The same players, same manager, so it's just about confidence in football.

"They're more confident and they're doing very well. But same players, same personnel and we know how to set up to play against them."

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• St Mirren have won their past three Scottish Premiership games against Hibs, as many as their previous 19 beforehand (W3 D5 L11).

• Hibs have conceded at least twice in each of their past five league meetings with St Mirren (D1 L4), shipping 13 goals in this run – as many as they conceded in their previous 17 Premiership games against the Buddies before this.

• St Mirren have suffered defeat in each of their past three home league games, but haven't lost four in a row since Stephen Robinson lost his first four such matches in charge from February to April 2022.

• Hibs are unbeaten in nine league games (W6 D3), last going 10 matches without losing in the Premiership in April 2019 under Paul Heckingbottom.

• Hibs' Nectarios Triantis has three goals and three assists in his past eight league appearances. The only players currently aged 21 or younger in the competition with more than his six goal involvements in 2024-25 are Lennon Miller (8 – 2 goals, 6 assists) and Arne Engels (11 – 8 goals, 3 assists).

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Stephen Robinson says he will "make statues of his staff" should St Mirren finish in the top six of the Scottish Premiership for a third consecutive season.

The Buddies finished fifth in 2023-24 to qualify for Europe for the first time since 1987, building on their sixth-place finish the previous season. However, with eight games remaining before the split in the this campaign, they sit eighth – one point behind sixth-placed Motherwell.

But Robinson insisted "there is no pressure whatsoever" on the Paisley club to pull off another "big achievement".

"If St Mirren get in the top six three years in a row, then I've told all the staff, I'm going to make statues of them," Robinson said as he previewed his side's weekend game with Hibernian.

"It is that big an achievement to do that three years in a row, so we've absolutely nothing to lose.

"We're in a really good position. This can still be a fantastic season.

"They've played under the pressure, but this isn't pressure. I've reiterated this to all the players.

"Pressure is when you're fighting for your life to stay up, you're in a play-off in the last game of the season to keep people in their jobs.

"This is the bit you go and enjoy, enjoy trying to look up a league, enjoy beating teams that people expect you to lose to, and go and get the results."

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

In search of some cup-based respite, the Saints were afforded a week away from recent league fixture stress and a Monday night under the lights against Tony Bloom's travelling super-computer.

Such has this season progressed, I've typed the sentence "to be honest, we played quite well there and probably deserved a bit more" so many times that the relevant keys have started to fade on my keyboard.

For much of this bitterly cold, good old-fashioned cup tie, the Saints were in control of their own destiny.

Toyosi Olusanya and Mikael Mandron had a productive night up against a hastily-assembled Hearts backline and were rewarded with more than their usual number of good chances. On another night, they would probably have taken advantage of this to a greater extent.

In this bitter reality we call life, however, it was a sole Mandron finish that made it on the scoresheet and the door was left ajar enough for Hearts to level things within 90 minutes.

For all the pedigree and experience that Hearts were able to call upon in chasing the game, it was teenager James Wilson who turned the momentum in their favour. In particular, a brave header in the face (literally) of a charging Alex Gogic probably should have resulted in more from Elton Kabangu.

Saints turned to their own teenage prodigy, Evan Mooney, and his quick thinking in extra time is probably as close as we came to preventing penalties. That the 17-year-old stepped up in the shootout ahead of more senior colleagues is also to his credit, as was the quality of his penalty.

With cup football off the agenda for another season, the Saints can now get their heads down and focus on the really exciting stuff - escaping the gravitational pull of the amorphous blob that is ninth place or so in the Scottish Premiership.

It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is one league position, yet five teams appear to reside there all at once. You may know it as us playing Hibs on Sunday, we know it as the Twilight Zone.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson says his side would "probably be sitting third in the league and in the next round of the cup" if they hadn't missed so many spot-kicks this season.

Oisin Smyth and James Scott had their penalties saved by Craig Gordon in the shootout on Tuesday night as the Buddies were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Hearts after a draw in 120 minutes.

Mark O'Hara, Greg Kiltie and Toyosi Olusanya have all missed from 12 yards this season, with Robinson's side currently eighth in the top flight having dropped out of the top six at the start of January.

"The penalties in our season, it's probably been a story of missed penalties at the minute, where things could look very, very different, but unfortunately they don't," Robinson said.

"If I knew the answer to it (the penalty issue), I would probably be sitting third in the league and in the next round of the cup."

Despite their cup exit, Robinson refused to criticise his players and remains hopeful they can turn their form around before the split.

He added: "I can't be overly critical of the players, not the ones that took penalties, not anybody that played on the pitch, they gave me everything.

"We now have no choice, we have to turn our focus to trying to kick on in the league, get some results and start building some sort of momentum. There's eight games left before the split.

"We're in a good position, one that we probably didn't envisage being in three years in a row. It's up to us now to make those small margins count."

We asked for your views on St Mirren's Scottish Cup defeat on penalties at home to Hearts.

Here's what some of you said:

Graham: Unfortunately Stephen Robinson has not been able to spot that Richard Taylor is a liability. Five times he was caught with the ball, the final time leading to Hearts' equaliser. Both Richard Taylor and Toyosi Olusanya are not as good as they think. Time to try some youth.

Douglas: We went toe to toe with a confident Hearts side and we won the first half and they won the second half. Extra time was a non-event. The second handball incident in the Hearts box has been given many times against us, yet they never reviewed it? However, even if it had been a penalty, would we have scored it? In the end, it had a feeling of inevitability!

Anon: Bottled it again. Seems to be a trend at Robinson's Saints. Too many bang-average players in that squad. Should've seen the game out comfortably for the 1-0 win, but the inevitable comedy defending sees us undone again.

William: Saints can send you to despair. How could they have lost this cup tie being so far ahead in the first half and failing to score a second goal. Eventually losing because of poorly taken penalty kicks. Craig Gordon wasn't the hero, we just had two villains!

Eddie: Game should have been finished in the first half. We didn't take our chances. Mikael Mandron was excellent, when he went off Hearts began to come right into the game. However, we move on and now just have to win against Hibs on Sunday. Great to get two youngsters on, they deserve their chance.

Craig Gordon was the Hearts hero, saving twice in a Scottish Cup penalty shootout win over St Mirren in Paisley.

Mikael Mandron gave the hosts a deserved lead during a fierce spell of first-half pressure, poking in from close range as Gordon parried a shot from Mark O'Hara.

Hearts forced extra time when late substitute Calem Nieuwenhof struck with his first touch.

What did you make of the match? Give us your thoughts here., external

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson told BBC Scotland: "It was a tough game, very tight game. We were very good in the first half, probably could have killed the game off.

"We're really disappointed in the goal we conceded, we had two opportunities to clear it and we didn't. It's a scrappy goal to concede.

"It goes to penalties and it's a lottery after that. I believe we should have had a penalty in extra time as well. It's not often I make comments like that but it looked blatant to me. How they don't see it amazes me, it's been numerous times now.

"I can't question the boys' attitude or desire, the people that stepped up to take penalties showed a lot of bravery."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Is Toyosi Olusanya the quickest player in Scotland? The St Mirren forward says he's definitely up there.

The 27-year-old has found the back of the net 11 times in 30 appearances for the Buddies so far this season.

His haul includes seven in the Premiership, two in Europa League qualifying and two in the last round of the Scottish Cup, leaving many a defender floundering in his slip stream.

''I would have to bet on myself," he said when asked if he considered himself the fastest player in the top flight.

"If there was a race between the quickest players I'd probably be in the top three, but I'm not saying who else would be in that. I'd definitely bring home a medal.''

The lightning quick Englishman has shot to prominence for the Buddies this season after a loan spell in Arbroath last term.

The secret of his success this season?

''Fitness, first and foremost," the striker added.

''You need to be on the pitch to be able to play then with that comes confidence, things come more naturally and the repetition of training every day. Doing what you know you're good at and just keep carrying on improving.''

There's no doubt injuries have blighted his career, leaving the flying machine grounded for long periods.

"I was generally on the pitch thinking every time I touched the ball I was going to hurt myself.

"The way I was getting injured wasn't through tackles it was just through movements, the mechanics of my body. I'd turn and hurt myself, I would jump and land and hurt myself.

And it's in Paisley where Toyosi's underlying injury issues have been sorted out.

"I did a lot of work with Gerry Docherty the head of physiotherapy at St Mirren on the mechanics of how I stand and my posture," Olusanya said.

"Obviously I had to take the gym more seriously and had faith that I wasn't going to get injured again."

Olusanya scored twice in the last round of the cup and wants to add to that total against Hearts on Monday night.

''You want to score in every game you play as a striker," he added.

"We know how important the cup is and we know what we can do for ourselves as a club, and if we keep going through the rounds as players it can raise our profile as well.''

"You know, Paisley's a special place, got special people, special fans. There's just always a certain type of feeling, sometimes on the edge it just feels like it's going to go right. Hopefully it's one of those nights again."

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson would like to see the Scottish Premiership extended given how tight the table has become.

There are only five points between Motherwell in sixth and Ross County in 11th. St Mirren are joint on points with Hearts in seventh even though the Edinburgh club are unbeaten in six while the Buddies have lost five of six.

"It could be a referee's decision, it could be a player's mistake or a bit of brilliance that beats you," Robinson said.

"There's not a lot between any of the teams. It keeps the pressure on. It keeps the excitement for fans.

"It also, for me, doesn't make the product as good as it could be because you play under so much pressure.

"At one or two or three games, you're looking over your shoulder. At one or two or three games, you're in the top six. So there's no room to develop at times for the smaller clubs.

"For me, it would have to be a bigger league. It's better for the fans, you get to see different places, you get to see different teams. It adds a bit of variety to it. And, you know, every game isn't a do or die, which it is at this stage.

"It's a real knife edge at the moment where a couple of wins can put you up into the top four and a couple of losses could have you in trouble looking over your shoulder."

The Buddies take a break from league action to host Premiership rivals Hearts in the Scottish Cup fifth round on Monday night, live on BBC Scotland.

"We've actually been better on the road this season, but we've got a home tie. It'll be a full house. It's something we want to embrace," added Robinson.

"Hearts have spent a lot of money to put a really, really good squad together. They've got a very good manager I have a lot of time for. Starting to put a stamp on Hearts as well now, so we have to be at our very best."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson has been speaking to BBC Scotland before the Scottish Cup fifth-round tie against Hearts on Monday.

Here are the main points:

• Robinson admits this season has been incredibly challenging, particularly with the demands of European football, but insists they have had to "get used to the whole thing again".

• He admits it was difficult to deal with the off-field issues that saw three players depart the club, but can't fault the players still there for their attitude and resilience during a tough time.

• On signing a new contract in October that runs until summer 2027, the St Mirren boss "puts it all down to the players", adding "they deserve every bit of credit they get".

• Robinson says his squad have "changed the perception" of what the Buddies can achieve in a season from simply surviving to being expected to compete with much bigger teams.

• He believes the league "is on a real knife edge" and although exciting, "it doesn't make the product as good as it could be because you play under so much pressure".

• Robinson favours a bigger league in order to give more teams more of a chance and also give younger players more opportunity.

• On the club's transfer business, Robinson is "very happy" with the players that have been brought in.

• On VAR, the St Mirren boss doesn't think it's reduced the amount of "mistakes" in games and stresses the need for full-time referees.

• "All you ask for in a cup game is a home tie" and Robinson is expecting a full house in Paisley on Monday night when they will have to be at their "very best".

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson has called for Scottish officials to become full-time because they "need all the help they can get" to make correct decisions.

The Paisley club this week cited "an accumulation of errors" against them as they sought clarity from the Scottish FA referee's department over the failure to award a penalty for a challenge on Elvis Bwomono in last Saturday's defeat by St Johnstone.

Robinson, whose side host Hearts in the Scottish Cup fifth round on Monday night - live on BBC Scotland - said: "Referees need help. Everybody needs help. We're human. Everybody makes mistakes. That has always been the case in football.

"VAR is meant to help those mistakes but, first and foremost, we need full-time referees.

"We're trying to help these guys. And I think they need all the help they can get in terms of getting the correct decisions, because they're so big and the game's so quick now.

"We want help for referees, they do the very, very best with what they can, and making them full-time, giving them more help with VAR, putting more money into that area is a no-brainer for me.

"In the current format, everybody wants it improved. Every club's had decisions go for them, go against them.

"We just have to have that consistency, especially with VAR. You're never going to change referees making mistakes.

"The game's so quick as such, split-second decisions, but that back-up decision has to be better.

"How do you do that? People doing that on a full-time basis, exposing themselves to decisions every minute of every day in referee training."

We asked for your views on St Mirren's January transfer business.

Here are some of your comments:

Craig: Crying out for a striker, especially given Toyosi Olusanya's contract issue. I think we should have cashed in if he's not for renewing with us. A winger would have been nice also, and happy to get Zach Hemming back as Ellery Balcombe had became a bit of a liability.

Douglas: Hardly overwhelmed, as recent form has shown that the lack of a playmaker who can see a pass and execute it properly is an aspect missing from our tight squad. Hemming's a better goalkeeper than Balcombe, but the lack of a creative spark worries me.

William: Pleased to have Hemming return to us but disappointing that Lewis Jamieson and Kieran Offord departed. Another year at least and they would have been highly sellable but been around to strengthen the squad. I hope we can allow Evan Mooney to stay with us and develop into the mature player he will be. It will be very important to support Stephen Robinson.

Anon: Mixed. Spent huge money on one untried 21-year-old and brought in another journeyman while not promoting from the ranks. What's the point in producing talent and then selling it for tuppence?

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

This morning I lost my specs. Not ideal when you're getting ready to host the Scottish football podcast and can't read the producer's instructions.

I hunted high and low for them, while trying not to wake anyone else in the house. It was 5.30am after all.

In the course of my search I found £1.60 down the side of an armchair. As I pocketed the coins, I thought, 'That's a bit like St Mirren's season.'

You lose four games on the spin then find a way to win away to Aberdeen. Or you lose four in a row then find yourselves on a four-match unbeaten run.

You just never know what's going to turn up. Unfortunately you can't find consistency down the side of the sofa.

It's been an erratic season, full of highs: European football, beating Rangers, and winning away to Aberdeen and Hibs, and lows: Three court cases and three players leaving the club, missing a heap of penalty kicks, being on the end of some 'controversial' refereeing decisions and losing at home to St Johnstone, Motherwell, Dundee and Dundee United (twice).

On one hand you could say if the penalties had been scored and a few decisions had been more benign, St Mirren would be comfortably in the top six.

On the other you could say, if the Buddies could find a way to break down obdurate defences at home and convert more chances they'd be much further up the table.

But, like my glasses, a wee bit of creativity has been missing in those games.

On paper Monday night's Scottish Cup tie against in-form Hearts looks a tough one, but maybe the rejuvenated Jambos with their attack-minded style will suit St Mirren, who with the pace of Toyosi Olusanya seem to thrive on the counter. We'll see. You kind of have to expect the unexpected with St Mirren this season.

So I'm predicting a winner from the penalty spot after a 'soft' award and subsequent VAR recommended on-field review. Stranger things have happened this season.

PS. Yes, I eventually found my specs.