St Mirren

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Zach Hemming: Praised by his manager for playing his part in a watertight defensive display at Aberdeen as the Buddies sealed all 3 points.

Richard Taylor: An assist plus big blocks and interceptions at the back to keep Aberdeen at bay.

Toyusi Olusanya:11 goals for the season now. A huge asset for the Saints and Aberdeen couldn't deal with him.

Michael Mandron: Toyusi Olusanya and the Aberdeen defence helped him on his way to two goals away from home.

Image source, PACEMAKER

Kieran Offord has left Scottish Premiership club St Mirren to join Irish Premiership side Linfield for an undisclosed fee.

The league leaders have reportedly seen off the challenge of big Belfast rivals Glentoran in securing the signature of the 20-year-old Scot.

Offord had just been recalled by his parent club midway through a season-long loan spell with Crusaders.

The striker scored 10 goals in 21 Premiership appearances for the north Belfast club, netting a further four goals in five outings in knockout cup competitions.

"We are thrilled to welcome Kieran to Linfield - he is a player we have been tracking for a number of months, and we believe he has the ability to add more quality to the squad in this crucial period," Blues boss David Healy told the club website.

"His time at Crusaders has shown that he has what it takes to be a top player in this league, he has a good goal scoring record at this level and we're looking forward to working with him to develop further.

"I'd like to thank the club for their persistence in getting this done and also thank you to our Head of Recruitment Willie McKeown for his hard work in getting this signing over the line."

Prior to his Crusaders loan spell Offord made 14 senior appearances for St Mirren and spent time on loan at other Scottish clubs including Stirling Albion, Alloa Athletic and Edinburgh City.

"Once we spoke to Willie McKeown and David Healy, we felt this was the club for Kieran to take the next step in his career," said Offord's agent Phil Korklin.

Watch highlights of Aberdeen's 3-0 defeat by St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership.

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St Mirren's Mikael Mandron believes things may be "starting to turn" in a positive sense for Stephen Robinson's side.

The forward scored twice in the Buddies' 3-0 Premiership win at Pittodrie on Saturday - their first league victory since Boxing Day.

The result means St Mirren, in seventh, are now joint on points with Hibs in the fight for a top-six spot.

"It is massive," Mandron said of the win.

"When you go through a season sometimes you can have little dips and we knew that we were always going to be able to get back to winning ways.

"But I think doing it in this fashion it really gives us the confidence we are doing the right thing and when you keep doing the right things, things always start to turn for you."

We asked for your views on St Mirren's 3-0 win against Aberdeen.

Here's what some of you said:

Craig: About time we took some chances, great win at a venue where we've not had much joy in general. I thought we had Aberdeen on toast, allowing them as much of the ball as they wanted, and hitting them on the counter. I couldn't believe how often the Aberdeen midfield lost possession, great three points, need to back this up next week.

Eddie: Where do we start, that is the St Mirren that we had last season. When we play our way, we are very good. Mikael Mandron gets some stick from some of our supporters but for me he is a much better player than he gets credit for. Toyosi Olusanya must be a nightmare to play against, even he doesn't know what he's doing, but he does it his way. Greg Kiltie is superb.

Steven: Fabulous recovery from a bad run of form. Doing what St Mirren do best.

Douglas: A brave decision to start Callum Penman in the game and also a good management move to substitute him after his booking. Several stand outs in the game for Saints, Olusanya for his constant harassment of the Aberdeen backs, the often maligned Mandron, but especially Richard Taylor in defence who I think had his best game for the club. Brilliant performance.

William: A great result, worked hard for and well deserved. However, the boss has to stop the players from undisciplined shirt pulling because twice in a game could cost us dearly. I don't want to be negative after this result but the support from both teams don't want the game stopped in this way. Sure it happens a lot, but Saints don't want that reputation.

Alex: Olusanya is a key part to St Mirren's great performances over the seasons, he gives a lot of effort and I wouldn't be surprised if he got a call from Rangers or a team down south in the Championship.

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• Aberdeen have failed to win in their last 13 games in the Premiership, their longest winless streak in the competition (since at least 2013-2014).

• Aberdeen have failed to score in their last four games in the Premiership, a run of 454 minutes without a goal.

• Aberdeen's last longer run of games without scoring a goal in the competition was a run of six games from 27 January 2021 to 17 February 2021.

• Toyosi Olusanya has scored seven goals in the Premiership this season (one in this game), more than any other St Mirren player.

St Mirren piled the misery on struggling Aberdeen with a 3-0 win at Pittodrie, meaning it is now 13 games without a victory in the Scottish Premiership for the Dons.

Saints strike pair Toyosi Olusanya and Mikael Mandron did the damage with two first-half goals at Pittodrie.

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

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "We've got our just rewards today, we've played as well as that previously but then ended up conceding a set play which has been a large amount of our problems.

"You see the presence Zach Hemming means gives us today, people defended for their lives when they needed to be.

"What everyone will remember is the three goals which were terrific but we gave ourselves that base today that we haven't been doing previously, some really good stuff, really, really good finishes as well.

"I thought the front two were unplayable at times and I thought we deserved to win.

"Mikael [Mandron] gives us that presence and hold-up play and Toyosi [Olusanya] gives us that electric pace which scares the life out of people but he showed a lot of composure and quality today as well which he's adding to his game and I think there was a lot of very good performances, the strikers will get the headlines, but for me Zach and the back five were terrific.

"I thought they gave us the base to win the game from.

"I thought our press was outstanding to come to a place like this where, you know, the squad they've put together and the money spent to be as brave as we were to go and be that aggressive in the press. I feel that we got our rewards for that.

"I said we're in a very good position considering everything that's happened throughout the season, Europe, and losing three players in that period. If I can, I'll strengthen the squad, but this group of boys, they don't give up. You go through spells and periods where you don't win games, but we still keep believing in what we're doing.

"The league's so tight, you're still looking over your shoulder at second bottom, and then when you get wins they guess you're looking forward. But first and foremost, I have to be a realist, make sure we stay in this division.

"The squad we have and potentially the players we might be able to bring in, then hopefully can kick us forward and look upwards as well."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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St Mirren are perhaps victims of their own success.

They finished fifth in the Premiership last term, and sixth the season before.

With success perhaps comes increased expectation, but that expectation should probably be tempered with a big dose of realism too.

There are a number of teams in the division with much bigger budgets than manager Stephen Robinson has at his disposal, so there will always be bumps in the road.

But when his side are on it, they are a handful for anyone, and today they were on it, particularly in the first half.

His team were full of energy and intent, making life difficult for their opponents all over the pitch.

That is St Mirren back on the victory trail after 4 games without a win in the league, and if Robinson can get some consistency back, then you feel there is no reason why they can't find themselves knocking on the door of the European places once again.

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Toyosi Olusanya and Mikael Mandron were a formidable duo for the Buddies this afternoon.

The former for his opening goal and tenacious work, the latter for two terrific finishes.

Mandron's second, from the edge of the area, probably edges his showing ahead of Olusanya if one had to be picked.

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Aberdeen midfielder Jamie McGrath has been ruled out for "a number of months" with a shoulder injury and joins Dante Polvara (leg), Gavin Molloy (shoulder), Ester Sokler (hamstring), Dimitar Mitov, Vicente Besuijen (knee) and Jack Milne (ankle) on the sidelines. Jack MacKenzie returns after a three-game absence.

St Mirren defender Alex Iacovitti will be out for three weeks with a hamstring problem, while Conor McMenamin (calf) remains out. Lewis Jamieson has left for Sacramento Republic.

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Just a few years ago, a European adventure would have been a flight of fancy for St Mirren fans, yet some are now confident of consecutive qualifications.

While Stephen Robinson's side have slipped to eighth, the league is so compact that they are just four points off fifth.

"We're still in a very good position," Robinson said. "We are a couple of points off the top six.

"If somebody had said to us at the start of the season, you'd be two points off top six with all the off-field problems that we had, a run in Europe which takes its toll on every club, then we all would have snapped their hand off."

However, it is up to Robinson to make sure his staff and players focus on the task at hand.

"It's my job to keep people real and put a little bit of realism into the job and the club, and it's for everybody else to dream," he said.

"But certainly, I don't see no reason why, if we can kick on again and bring certain players that we're trying to get in to push us forward, that we can't get top six again.

"It's a crazy league. It's about who can put a little run together and we proved we can do that."

Last summer will be looked back upon fondly for years in Paisley, with a trip to Iceland to play Valur followed by a visit to Norway where they lost to Brann.

"When you've overachieved for three years as a group of players, then you're punching above your weight, and people that think that is the weight that you are, but it's not," Robinson added.

"We're a small club still fighting to be a top-six club and get our infrastructure in place and every day we're trying to do that.

"And this group of boys, hopefully aided by a couple of new signings, I'm confident we'll push on into the second half of the season."

St Mirren have held talks with Walsall over a deal for 22-year-old defender Harry Williams, who has six months left on his current contract. (Sky Sports), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Lewis Jamieson has left St Mirren to join USL Championship side Sacramento Republic for an undisclosed fee.

St Mirren would have been due training compensation for the 22-year-old forward, whose expire was set to expire in the summer, but have agreed a deal with the American outfit that includes a "significant sell on".

The youth academy graduate made 35 appearances for the Buddies, scoring once.

Having spent the first half of the season on loan at Raith Rovers, Jamieson now links up with former Stark's Park boss Neil Collins who took charge at Sacramento in December.

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Motherwell have signed goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe on loan from Brentford until the end of the season.

The 25-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan at fellow Scottish Premiership side St Mirren where he made 26 appearances.

"I'm delighted to make the move to Motherwell," Balcombe said.

"One thing I noticed when I was playing for St Mirren was the competitiveness of the league and the atmosphere at most stadiums. This is a great opportunity for me to come back and do it again."

Manager Stuart Kettlewell added: "I'm really pleased to welcome Ellery to the club.

"We've not had our issues to seek with regards to injuries within the goalkeeping department. Ellery has played plenty of football this season in this league, so he won't need a settling-in period."

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• St Mirren have conceded 16 goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) in the Scottish Premiership this season, more than any other side. Indeed, seven of the last nine non-penalty goals they have conceded in the league have been from set-plays (2 x throw, 2 x free-kick, 3 x corner).

• After their 3-1 victory in August, Aberdeen are looking to win back-to-back home league games against St Mirren for the first time since October 2020, while they last did so within a single season in 2009-10.

• St Mirren have won three of their past four league meetings with Aberdeen (L1). Since the 2022-23 season, against no opponent have the Buddies won more times in the Scottish Premiership than versus Aberdeen (five, level with Hibernian).

• Aberdeen are winless in 12 league games (D4 L8), their longest such run since last going 12 without victory from May to October 1999.

• St Mirren have lost their past four league games, last losing more in a row in the Scottish Premiership in October 2020 (six).

Craig Devine
Fan writer

The fourth round of the Scottish Cup can often serve up a shock result - Kelty putting out St Johnstone, Motherwell slipping up in the other Lanarkshire derby (she's not fine, thanks), Darvel doing the thing… you get the point.

There was to be no such upset in Dumfries on Saturday as a St Mirren side best described as "in a bit of a rut" after a four-game losing streak saw off spirited Queen of the South in moderately comfortable fashion.

A brace from Toyosi Olusanya took his tally for the season into double figures before Caolan Boyd-Munce put the game to bed in the final minutes after Brennan Dickenson's edge-of-the-box effort made things a little bit more nervy than they needed to be.

Seventeen-year-old academy graduate Callum Penman, handed his first start as he came in for Elvis Bwomono, provided one of the highlights of the afternoon with his pinpoint delivery to the head of Olusanya for Saints' second.

The only real stain on the day came early on when Alex Iacovitti, a recent long-term absence returnee, limped off the field after pulling up with a hamstring injury. A real blow, and one which hopefully doesn't lead to another multiple-week spell in the treatment room.

To use the cup weekend equivalent of 'three points, up the road' - into the hat we went and the fifth-round draw delivered an all-Premiership home tie against Hearts.

Craig Devine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

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Kieran Offord has returned to St Mirren after a successful loan spell with Irish Premiership side Crusaders.

The 20-year-old striker joined the Crues last summer and scored 10 goals in 21 games for the Seaview team.

Offord moved on a season-long loan but St Mirren have activated a recall option on the forward.

"The club would like to express our gratitude to Kieran for his contributions during his time with us," said Crusaders on Monday.

"His efforts on and off the pitch have been greatly appreciated, and we wish him all the very best for the remainder of the season.

"We would also like to extend our thanks to St Mirren FC for facilitating the loan and for their cooperation throughout the process. Kieran departs with our best wishes for his future success."

We asked for your thoughts after St Mirren beat Queen of the South 3-1 in the Scottish Cup fourth round.

Here's what you had to say.

Eddie: Job done. Winning in cup games is all that matters. It looks like a new star has emerged, young Callum Penman was impressive. Let's not forget he is only 17, and it is about managing his development. Anyway now we just have to beat Aberdeen in our next game, let's get new signings in and get points on the board.

Dougie: In the end a comfortable win, but we were put under pressure when Queen of the South scored. Good performances from Marcus Fraser, Scott Tanser, Penman and Toyosi Olusanya. Mikael Mandron was the weak link, again. Play young Evan Mooney, at least he is a goal scorer and shows great potential.

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Toyosi Olusanya says St Mirren back themselves against anyone in the Scottish Cup after Saturday's 3-1 victory against League One opponents Queen of the South.

Olusanya's first-half double was key for Stephen Robinson's side, sliding in at the back post to open the scoring before heading home Callum Penman's cross for the second.

The forward is optimistic about St Mirren's chances in the cup and is hopeful he can keep contributing and improving at the Paisley club.

"It was a positive day for us, we came here and got the result we wanted and are looking forward to the next game in the cup," said Olusanya.

"We started the game with good intensity and I am happy to contribute goal wise.

"We showed professionalism throughout the whole game and getting a goal late on shows how hard we worked and how prepared we were and we dealt with the pressure.

"When you're the team in the higher league, expectations are always on you to win but they are never easy games as they are a good team with good players.

"It was a good game overall. I'm happy with the goals so just want I keep adding and improving.

"We fancy ourselves against anyone in the cup, we just need to keep building on the win and take each game as it comes."