St Mirren

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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St Mirren have enjoyed their European foray and now face the challenge of regaining domestic focus quickly to set them off positively in their quest to match, or better, last season’s heights.

They face Celtic next on league business. The challenges they face show no sign of relenting.

Like Kilmarnock, they have been unable to build up any consistency as the starting XI is chopped and changed, with European endeavours clearing testing a squad unused to the rigours of playing twice a week.

The main problem today was a problem that has plagued the Buddies for years - they need a striker who can score at least 10 goals a season. They haven't had that since the days of Steven Thompson, a long time ago now.

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Dundee United: Walton, Adegboyega, Gallagher, Graham, Holt, Ferry, Babunski, Sibbald, Stephenson, Trapanovski, Van der Sande.

Substitutes: Richards, Moult, Odada, Middleton, Fotheringham, Docherty, Thomson, Cleall-Harding, Ubochioma.

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Iacovitti, Rooney, Smyth, Idowu, Tanser, F Taylor, Mandron, Olusanya.

Substitutes: Urminsky, Bwomono, R Taylor, Kenny, Sutherland, Brown, Mooney, Scott, Ayunga.

Rangers look set to appoint St Mirren vice-chairman Jim Gillespie as their new chief executive. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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Cup competitions "are huge" for St Mirren, says manager Stephen Robinson.

The Buddies travel to face Dundee United in Sunday's Scottish League Cup second-round tie.

St Mirren's last trophy win was the 2013 League Cup final win over Hearts.

"They are huge," Robinson said of the cups on St Mirren's website. "It is a chance to get to the quarter-finals, one game from Hampden so they are massive.

"They are the chance for a club of our size to win something and we have to try to put out the strongest team possible in the best physical condition against a hard Dundee United side.

"They are a big football club, they have a good manager and they have made some interesting signings in the forward areas as well. So they have a bit of quality up there and obviously players that we know like Declan Gallagher, a seasoned SPFL player and leader.

"So we have to be at the top of our game as you have to be in any game against top-flight opposition. It is going to be a hard, hard game and we have to go there positive that we can make it into the next round."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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St Mirren will head to Tannadice with a combination of regrets and pride in performance as they look to extend their unbeaten run there to five games in the Premier Sports Cup last 16.

They ran Brann close on Thursday until two late goals took the more experienced Norwegian side through to the Europa Conference League play-offs.

Now Stephen Robinson's team must recover from their travels as they look to avoid a third consecutive defeat in a week after Aberdeen ended their four-game unbeaten start to the season.

In contrast, Dundee United had a shaky start, losing their group-stage opener to League 1 champions Falkirk, but have since gone five unbeaten, albeit they have had to settle for a point in both games on their Premiership return.

Will Luca Stephenson be the latest summer arrival to impress if the 20-year-old on-loan Liverpool wing-back is handed a debut by Jim Goodwin?

Read the Premier Sports Cup preview in full here.

We asked for your views after St Mirren bowed out of Europe following a late second-leg defeat to Brann in Bergen.

Here’s what some of you said:

Douglas: Enjoyable and as inspirational as it has been for the club and supporters, I am slightly relieved that the adventure has concluded. We like to fight above our weight, and we do that with limited resources, but we enjoy every minute of it. We need to strengthen our squad and increase our options if we are to compete at this, or any European level.

Tommy: Sixth in the league, fifth in the league with European football. Next year we can only get better. All credit to Stephen Robinson and his staff. We’re clearly getting better every season. Who knows what next year will bring, Europa League, or even Champions League. We’re improving every year, bring it on, come on your Saints.

William: This was very upsetting to go out when we could have won the tie if we had passed the ball quickly to colleagues like Brann did. They gave Saints a lesson I hope they can take, don't get caught with the ball. Again we missed chances but big thanks again to our keeper. Our club can be a great force this season in Scottish football.

Jim: Beaten by a better side. They found space across the pitch and knew exactly where their players would be. A very good effort and had the early chances been taken it could have been different. A more creative frontline is required.

Pat: Beaten by the better team over two games but could easily have won that. Congratulations to Robinson and all the players, you did Paisley proud. The fans were fantastic, raised over £2,000 for a Bergen charity and sang like we were winning 3-0. So proud to be a Buddie!

Fergus: They were terrific and did us all proud. The fans that travelled were great too. It's been a short trip into Europe but one with much joy. Leaves us hungry for more, hopefully next year. Robinson is a great manager, Alex Gogic is hard as nails. Excited for the season ahead.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Fraser Taylor won’t forget his European debut in a hurry.

The 21-year-old came off the bench midway through the second half against Brann in Norway on Thursday night to make his first St Mirren appearance in over a year.

He wasted no time in making an impact, swinging in a pinpoint corner for Alex Iacovitti to head St Mirren’s leveller and spark bedlam among the away support.

Brann’s two late goals ultimately consigned St Mirren to the exit, but Taylor revelled in the European experience.

The midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Northern Irish side Ballymena United, told BBC Scotland: "I loved it. That’s what I have been trying to show the gaffer and to come on and have an assist, I am delighted.

"I’m an impact sub. Diarmuid [O'Carroll, St Mirren assistant] said to me before I went on to take the free-kicks and corners, so we got a corner straight away and put in a good ball for Iacovitti and he put away a great header.

"It was amazing. I turned round [to the supporters] and gave them a good roar. Brann are a very good team so to celebrate a goal and give the fans something to cheer was special.

"I've learned a lot from this experience. Even coming on for 15 or 20 minutes you can feel the intensity of the game, so this will put me in good stead for the future."

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"It hurts but it's mostly pride at this point."

After St Mirren’s late heartbreak in Bergen, their first European campaign in 37 years has come to an end.

But they bow out with their heads held high in the eyes of fan Mark Jardine, host of the Misery Hunters podcast and also BBC Sport Scotland’s St Mirren columnist.

"We were competitive, we were in the tie until really five minutes left of two games where Brann had the majority of possession," Jardine said.

"To still be in the tie I think says a lot about the mentality of the side, and we're competitive. We just didn't want to go out on this kind of stage and not do ourselves justice.

"I think the team gave absolutely everything. The travelling support couldn't have been louder, couldn't have been in higher number for either of the ties that they travelled to in two of the most expensive cities in Europe.

"So I think all in, it hurts but it's mostly pride at this point."

Listen to the BBC's Scottish football podcast for more St Mirren reaction

Ah Buddies, that's a sore one to take, isn't it?

The European adventure is over for this season despite a valiant performance out in Bergen.

Whether you made the trip out to Norway or took the game in elsewhere, we want to hear from you.

Give us your thoughts on the game here., external

Stephen Robinson tells BBC Scotland he is "very proud" of his players' performance as they had Brann "rocking".

"We score a brilliantly worked corner, a brilliant delivery from young Fraser Taylor and for 10 minutes, we had them rocking.

"Toy [Olusanya] slips over when he has a side-foot into the goal, the game could have been very different. The save from Oisin Smyth's effort too is a tremendous effort, credit to the goalkeeper.

"The goals we concede, that's the big disappointment, every goal is preventable. Poor individual errors cost us tonight.

"I am very proud of them, proud of the fans and we've got the taste of it now, we want more.

"I wrote one word on the board before the game, and that was belief. I said the only mistake you can make tonight is not believing in yourselves because we are good enough to get a result.

"Levels wise, they are a very, very good side with a great manager and in a brilliant city.

"We put a performance in tonight that done me and the players proud, it done us justice.

"Had we had played like that over two legs, if we had that belief in the first leg, it might have been a different story."

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Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Manager Robinson did not shy away from saying his side had to up the ante if they wanted to keep adding stamps to their passports.

He noted their bravery, their pace and their ability on the ball. Three qualities Brann showed within five minutes of kick-off.

Though it was the worst possible start for the Buddies, they did not buckle. Before they fell behind, Shaun Rooney had shanked a glorious close-range effort and while the visitors were under the cosh for much of the first half, they were hardly torn apart.

In the second, they were clearly on top and deservedly levelled. Despite their inexperience at this level, they were confident in their play and everything Robinson called for was implemented in a marked improvement from last week’s show.

St Mirren were brave, but when they maybe sniffed a vulnerability in Brann, the Norwegian hosts instead pounced in clinical fashion.

For the travelling support, their trips abroad - for now - are over. They will not forget the scenes that unfolded at Iacovitti's equaliser any time soon and can bounce back to Paisley with pride.

If the second-half performance is anything to go by, the passports will not be away for long.

Stephen Robinson said before the match he had opted for pace, and Toyosi Olusanya has that to burn in abundance.

He did not stop, forever showed as a long-ball option, and proved a handful for the Brann backline.

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Brann: Dyngeland, Pedersen, Knudsen, Kristiansen, Soltvedt, Kartum, Kornvig, Myhre, Blomberg, Finne, Castro.

Substitutes: Borsheim, Johansen, Opsahl, Larsen, Warming, Mathisen, Heggebo, Helland, Sande, Holten.

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Rooney, Adeniran, Boyd-Munce, Idowu, Brown, Ayunga, Olusanya

Substitutes: Urminsky, Kelly, Bwomono, Kenny, Iacovitti, Tanser, Sutherland, F. Taylor, Smuth, Mooney, Scott, Mandron.