St Mirren ended season 2024/25 with a draw away to Celtic as James Forrest's injury-time goal cancelled out Jonah Ayunga's opener for Saints. 

The point wouldn't be enough to snatch that final European place following Dundee United's win over Aberdeen. 

Captain Mark O'Hara returned to the starting lineup in the only change from Wednesday night's draw against Hibernian with Roland Idowu dropping to the bench as Saints ended the campaign at Celtic Park for the second successive season. 

The hosts were on top in the opening 15 minute in terms of possession, but Saints looked threatening when they were able to get forward. Neither team could fashion a clear-cut chance, although Engles in-swinging corners were dangerous.

The first test for either goalkeeper came after 25 minutes. A well worked move ended up in head tennis inside the Celtic box, before Mikael Mandron’s tight-angled volley was comfortably caught by Kasper Schmeichel.

Hald-chances for Celtic came and went; McGregor’s shot was high and wayward, and crosses were dealt with by the defensive unit, which held strong. Ryan Alebiosu particularly dealt well with Premiership Player of the Year Maeda.

Saints took the lead six minutes after the restart. A wide free kick from Declan John wasn't dealt with by Liam Scales whose header would only fall as far as Jonah Ayunga who slammed beyond Schmeichel to score his second goal in the last three games. 

Following the goal, Celtic made a raft of changes with Luke McCowan, Hyunjun Yang and Forrest replacing Adam Idah, Paulo Bernardo and Nicolas Kuhn. The hosts would have lots of territorial and ball possession, but little in the way of shots. The shots they did have were blocked well by the Buddies backline.

Celtic should have found themselves level on 65 minutes when substitute Forrest swung the ball into the box and onto the head of Daizen Maeda who somehow headed over from just a few yards out.

Saints looked threatening on the counter with substitute Roland Idowu's ability to carry the ball well seeing him a danger. A searching cross from Scott Tanser found the Irishman in the Celtic box. He twisted and turned to fashion the space but could only fire into the arms of Schmeichel. 

The hosts ramped up the pressure heading into the closing stages and it was only some terrific goalkeeping from Zach Hemming that initially kept them at bay. The shot-stopper made a double save to deny Johnny Kenny after the forward had run clear of the Saints defence, before following up with a big stop from the resulting corner to push away Yang's overhead kick. 

But unfortunately Celtic would draw level in the fourth minute of added on time. Saints failed to clear their lines and that allowed Alastair Johnston to slide the ball through to the unmarked Forrest who slotted beyond Hemming to secure a share of the spoils for the Hoops on the day they lifted the William Hill Premiership title. 

For Saints, a point wasn't enough in the end to secure European football for a second successive season, but with 50 points on the board, and remaining unbeaten in the top six, there will be immense pride in what Stephen Robinson, his staff and players have achieved this campaign.

Full-Time: Celtic 1-1 St Mirren 

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Alebiosu (Iacovitti 81), Phillips, Boyd-Munce (Kiltie 63), O'Hara (c), John (Tanser 68), Ayunga (Idowu 63), Mandron (Scott 81)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Smyth, McMenamin, Mooney

Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, Engels (Schlupp 80), Bernardo (Yang 54), McGregor, Kuhn (Forrest 54), Idah (McCowan 54), Maeda (Kenny 72)
Subs Not Used: Sinisalo, Trusty, Nawrocki, Ralston

Referee: David Dickinson
Assistant Referee: Ross Nelson
Assistant Referee: Steven Traynor
Fourth Official: Peter Stuart
VAR: Calum Scott

St Mirren's Euro hopes will go to the last day after Stephen Robinson's men fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Hibernian.

Two quickfire goals for the visitors in the first 10 minutes gave the Buddies an uphill challenge from the off. But Richard Taylor pulled a goal back in injury-time at the end of the first-half before substitute Conor McMenamin levelled in the second-half. Mikael Mandron scored a third for Saints but the goal was disallowed after the referee seemingly pulled it back for a foul earlier in the build-up.

The manager stuck with the same starting lineup that defeated United at Tannadice on Saturday, while Mark O'Hara came on to the bench after a hamstring injury ruled him out at the weekend. 

The visitors, knowing they could potentially seal third place, made a fast start and opening the scoring with just three minutes on the clock when Martin Boyle lashed beyond Zach Hemming at the near post. 

The Australian international scored again three minutes later, but an offside flag denied him an early brace with VAR confirming. But the Hibees would get their second on nine minutes when Mykola Kuharevich scored.

Boyle could have added his second and Hibernian's third when he raced down right-hand side, but Hemming was quickly off his line and smothered the attempt. 

After a tough start, Saints began to settle after the half-hour mark. A good cross from Ryan Alebiosu found Jonah Ayunga in the box but the forward's header was tame and gathered with ease by Hibs goalkeeper Jordan Smith. Two minutes later, Killian Phillips wasn't far away as he reacted to some pinball in the box, but flicked his effort over the bar. Saints almost saw the deficit halved when Lewis Miller made a meal of his attempted clearance of a Phillips cross, but it fell on the wrong side of the post.

The Buddies would pull a vital goal back on the stroke of half-time when Richard Taylor fired home via a deflection in the final minute of added time. 

The second-half didn't really spark into life until Saints made a triple substitution a little after the hour mark with the introduction of Scott Tanser, Mark O'Hara and McMenamin in place of Declan John, Caolan Boyd-Munce and Ayunga.

Saints levelled four minutes later when McMenamin got himself on the end of an Idowu cross to score his second goal in as many games. A lengthy VAR check for offside ensued, but the goal stood. 

The SMiSA Stadium was rocking and it exploded five minutes later when Mandron rolled home into an empty net as it looked like Saints had taken the lead. But referee Chris Graham pulled play back and awarded Hibernian a free-kick, much to the confusion of everyone in the stadium. 

It was all one way traffic as the Buddies look to grab a winner. Substitute Greg Kiltie almost made an instant impact when he forced an important save from Smith before McMenamin cracked the post in the final minute of normal time. 

While a tough trip to Celtic awaits on the final day, the Buddies will take the fight for that Euro spot until the end. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 2-2 Hibernian

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser (c), Gogic, Taylor, Alebiosu, Boyd-Munce (O'Hara 61), Phillips, Idowu (Kiltie 82), John (Tanser 61), Ayunga (McMenamin 61), Mandron
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Iacovitti, Smyth, Scott, Mooney

Hibernian: Smith, Miller, Bushiri, Iredale, C.Cadden (O'Hora 84), Triantis, Levitt, Obita (N.Cadden 76), Boyle (c) (Gayle 84), Kuharevich (Bowie 61), Hoilett (Campbell 76)
Subs Not Used: Bursik, Ekpiteta, Manneh, Moriah-Welsh

Referee: Chris Graham
Assistant Referee: Graeme Stewart
Assistant Referee: Sean Carr
VAR: Don Robertson

Attendance: 7,671

St Mirren moved to within two points of Dundee United to keep their hopes of taking a European spot alive heading into the final week of the season. 

Goals from Mikael Mandron and Jonah Ayunga either side of half-time saw Stephen Robinson's men earn a thoroughly deserved win 2-0 at Tannadice. 

There were two changes to the side that defeated Aberdeen as captain Mark O'Hara missed out due to a hamstring injury, while Oisin Smyth dropped to the bench. That saw Caolan Boyd-Munce and Roland Idowu come in from the start.

A bright start from Stephen Robinson's men saw Idowu's low cross find Killian Phillips in good space inside the box, but the midfielder's heavy touch saw it run out of play. Less than a minute later, Mikael Mandron came agonisingly close to giving us an early lead. Boyd-Munce worked the ball on and the striker had acres of space to have a go 25 yards from goal with his effort curling just wide of the left-hand post. 

Zach Hemming was then forced into action for the first on 10 minutes when he did well to block close-range strike from Ross Docherty. Idowu fired into the side-netting a minute afterwards as the game ebbed and flowed in the early stages. The end-to-end nature continued as Sam Dalby headed Glenn Middleton's cross over from six yards, while Richard Taylor did similar with an Idowu cross soon after. A lovely bit of interplay between Declan John and Phillips almost yielded an opener on 17 minutes. It ended with Ayunga getting a strike away with the shot saved by Jack Walton.

The game settled after a frantic start, but Saints would hit the front just after the half-hour mark. Phillips' persistence saw him win the ball down the right side and he fed the ball into Ayunga whose strength allowed him to find Albeiosu. The wing-back shuffled the ball to his left to find Mandron who curled low into the bottom corner from 20 yards to the delight of the 1,200+ travelling support. 

Saints should have doubled their lead when Ayunga raced clear on goal but sent his effort high over the bar. The offside flag was raised in any case but TV replays showed that the forward may have been onside. 

The home side made a quick start after the restart as they looked to restore parity. Dalby came close twice in the early stages of the second 45. He first sent a strike just wide of the far post on 48 minutes before forcing a save from Hemming two minutes later. 

The Buddies weathered that early United storm and almost added a second a few minutes before the hour mark. Alebiosu won the ball in his own half and drove forward before forcing a terrific low save from United goalkeeper Walton who got a strong hand to turn away the strike. 

Saints would add a second on 66 minutes when Ayunga got his name on the scoresheet. Idowu slid the ball on to the forward who has loads of space to run into. He danced by Emmanuel Adegboyega before firing low beyond Walton to double our lead. 

From that point on, the Buddies were in complete control and should have added more goals. Idowu lashed over with 15 minutes remaining after chopping in from the left, while Phillips should have scored from close range after Walton had saved substitute Greg Kiltie's initial effort. Alebiosu saw a strike deflected over while Ayunga had the ball in the net on 82 minutes but was flagged for offside. Walton saved again in injury-time to deny Kiltie, before the forward fired the follow-up wide. 

Full-Time: Dundee United 0-2 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser (c), Gogic, Taylor (Iacovitti 72), Alebiosu, Boyd-Munce, Phillips, Idowu (Kiltie 76), John (Tanser 61), Ayunga, Mandron
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bwomono, Smyth, McMenamin, Scott, Mooney

Dundee United: Walton, Strain, Sevelj, Gallagher, Adegboyega, Ferry, Docherty (Moult 70), Sibbald (Campbell 83), Middleton, Trapanovski (Paton 64), Dalby
Subs Not Used: Richards, Cleall-Harding, Fotheringham, Babunski, Fiorini, Van der Sande

Referee: Steven McLean
Assistant Referee: Alastair Mather
Assistant Referee: Andy Milne
Fourth Official: Greg Soutar
VAR: Andrew Dallas

Attendance: 9,821

Saints kept their hopes of snatching the final European spot alive with a hard-fought win over Aberdeen in Paisley.

The only goal came on the hour mark, Mikael Mandron celebrating his new contract by controlling Mark O'Hara's free-kick on his chest before volleying past Dimitar Mitov.

The Dons had had Jeppe Okkels' first-half goal ruled out for handball and rarely threatened to draw level, in the end only some great saves from Mitov in stoppage time stopping Saints extending their winning margin.

There was one change to the Saints side which drew with Rangers, Oisin Smyth getting the nod in midfield over Caolan Boyd-Munce who dropped to the bench. Kevin Nisbet led the attack for the Dons with former Buddie Jamie McGrath having to make do with a place on the bench.

The visitors enjoyed plenty of early pressure, forcing a series of corners before Leighton Clarkson shot into the side netting. Saints threatened for the first time when a short corner routine forced Dimitar Mitov to palm away Oisin Smyth's delivery. Midway through the half a great cross from the right was volleyed home by Okkels to put Aberdeen in front, however the Saints players were adamant Nisbet had handled in the build-up. After a lengthy delay, referee Ross Hardie was eventually called to look at the monitor and decided to rule it out – much to the delight of the Paisley faithful.

That decision seemed to spur Saints on, a tremendous pass from Smyth finding Jonah Ayunga and he cut in before firing narrowly wide from 20 yards. Good work from Ryan Alebiosu then saw his cross knocked as far as Mark O'Hara, whose low shot was held by Mitov at the second attempt. The game had come to life following VAR's intervention, Shayden Morris' shot being deflected just wide before Mitov got down to save an effort from Mandron. A lovely touch from the Frenchman then gave him a sight of goal from the edge of the box but it was on his weaker foot and his shot trundled wide.

Mandron's attempted overhead kick earned him a somewhat harsh booking just after the break before Topi Keskinen dragged a shot wide for the visitors. As the hour mark approached Saints took the lead, O'Hara flighting a free-kick into the box that Mandron took on his chest before thumping a volley past Mitov. Once again there was a pause for a VAR check, this time for offside, but on this occasion the goal stood.

Zach Hemming had had a fairly quiet afternoon but needed to be alert to turn away a cross from sub McGrath that threatened to sail into the top corner. The keeper was then involved in a nasty looking clash with Nisbet that left both players needing treatment but thankfully both were able to continue.

Another sub, James Scott, had the chance to seal things in stoppage time from Mandron's cut-back but he shot straight at Mitov, although the flag then went up for an earlier offside. Great work from Roland Idowu on the break gave Scott another chance, this time it was blocked with VAR deciding there hadn't been a handball. Still Saints refused to settle for one goal, Idowu drawing a great save from Mitov in the final few seconds as the Buddies celebrated a first ever top six win at home.

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-0 Aberdeen

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Alebiosu, Phillips, Smyth (Boyd-Munce 67), O'Hara (c) (Scott 79), John, Mandron, Ayunga (Idowu 46) 
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Tanser, McMenamin, Kiltie, Oseni

Aberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, Dorrington (Gueye 83), Knoester, Shinnie (c), Clarkson (McGrath 55), Palaversa (Boyd 83), Okkels (Polvara 55), Morris, Keskinen (Dabbagh 66), Nisbet
Subs Not Used: Doohan, Mackenzie, Milne, Ambrose

Referee: Ross Hardie
Assistant Referee: Alastair Taylor
Assistant Referee: Ross Nelson
Fourth Official: Euan Anderson
VAR: Steven McLean

Attendance: 7,587

St Mirren came from behind twice to grab a share of the spoils against Rangers at The SMiSA Stadium.  

Captain Mark O'Hara drew the Buddies level just before the half-time interval after Cyriel Dessers had fired Rangers in front just a few minutes earlier. Nicolas Raskin put the Ibrox side ahead for a second time early in the second-half, but substitute Conor McMenamin equalised with a little over 15 minutes remaining to ensure a point remained in Paisley.

There was just one change from the side that defeated Ross County prior to the split with the now departed Toyosi Olusanya replaced by Mikael Mandron. 

Stephen Robinson's men got at Rangers from the off and could have opened the scoring early when O'Hara robbed the ball from John Souttar deep in the Rangers half. He drove into the box but got his attempted pass all wrong as he looked to find Mandron and that allowed the Gers defence to clear.

The visitors should have taken the lead on 13 minutes when a ball over the top found Dessers. The striker had stayed onside and found himself one-on-one with Zach Hemming, but somehow fired way over from close-range. 

Mandron then passed up a glorious opportunity to put Saints ahead just before the hour mark. Rangers goalkeeper Liam Kelly played the ball straight to the forward who sent his effort over the bar when it was looked like he was certain to make it 1-0. 

Rangers scored against the run of play three minutes before the break to go in-front. Dessers collected a pass from Raskin and shot low beyond Hemming from 20 yards. But the Buddies would draw themselves level just two minutes later when a Killian Phillips throw-in eventually fell to O'Hara to lash home. 

Mark O'Hara celebrates after his equaliser (Pic: Allan Picken)

Barry Ferguson's side took the lead for a second time seven minutes after the restart when Raskin fired home from the edge of the area. 

The Buddies made two changes on 63 minutes with the introduction of Roland Idowu and McMenamin in place of Caolan Boyd-Munce and Jonah Ayunga. Within a minute of the change, Idowu came agonisingly close to making it 2-2. Brilliant pressure from Phillips saw him steal the ball from Souttar and backheel into the path of Idowu who looked set to turn beyond Kelly only for the Gers stopper to save with his feet. 

It was the other substitute that would draw Stephen Robinson's side level after a great passage of play culminated in McMenamin sweeping home Declan John's low cross from close range. A lengthy VAR checked ensued for offside, but the goal would stand and Saints had equalised for a second time. 

Heading into six additional minutes of time at the end of the match, Rangers substitute Vaclav Cerny saw an effort pushed away by Hemming, while Owen Oseni could have won it in the dying seconds for Saints when he was found by Hemming but the striker couldn't find the target. 

It meant a point for the Buddies, who have taken seven from Rangers this season, in the first post-split fixture and moves us to within eight points of fifth place Dundee United. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 2-2 Rangers

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Alebiosu, Phillips, Boyd-Munce (Idowu 63), O'Hara (c), John (Tanser 80), Mandron (Oseni 90), Ayunga (McMenamin 63)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Iacovitti, Smyth, Kiltie, Scott

Rangers: Kelly, Tavernier, Souttar, Propper, Nsiala (Bajrami 87), Jefte, Raskin, Rice (Barron 85), Diomande, Igamane, Dessers (Cerny 76)
Subs Not Used: Butland, Cortes, Hagi, Curtis, McAllion, Danilo

Referee: Colin Steven
Assistant Referee: Graeme Stewart
Assistant Referee: Gordon McCabe
Fourth Official: Matthew MacDermid
VAR: Grant Irvine

Attendance: 7,019

St Mirren are a top six team for the third season on the bounce after a dramatic finale before the split. 

Stephen Robinson's men had to come from behind, but did their bit thanks to goals from Caolan Boyd-Munce, Jonah Ayunga and Roland Idowu. Hearts' failure to win away to Motherwell saw the Saints take the final top six spot in the William Hill Premiership. 

After a fairly uneventful opening 20 minutes, it was the visitors who would hit the front. Jordan White's initial effort was scrambled off the line before Zach Hemming brilliantly blocked the follow-up from Joshua Nisbet. But it would then fall to Ronan Hale who lashed into the net. 

Hale was close to adding his County's second five minutes later. The striker managed to in behind Alex Gogic and forced a good save from Hemming at the near post. Hemming was alert again on 35 minutes when he got down low to save a long-range effort from Noah Kenneh.

Saints had struggled to get going but found inspiration from a wonderful long-range strike from Boyd-Munce to draw us level on 36 minutes. It was the midfielder's fourth goal in four games and he almost did it again from similar range just before the interval only for Ross County goalkeeper Jordan Amissah to push away.

The Buddies started the second-half with the bit between their teeth and went ahead five minutes after the restart when Ayunga netted his first goal since October. The forward reached a wonderful inch perfect pass from Boyd-Munce and while he couldn't force by Amissah at first attempt, he managed to fire home to put Saints in pole position for top six. 

But the drama wouldn't end there as Ross County drew level just after the hour. A Zach Ashworth corner found Jordan White at the far post and the striker headed into the net to make it 2-2 despite the best efforts of Boyd-Munce to try and keep it out.

The manager made two substitutions with around 10 minutes to go when Idowu and Conor McMenamin were introduced in place of Mark O'Hara and Ryan Alebiosu. The substitutes combined within three minutes of their introduction when McMenamin's cross picked out Idowu, but the Irishman agonisingly headed over from close-range. Idowu would prove to be the hero however as he fired home the winner on 86 minutes. The forward found McMenamin's pass and worked well to fashion the space before angling a low drive beyond Amissah from 20 yards.

News filtered through of Hearts' 0-0 draw away to Motherwell to rapturous celebration at The SMiSA Stadium and that was topped when referee Calum Scott blew the full-time whistle to confirm Saints' place in the top six for the third season in a row.

Full-Time: St Mirren 3-2 Ross County

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Alebiosu (McMenamin 81), Phillips, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara (Idowu 81), John (Tanser 90), Olusanya (Mandron 55), Ayunga (Iacovitti 90)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Smyth, Kiltie, Oseni

Ross County: Amissah, Wright, Lopata, Campbell, Brown (Smith 81), Randall, Kenneh (Allardice 89), Ashworth, Nisbet (Samuel 60), White, Hale (Phillips 80)
Subs Not Used: Laidlaw, Tomkinson, Grieves, Harmon, Efete

Referee: Calum Scott
Assistant Referee: Calum Spence
Assistant Referee: Craig Ferguson
Fourth Official: Colin Steven
VAR: Nick Walsh

Attendance: 6,318

St Mirren's hopes of a third consecutive top six finish took a big dent following a frustrating loss away to Dundee. Simon Murray scored twice for the hosts, whilst Saints passed up a number of opportunities to score on a disappointing afternoon for the Buddies. Stephen Robinson's men dominated possession, with 62% of the ball, and had 20 shots, but couldn't find a way past the Dark Blues. 

The manager named the same starting 11 that defeated Kilmarnock 5-1 last weekend, with Jonah Ayunga and Roland Idowu retaining their places leading the line, while Toyosi Olusanya returning to the bench after suspension ruled him out last week. 

Despite coming close with just 20 seconds on the clock when Mark O'Hara forced a save from Trevor Carson, it was the hosts who would hit the front early. Saints failed to clear their lines from Jordan McGhee's cross and that allowed Murray to lash into the net with only a little over a minute played.

Saints settled well in spite of the early setback and could have been level on nine minutes when Declan John's terrific ball in from the left found the head of Killian Phillips. But the Irishman could only send it straight at Carson. The St Mirren response was good and a quick counter presented another big opportunity to equalise on 18 minutes. Caolan Boyd-Munce broke at speed before feeding the ball to O'Hara. The captain searched for the unmarked Idowu who would have had a tap-in, but the ball was blocked and couldn't find the forward.

The Buddies came agonisingly close to drawing level in the final minutes of the first-half when a ball in from the right just missed the head of Idowu who was charging in. Any contact from the forward would have surely seen the ball hit the net. 

The manager made a double change at the start of the second-half with Idowu making way for Olusanya and Ryan Alebiosu having to be replaced by Scott Tanser after picking up a hamstring injury. Saints continued the way they'd ended the first-half following the restart, dominating possession and playing most of the match in Dundee's half. Boyd-Munce had two goes from distance in the space of a minute. The first was deflected into the arms of Carson before he sent a curling strike just over.

Carson made a decent save just after the hour mark to turn away a low free-kick from O'Hara 20 yards from goal as Saints continued to look for a route back into the match. But that challenge was made even tougher when Murray added his and Dundee's second on 64 minutes. Hemming clattered the ball straight at the Dundee forward who slotted into the empty net from distance.

Try as they might, the Buddies just couldn't find the net on a frustrating afternoon. O'Hara headed over from close range with around 20 minutes to go before substitute Mikael Mandron shot into the arms of Carson a minute later. Richard Taylor then saw a header from a Tanser cross crash off the bar on 74 minutes. Olusanya was the latest to come close, but again Carson was equal to the strike with just five minutes remaining as it proved not to be our day.

Full-Time: Dundee 2-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Alebiosu (Tanser 46), Phillips (Kiltie 72), Boyd-Munce, O'Hara (c), John, Idowu (Olusanya 46), Ayunga (Mandron 58)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Kenny, Smyth, Scott, Oseni

Dundee: Carson, McGhee, Shaughnessy (c), C.Robertson (Koumetio 78), Larkeche, Mulligan, Sylla, F.Robertson, Tiffoney, Adewumi (Palmer-Houlden 70), Murray (Ingram 90)
Subs Not Used: McCracken, Samuels, Garza, Reilly, Portales, Donnelly

Referee: John Beaton
Assistant Referee: Jonathan Bell
Assistant Referee: Ross Nelson
VAR: Steven McLean

Attendance: 6,580 (1,045 St Mirren supporters)

Saints recorded their first home win of 2025 with a five star performance against Kilmarnock.

The goal rush started with barely five minutes on the clock, Caloan Boyd-Munce setting himself up to slot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Incredibly, the second was just a few minutes away with Roland Idowu doing the honours from the spot after Jonah Ayunga had been fouled by Lewis Mayo.

Richard Taylor and Jonah Ayunga went close to getting the third but it was Boyd-Munce who had that honour as he rattled in a shot from the edge of the area after Killie only partially cleared a corner. That settled any nerves that may have been appearing, skipper Mark O'Hara pinging in the fourth before Declan John celebrated his new contract with a tremendous strike for fifth. The only blot on the copybook came a few minutes from the end when Bruce Anderson scored from the spot after Richard Taylor fouled Joe Wright, but it made little difference as the Buddies beat the Ayrshire men for the first time in more than four years.

With Mikael Mandron only fit enough for a place on the bench and Toyosi Olusanya suspended, few Saints fans would have expected a front pairing of Idowu and Ayunga – but it was an inspired move as the Buddies made a storming start in the wind and the rain. The pair combined to tee up Boyd-Munce, who had time to switch the ball onto his favoured foot and slot it beyond the reach of Robby McCrorie from the edge of the box.

Caolan Boyd-Munce puts us ahead (Image: Jeff Holmes)

The cheers had barely died down before Ayunga was on the move again, appearing to get the better of  Mayo before going down under the defender's challenge. Ref Nick Walsh pointed to the spot, VAR eventually confirming the decision, and after having to re-spot the ball due to the wind Idowu sent McCrorie the wrong way to put the Buddies into dreamland inside 10 minutes.

Roland Idowu netted from the penalty spot (Image: Allan Picken)

After that incredible start, the game unsurprisingly settled down, Killie desperately hunting for a way back into the game. They should have halved the deficit midway through the half when Liam Donnelly delivered a fine cross for the unmarked Liam Polworth but he somehow headed over. Declan John's dangerous corner could have provided Saints with a third but no one was able to touch it home before Killian Phillips threatened with a deflected shot that McCrorie did well to hold. There was also another penalty shout when Ryan Alebiosu seemed to be bundled over, however this time the officials were unmoved.

An even better chance for the third arrived early in the second half. After Killie initially dealt with a Saints corner, the ball was worked back to Boyd-Munce who delivered a fantastic ball to Taylor at the back post, but his effort was brilliantly turned onto the bar by McCrorie with the defender unable to force home the rebound. Ayunga then pounced on a slack Killie pass and burst forward, has shot being deflected into the air before being palmed away by McCrorie. He was merely delaying the inevitable, John's corner being knocked as far as Boyd-Munce at the edge of the box and he fired through a ruck of legs for his second and Saints third – although there was a slight panic while VAR investigated a possible offside.

Saints were by no means finished. Alebiosu did brilliantly to get the better of his man at the byline and then pull the ball back for Mark O'Hara who, like Boyd-Munce earlier, had all the time needed to get the ball onto his stronger foot before placing it into the bottom corner for his first goal since October.

Mark O'Hara scores Saints' fourth (Image: Jeff Holmes)

Five minutes later, John took a wonderful first touch to control a fine pass before thundering it past McCrorie as Saints hit five in a home top flight match for the first time since September 2012.

Declan John celebrates (Image: Allan Picken)

Unfortunately, they were unable to cap a fine display with a clean sheet as Taylor gave away a penalty for a foul on Joe Wright late on, Bruce Anderson thumping it down the middle to give those away fans who hadn't already headed home something to cheer.

Full-Time: St Mirren 5-1 Kilmarnock

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser (Kenny 80), Gogic, Taylor, Alebiosu, Phillips (Kiltie 73), Boyd-Munce (Smyth 73), O'Hara (c), John (Tanser 80), Idowu (Oseni 73), Ayunga
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Adeniran, Scott, Mandron

Kilmarnock: McCrorie, Lyons (Watson 46), Mayo, Wright, Ndaba (Deas 63), Murray, Polworth (Wales 63), Donnelly, Kennedy (McKenzie 73), Anderson, Watkins (Findlay 73)
Subs Not Used: O'Hara, Armstrong, Cameron, Ramsay

Referee: Nick Walsh
Assistant Referee: Daniel McFarlane
Assistant Referee: Calum Spence
Fourth Official: Stewart Luke
VAR: Steven McLean

Attendance: 7,542

10-man St Mirren had to settle for a share of the spoils as Motherwell fought back from 2-0 to claim a point at Fir Park.

Goals from Caolan Boyd-Munce and Killian Phillips had the Buddies two ahead in the first-half. But a double from Callum Slattery saw the Steelmen draw level before Toyosi Olusanya was given his marching orders for what the referee had deemed a second bookable offence.

Alex Iacovitti made his first start since January following a hamstring injury. He replaced Richard Taylor who dropped to the bench. Jonah Ayunga also returned after an ankle knock had ruled him out of our last match against Celtic. The forward came in for the injured Mikael Mandron who is set for four weeks on the sidelines. 

A fast start to the match saw Motherwell passed up a glorious opportunity to open the scoring a little over 60 seconds from kick-off. Alex Gogic tripped and that allowed Tom Sparrow to race through on goal, but the forward lifted his effort over both Zach Hemming and the bar. 

Saints responded well and missed their own opportunity to strike first five minutes later. Ayunga slipped Ryan Alebiosu in down the right-hand side and the wing-back charged into the area. He had options in the middle but elected to go alone, firing high and wide from the angle.

The Buddies took the lead on 23 minutes when Boyd-Munce's deflected effort wrong-footed Ellery Balcombe and found the net. Olusanya broke through but was quickly crowded out as he looked to get a shot away. He turned away from the area and laid it off to Boyd-Munce whose strike from 20 yards took a wild deflection before nestling in the corner of the net. There was a VAR check for a potential offside on Olusanya but it showed the striker had held his line and the goal stood.

The Buddies were well in control and extended the lead further 10 minutes later following a wonderful strike from Phillips. A cross from the left found the Irishman who took the ball down on his chest before sending an acrobatic strike beyond Balcombe from 15 yards to make it 2-0.

But the home side hit back almost instantly with Slattery pulling a goal back straight from kick-off. The midfielder took the ball down well before finishing with the outside of his boot from the edge of the area. 

Saints came agonisingly close to regaining the two goal advantage when Balcombe failed to gather a corner and that allowed Gogic to get his head on it only for the effort to drift inches by the post.

Lennon Miller almost restored parity as the game headed into the first of three added minutes at the end of the half. Dom Thompson's ball across found the midfielder who took a touch before lashing high and wide. 

Olusanya was presented with an opportunity early after the restart when Casey didn't get enough on his header and gave it straight to the Saints forward. Olusanya drove forward but sent his strike high and wide.

There was real concern in the second-half for Boyd-Munce after a collision saw the Northern Irishman have to be stretchered off following a lengthy delay where he received treatment from the St Mirren medical team. The manager confirmed afterwards that the midfielder received a concussion. 

Motherwell drew themselves level when Slattery's low deflected effort from 20 yards snuck beyond Hemming with 20 minutes of normal time remaining. 

Olusanya was sent off on 85 minutes after being shown a second yellow card after colliding with Casey. It was a highly contentious decision with the forward bemused about the decision that looked nothing more than a natural coming together between two players.

That meant Saints would have to see the remainder of the match out with a man disadvantage, and with 14 minutes of time added on, that looked like it would be no easy feat. But in truth it was Stephen Robinson's men who looked the most likely to grab a winner - Gogic coming so close to winning it in the 101st minute when he rose highest to meet a Scott Tanser corner but headed over as we had to accept just a point at Fir Park.

The Buddies head into the international break sitting in eighth place on 35 points - four points behind sixth place Hearts with matches against Kilmarnock, Dundee and Ross County to come before the split.

Full-Time: Motherwell 2-2 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Iacovitti (Taylor 68), Alebiosu, Phillips (Kiltie 82), Boyd-Munce (Smyth 68), O'Hara (c), John (Tanser 90), Olusanya, Ayunga (Idowu 82, Oseni 90)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Bwomono, Scott

Motherwell: Balcombe, O'Donnell, Gordon (Balmer 76), Casey, Sparrow, Slattery (Zdravkovski 90), Andrews (Paton 58), Halliday (Ebiye 90), Thompson, Miller, Plange (Watt 57)
Subs Not Used: Oxborough, Koutroumbis, Wilson, Dickson

Referee: Grant Irvine
Assistant Referee: Chris Rae
Assistant Referee: Steven Traynor
Fourth Official: Ryan Lee
VAR: Greg Aitken

St Mirren U18s hopes of a Hampden trip in May were extinguished as the young Saints were beaten 2-0 by Dundee at the semi-final stage of the Scottish Youth Cup.

A double from Michael Hunter saw the Dee progress to the final where they will face Kilmarnock at the National Stadium.

The Young Saints made a nervy start and Ashton Leiper passed up a big opportunity for the visitors in the opening 10 minutes when he fired over from close-range at the far post. 

The Buddies looked like they had began to settle with Jack Lavery having a big opportunity to put the hosts ahead on 22 minutes. He won the ball deep in the Dundee half and showed good strength to carry the ball into the box from the left-hand side. Space opened up for an effort, but he saw his shot from the angle saved by Warren Lyall in the Dundee goal. 

The visitors took the lead with less than 10 minutes of the first-half remaining. Ethan Crombie's delivery into the box found Hunter who got his knee on it to take it beyond Grant Tamosevicius. 

Stephen McGinn reacted to the first-half showing by making a double change at half-time as he introduced Lewis Marshall and Theo McCormick in place of Innes Clark and Joshua Farquhar. And it was McCormick who would come close to drawing Saints level 10 minutes after the restart with a strike from the edge of the area that Lyall had to be at full stretch to tip over the bar. 

There was a warning sign for the Buddies just before the hour mark when Tamosevicius made a big save to push away a long-range strike from Leo Howett. But just a minute later Dundee would double their advantage when Hunter scored his second with a powerful shot from the edge of the area to secure the Dee's place in the final.  

Full-Time: St Mirren U18s 0-2 Dundee U18s

St Mirren: Tamosevicius, Barr, Falconer, Mcevoy, Clark (Marshall 46), Hutchison, Farquhar (McCormick 46), Hunter, Thompson, Carey (c), Lavery
Subs Not Used: Kelly, Gray, Robinson

Dundee: Lyall, Leiper, Scott, C.Perrie, Baird, Oosenburgh, Crombie, Mitchell, L.Perrie (Paterson 90), Howett (Rooney 77), Hunter (Bruce 85)
Subs Not Used: Byrne, Boyd, Bland

Attendance: 1,420