St Mirren

Craig Devine
Fan writer

Saturday afternoon's ‘battle of the Saints’ turned out to be less of a battle, more of a breeze for St Mirren, who easily outclassed a beleaguered St Johnstone.

The visitors were restricted to very few chances and must surely be thankful for the likes of Livingston and Ross County propping up the table this season.

With the latest victory coming just over two years to the day since St Mirren appointed Stephen Robinson as manager, the Buddies boss has transformed the fortunes of the club and firmly squashed any notions that he wasn’t the right appointment.

The Northern Irishman has worked small miracles since swapping the beaches of Morecambe for the bright lights of PA3, and after the game spoke of the belief that his side are continuing to evolve as a footballing unit.

Saturday’s performance stood as evidence that the group as a whole are indeed a different prospect to deal with when firing on all cylinders. The headlines will belong to Frenchman Mikael Mandron, who notched again after spending a week being written off by a vocal minority, but there was not a single below-par performer on the day.

This is a side full of heart who are surely growing in confidence of securing another top-six league finish.

Craig Devine can be found on the Misery Hunters podcast, external.

St Mirren want to seal another loan for Celtic midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.

Ross County's Will Nightingale remains out while Scott Allardice, Jack Baldwin, Connor Randall and Dylan Smith have missed recent games.

Midfielder Ross Callachan was due to return to full training on Monday.

St Mirren are boosted by the return of captain and midfielder Mark O'Hara while forward Conor McMenamin could make the bench.

Full-back Ryan Strain has been nearing fitness but is likely to miss out again.

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

• The home side has won each of the last six Scottish Premiership meetings between Ross County and St Mirren, with the Staggies currently on their best ever winning run at home against the Saints in the top-flight (three wins).

• St Mirren have won seven of their last 11 league games against Ross County (D1 L3), and following a 2-0 win in their most recent meeting in December, are looking to keep back-to-back league clean sheets against the Staggies for the first time since February 2021.

• Ross County have only won two of their last 11 midweek Scottish Premiership games (D5 L4), although one of those was a 1-0 victory at home to St Mirren in November.

• St Mirren lost six straight away games in the league prior to Christmas, but have since won two of three league matches on the road, with both wins coming by a 3-0 scoreline (against Aberdeen and Hibs).

• Jordan White has scored in three of his five previous home games for Ross County against St Mirren, including both of his last two, and the winner in this exact fixture in November.

Image source, BBC/SNS

Of course, the final say in the race for Europe all depends on where the Scottish Cup winds up at the end of the season.

In terms of the league table, however, I would definitely expect Kilmarnock and St Mirren to be finishing fourth and fifth.

The only way I can see them being knocked off their perch is if there’s a dramatic turn of events at Easter Road, or if Tony Docherty can pull something out the bag in his impressive first season at Dens Park.

Dundee would need to put on a really consistent run of form to wind up on the continent. They’ve done very well this term and absolutely deserve to be in the hunt for top six.

However, that lack of consistency may just hold them back from being able to challenge St Mirren and Killie.

In particular, you have to praise the business done in Ayrshire this campaign. Even before the start of the season, you could see that they had recruited sensibly. They’ve done so again in January.

With a good manager in charge, it feels as though it’s onwards and upwards for the Rugby Park side.

Michael Stewart was speaking to BBC Scotland's Sean McGill

Image source, SNS

St Mirren will be preparing to "push" Kilmarnock for fourth-place in the Premiership rather than looking over their shoulders at the teams looking to cement a top-six spot.

That's according to former Scotland international Lee McCulloch, who said the Paisley side are in a "really good place" after seeing off St Johnstone on Saturday.

A top-four finish would guarantee the Buddies European football for the first time since 1988, while their current position of fifth would only lead to a continental campaign if a team above them lift the Scottish Cup.

"Stephen Robinson again got a good result against a stuffy St Johnstone team," McCulloch told BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "They're sitting fifth in the league and I think they'll finish in the top six.

"I think the manager may say different as there's a lot of points and a lot of football left to be played but they're looking as if they're a difficult team to play against, they've got their own style of play. They get balls in the box often and create chances."

"Robinson will be delighted after a difficult result against Livingston the previous week. I think St Mirren are in a really good place right now.

"They're two points behind Killie and they'll be pushing for fourth place rather than worrying what's behind them, I feel."

St Mirren consolidated fifth place in the Scottish Premiership with a 2-0 win over St Johnstone on Saturday but on Tuesday head to Dingwall, where they have lost on their latest three visits without scoring.

Hosts Ross County ended an 11-match run without a victory by edging Livingston 3-2 on Saturday to extend their lead over the bottom side to six points with a game in hand.

Who would you like to see in St Mirren's starting line-up? Pick your team here.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, SNS

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson has hailed the 'incredible' response after St Johnstone striker Adama Sidibeh collapsed during the sides' meeting in Paisley.

The Perth club confirmed on Saturday that the 25-year-old was in a "stable" condition following "further medical checks" at a local hospital.

His manager Craig Levein told BBC Scotland after the game the player had "low blood pressure".

Having watched on from the opposite dugout, Robinson wished Sidibeh a speedy recovery.

“Our medical team were incredible, [physio] Gerry Docherty and Ian [Heron], our doc, were top class," he said. "St Johnstone acknowledged that as well, both medical teams.

“It really does put football into perspective when a boy has collapsed on the football pitch.

“We wish him well. Everybody at St Mirren wishes him well and we hope to see him back on the pitch fit and healthy as soon as possible.”

Image source, SNS

Kheredine Idessane, BBC Sport Scotland

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson says it “would be an incredible achievement” for the club to claim back-to-back top six finishes.

His fifth-placed side travel to relegation-threatened Ross County on Tuesday night, knowing they’re only a few wins away from cementing another top-half berth.

“To do it two years in a row would be an incredible achievement for this group of players and everybody at the football club," the Northern Irishman said.

"We’ve pushed the football club forward massively on and off the pitch but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Robinson admits “it is a big week” for the club, with the trip to Ross County followed by a home match with Aberdeen.

Should the Paisley outfit win both, they would move on to 44 points, meaning either Hibs or Aberdeen would need to have a near-perfect record before the split to deny St Mirren a top-six spot.

“It is a big week. We said that before Saturday’s game [win over St Johnstone]. These are three huge games that we think we can get points from but we need to approach this Ross County game properly. They’ve a new manager in place with Don Cowie coming in and they’ve three very good strikers.”

“We’ve had a very good season - a really, really good season but I want to make sure that we finish it off. We don’t want to think we’ve already done something before it’s been achieved.

"We’ve got hard games coming up. Every game is different. People are either fighting for their lives or trying to get into the top six.

"We know what we want within the dressing room. We need to stay in the division and once that’s been secured we try to secure top six.”

Image source, SNS

Kheredine Idessane, BBC Sport Scotland

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's trip to Ross County on Tuesday.

Here are the key points:

• It would be a "massive achievement" to secure back-to-back top-six finishes, adding they are "pushing the club forward" but "there's still a lot of work to do".

• Acknowledges this is a "big week" for the Paisley club as they travel to County before hosting Aberdeen on Saturday, with six points going a long way to clinching a place in the top half of the table.

• Admits he "didn't know" St Mirren have failed to win in Dingwall since October 2021. Says the four-hour journey back down the road will be much more enjoyable if they leave with all three points.

• Wants to build on a "very good season" and "finish it off" by fulfilling their ambitions. Earning a place in the top six is their target once safety from relegation is confirmed.

• Captain Mark O'Hara it fit again and could return against County, while Conor McMenamin is in with a shout of making the bench.

Jonathan Sutherland, Sportscene presenter

It was a commanding display from the St Mirren defence as they rarely looked troubled in their victory over St Johnston on Saturday.

Alex Gogic is the Buddies' Mr Reliable. The Cypriot is a real leader in this side, showing his importance week after week.

Another standout this term has been Scott Tanser, who has become a major success story in the Stephen Robinson revolution in Paisley. A battling display with all the thrust and vigour his support have come to expect of the full-back.

Image source, BBC