Toyosi Olusanya's 95th minute goal gave St Mirren a dramatic late win at Cowdenbeath and kept the Buddies hopes of topping Group H alive. 

Saints created a host of chances, but couldn't find a way past Cowdenbeath goalkeeper Craig Hepburn until deep into stoppage time when Olusanya followed up on a save from the Blue Brazil stopper and slammed into the net. 

Stav Nahmani was given his first start after scoring a brace on his debut in Saturday's 4-0 win against Arbroath. Stephen Robinson was also able to welcome Keanu Baccus into the starting line-up for his first appearance of the new season, while Richard Taylor came in with Mark O'Hara suspended, Greg Kiltie injured and Olusanya dropped to the bench. 

Saints had controlled the opening half but had little to show for it. Nahmani had a close-range header blocked early into the match before seeing a tame effort held by Hepburn on 28 minutes. 

The manager made two changes at the interval with Alex Greive and Lewis Jamieson introduced in place of Baccus and Nahmani. 

Scott Tanser had a good chance to put us ahead on 52 minutes when the ball fell nicely inside the area, but the defender screwed the effort wide. 

Three minutes later it was Caolan Boyd-Munce who came closest to breaking the deadlock with a powerful drive from distance. Hepburn was down quickly to push away the Northern Irishman's strike. 

The goalkeeper made another good save with 20 minutes remaining to deny Greive. The New Zealand forward was quickest to react to Boyd-Munce's cross, but the Blue Brazil goalkeeper spread himself well to keep it goalless. Five minutes later it was Jamieson who the ball fell for kindly, but he struck straight at the goalkeeper. 

Hepburn - who was named as Cowdenbeath's official man of the match - again foiled Saints with less than five minutes remaining. The Buddies won a free-kick in a good area around 25 yards from goal. Strain curled low towards the right-hand corner, but Hepburn was down well to save.

Cowdenbeath were reduced to 10 men in the final minute when Kevin Smith was given his marching orders after a second yellow card for a foul on Luke Kenny. It looked like it would be Saints' night when another free-kick opportunity for Strain in stoppage time saw the Australian's effort tipped onto the bar with Saints unable to force home the loose ball. 

But the Buddies were able to make the man advantage count when Olusanya's reacted quickest to Hepburn's save from Jamieson's strike to slam into the net and give us three points. 

It sets up Saints up for Saturday's clash against Forfar Athletic at The SMiSA Stadium. The Buddies know a win would be enough to secure top spot and a place in the last 16 of the Viaplay Cup.

Toyosi Olusanya celebrates his winner with Alex Greive (Image: Craig Brown)

Full-Time: Cowdenbeath 0-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser (c), Dunne (Kenny 78), R.Taylor (Olusanya 63), Strain, Baccus (Greive 46), Gogic, Boyd-Munce, Tanser, Mandron, Nahmani (Jamieson 46)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Sutherland, Penman, Offord

Cowdenbeath: Hepburn, Walker, Rodden, Jordan, Hill (Duncan 67), McNab, Butterworth (Jack 67), McDonald (Berry 71), MacPherson (Smith 79), Chalmers, Docherty (Tait 79)
Subs Not Used: Blair, Murray

Referee: Ross Hardie
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: Gordon Crawford

Attendance: 859

St Mirren eased to victory over Arbroath in the Viaplay Cup with a strong performance at The SMiSA Stadium. 

First-half goals from Mikael Mandron and Mark O'Hara had us two to the good at the interval before debutant Stav Nahmani scored twice from the bench in the second-half to secure an emphatic 4-0 victory.  

Buddies boss Stephen Robinson made three changes from the side that lost to Montrose last week. Scott Tanser, Caolan Boyd-Munce and Toyosi Olusanya came in for Declan Gallagher, Conor McMenamin and Alex Greive. 

Saints hit the front with just 10 minutes on the clock when Mandron scored his first Saints goal - heading Ryan Strain's cross from the right into the net. 

Strain should have gone from provider to goalscorer five minutes later but he fluffed his lines after Toyosi Olusanya's effort was parried into this path. Greg Kiltie had an opportunity on the follow-up, but his effort was headed off the line. 

Mandron's powerful header on 18 minutes drew a terrific save from Arbroath goalkeeper Derek Gaston. And the French forward wasn't far away again on 25 minutes after he slipped in by Olusanya and lifted his effort over Gaston but just wide of the post. The Arbroath stopper denied Mandron again 10 minutes later with another good save as Saints ramped up the pressure. 

The Buddies would get their second on the stroke of half-time as captain O'Hara broke through and finished beyond Gaston to make it 2-0. 

Captain Mark O'Hara - our top goalscorer with 12 last season - got his first in 2023/24 to put us 2-0 up (Image: Allan Picken)

A quiet opening to the second-half saw the visitors have their best change of the match when Craig Slater hit the post just after the hour mark. 

Saints fans got their first glimpse of new signing Stav Nahmani as he came on for Caolan Boyd-Munce, while Lewis Jamieson also replaced Olusanya. And what an impression the Israeli forward made as he netted two goals in eight minutes. The first saw him burst to on a brilliantly placed Strain through ball and he scored with a neat first time finish.

The 20-year-old would grab his second with 11 minutes of normal time remaining when he raced on to a lovely low pass from Jamieson, rounded Gaston and slotted into the net. 

It was the perfect first impression as Saints got off and running in Group H of the Viaplay Cup. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 4-0 Arbroath 

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Dunne, Strain, Kiltie (Gallagher 44), O'Hara (c), Boyd-Munce (Nahmani 63), Tanser, Olusanya (Jamieson 63), Mandron
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, R.Taylor, Kenny, Sutherland, Penman, Jamieson, Greive, Nahmani

Arbroath: Gaston, Steele (Gold 23), Stewart, Little, O'Brien (c), Slater, Balde, Stowe, McKenna (McIntosh 70), Bird (Turan 70), Dow
Subs Not Used: Adams, Jacobs, Allan

Referee: Graham Grainger
Assistant Referee: David Roome
Assistant Referee: Gordon McCabe

Attendance: 2,059 (139 away) 

St Mirren were defeated in their opening Viaplay Cup match at Montrose. Rory McAllister's second-half goal was enough to give the hosts a 1-0 win in the opening Group H match. 

Saints had chances to level, but ultimately weren't good enough to take anything from the game and will now be aiming for three wins in the remaining three matches to have a chance of qualifying for the next round. 

Manager Stephen Robinson handed competitive debuts to summer signings Zach Hemming, Conor McMenamin and Mikael Mandron. 

But it was the hosts who had the first real opportunity of the match when a header from the half-way line caught out the Saints defence and allowed Kane Hester the opportunity to run clear on goal. Charles Dunne did well to use his pace to catch up with the Montrose forward and did enough to put him off as he shot into the arms of Hemming. 

Hester was then denied by Dunne just before the half-hour mark after the forward was found inside the six-yard box by Rory McAllister. Hester, Montrose's record signing when he signed this summer, got a flick on the ball in from the left, but the Saints defender was there to turn it behind. 

Saints' best chance to open the scoring came with five minutes remaining in the first-half. A corner kick was headed out only as far as Kiltie on the edge of the area and his strike was pushed away by Gill. The Gable Endies goalkeeper was up quick to gather the rebound to deny Kiltie and Mandron as both charged in. 

The home side hit the front on 58 minutes after catching Saints on the break. It came after Montrose goalkeeper Gill gathered a corner and launched the ball forward for Mateus Machado. He fed the ball for Hester inside the area before the forward turned and found strike partner McAllister alone at the back post with the experienced frontman firing into the net from close-range. 

Despite the set back, the Buddies had an immediate opportunity to equalise when a long throw from Declan Gallagher broke inside the area with Kiltie and Alex Gogic in the immediate vicinity. One of them got a foot on it but knocked over the bar. 

Saints had another big chance to level on 65 minutes when Kiltie's brilliant low ball across the face had beaten Gill. Mandron and Greive were sliding in but neither could get the touch it needed to be turned in to the net. 

Saints were agonisingly close to the equaliser with less than 15 minutes remaining. Kiltie's strike was saved by Gill but he could only push it into the air and it looked like it may fall into net. Mandron was ready to nod into the empty net, but Montrose's veteran defender Sean Dillon managed to get there first and head over. 

Substitute Toyosi Olusanya's trickery won the Buddies a free-kick on the edge of the box in the final moments of the match. To the frustration of the away support, the referee's whistle denied advantage when Mark O'Hara finished into the bottom corner from 20 yards. It was then Caolan Boyd-Munce who stepped up to take the free-kick, but Montrose managed to block and then clear to hold on and claim the win in Group H. 

Full-Time: Montrose 1-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gallagher, Dunne (Sutherland 90), Strain, Kiltie, O'Hara (c), Gogic (Boyd-Munce 69), McMenamin (Jamieson 90), Greive (Olusanya 69), Mandron
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, R.Taylor, Kenny, Flynn, F.Taylor

Montrose: Gill, Williamson, Steeves (Machado 21), Quinn, Dillon, Masson, Webster, Brown (Shrive 83), McAllister, Gardyne, Hester (Batchelor 83)
Subs Not Used: Matthews, Grant, Giacomini, Lyons

Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: Jonathan Bell
Assistant Referee: Scott Anderson

Attendance: 1,618

St Mirren's final pre-season match ended in defeat as two late goals gave Morton victory. 

The Buddies dominated the opening hour or so but couldn't find the net. And two goals in two minutes late in the half saw the hosts win. 

Saints first real chance came on 12 minutes with Alex Gogic rose the highest to meet Ryan Strain's corner only for the header to be brilliantly saved by Morton stopper Ryan Mullen. 

Ethan Sutherland forced the Morton goalkeeper into another good stop with his half-volley from inside the area tipped over the bar on 30 minutes. Saints should have scored three minutes later but Toyosi Olusanya crashed his close-range header off the bar. 

The home side's best chance of the half came three minutes before the interval when Robbie Muirhead's bullet free-kick from distance flew just over the bar from around 30 yards from goal. 

Stephen Robinson made a triple change at the interval with new boy Conor McMenamin on for his first taste of Saints action as well as Richard Taylor and Caolan Boyd-Munce. They replaced Marcus Fraser, Ethan Sutherland and Alex Greive. 

Morton were inches away from taking the lead a little over 10 minutes into the second-half when Robbie Crawford flicked an effort just by the post. 

O'Hara came closest to finding our opener not long after the hour mark, but his strike was blocked by the face of the Morton goalkeeper. 

The hosts would take the lead heading into the final 10 minutes of the match after they were awarded a spot-kick. A long ball over the top caught out the Saints defence and Zach Hemming clashed with a Morton forward which saw referee David Munro point to the spot. Muirhead stepped up and fired home. Morton added a quickfire second with McGrattan slotting home less than two minutes after the opener. 

Full-Time: Morton 2-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser (Boyd-Munce 46), Gallagher, Dunne, Strain (Flynn 67), Kiltie, Gogic, O'Hara (c), Sutherland (R.Taylor 46), Olusanya (Mandron 59), Greive (McMenamin 46)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Kenny, F.Taylor, Jamieson

Our pre-season preparations continued with a 3-0 win over Dumbarton. 

Greg Kiltie scored a first-half double with Ryan Strain rounding off a good pre-season workout for Stephen Robinson's men. 

Alex Greive was inches away from putting us in front at the Dumbarton Stadium with just five minutes on the clock when he clipped just wide of the far post. 

Kiltie was inches away from putting us ahead on 14 minutes when he arrowed a low drive just wide from the edge of the area. But it would be the midfield man that made it 1-0 just a few minutes later as he curled an effort into the far corner of the net at the second attempt after his first strike was blocked.  

Toyosi Olusanya had the ball in the net three minutes later when he got on the end of Strain's low ball from the right. The forward - who netted the only goal in Saturday's win over Linfield - slid in at the back post to meet the cross, but the linesman flagged for offside. 

Kiltie added his and Saints' second on 37 minutes when he finished through the legs of Dumbarton goalkeeper Harry Broun after being slipped in by Strain. And the Australian international would get himself on the scoresheet two minutes before the interval with Broun unable to stop his ball sneaking in at the near post. 

Strain had our best chance in the second-half just before the hour mark when he clipped the bar with a free-kick right on the edge of the box.

Saints had further opportunities to add a fourth in the final few minutes with Lewis Jamieson heading wide of the target and Ethan Sutherland sliding an effort agonisingly by the post. 

Full-Time: Dumbarton 0-3 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gallagher, Dunne (Gogic 65), Strain, Kiltie (Flynn 80), Boyd-Munce, O'Hara (c) (F.Taylor 80), Sutherland, Olusanya (Gilmartin 80), Greive (Jamieson 80)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Gaffney, Trialist

St Mirren rounded off their pre-season training camp in Northern Ireland with a 1-0 win over Linfield at Windsor Park.

Toyosi Olusanya scored the only goal early in the second-half with the game called early after a spectator took ill with around 15 minutes of the match remaining. 

Stephen Robinson's side were without Keanu Baccus who injured his calf in training this week, but Kieran Offord shook off a knock to return to the bench after missing Wednesday night's match against Glentoran. 

The Buddies started brightly with Alex Greive denied by a strong one-handed stop from the Linfield goalkeeper on seven minutes. Just a few minutes later, Greg Kiltie was inches away from giving us the lead when he just failed to connect on a dangerous Scott Tanser cross after sliding in at the back post.

But Saints were dealt a blow on 14 minutes when Richard Taylor had to come off with an injury to be replaced by Marcus Fraser. 

Zach Hemming was forced into his first save just before the half-hour mark when he pushed away Jon Robertson's powerful effort from the angle. 

The Buddies took the lead three minutes after the interval when Olusanya finished well beyond Johns after being slipped in by Fraser. The forward took it first time and lashed high into the net to score our first pre-season goal.

Kiltie tested the Linfield goalkeeper soon after in search for a second with a low strike from 25 yards that the stopper had to get down quickly to gather. 

Olusanya should have had a second just before the hour mark. Mark O'Hara's relentless pressing saw the skipper steal the ball on the edge of the Linfield box. He appeared to be fouled by the defender, but nothing was given as the ball landed at Olusanya's feet who fired over. 

A stoppage occurred around 75 minutes in when a spectator took ill in the crowd and required medical assistance. The referee rightly called time on the match as it finished 1-0. Everyone at St Mirren wishes those involved a speedy recovery.

Full-Time: Linfield 0-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming (Urminsky 60), Gallagher (Boyd-Munce 60), Dunne, R.Taylor (Fraser 14), Strain (Flynn 60), Kiltie (F.Taylor 60), Gogic, O'Hara (c), Tanser (Sutherland 77), Greive (Jamieson 60), Olusanya (Offord 60)
Subs Not Used: Gilmartin, Gaffney

St Mirren's 2023/24 preparations began with 0-0 draw against Glentoran in Belfast. 

Saints got valuable minutes in the legs against the NIFL Premiership side at the Blanchflower Stadium as part of the Marcus Kane Testimonial. 

The Buddies could have had two first-half penalties when Toyosi Olusanya was first fouled by the Glentoran goalkeeper on just four minutes and he was clipped in the box later in the half.

New signing Zach Hemming made a good save early on to hold a low Glentoran strike from the edge of the area on 13 minutes which was the hosts best chance of the half. Mark O'Hara went close when he glanced a header wide from a Lewis Jamieson cross, while Youth Academy player Ethan Sutherland was denied by the goalkeeper after a terrific solo run in the final minutes of the half. 

Manager Stephen Robinson made nine changes at half-time to give as many players minutes as possible. But the game felt like a typical pre-season game with little action until the closing stages when Saints would create a number of opportunities for a winner. Alex Greive twice went close with an effort that flew just over on 77 minutes before his strike from 20 yards went just inches wide four minutes later. 

Scott Tanser looked like he had won it for the Buddies on 84 minutes when he was found at the back post, but his volley was wonderfully saved by the Glentoran goalkeeper as the game finished goalless.

Full-Time: Glentoran 0-0 St Mirren

St Mirren First-Half XI: Hemming, Kenny, Gallagher, Dunne, Strain, Kiltie, Boyd-Munce, O'Hara, Sutherland, Olusanya, Jamieson
St Mirren Second-Half XI: Urminsky, Fraser, Gogic, R.Taylor, Flynn, Baccus, Boyd-Munce (Gaffney 71), F.Taylor, Tanser, Greive, Olusanya (Gilmartin 60)

The curtain came down on the 2022/23 with Saints beaten 3-0 by Rangers at The SMiSA Stadium. 

It had an end of season feel to it with both sides making changes to their starting eleven. Stephen Robinson handed first starts to Caolan Boyd-Munce and Lewis Jamieson, while Peter Urminsky made his first league start. Declan Gallagher also came into the side in place of Marcus Fraser.

Fraser would be subbed on with just eight minutes played to replace Ryan Strain went down with an injury and had to be taken off. 

Curtis Main had the Buddies' first opportunity on 16 minutes after he drove forward, but he lashed his effort from distance well over the bar. Rangers opened the scoring 10 minutes later when Fashion Sakala squeezed home from close-range. The Rangers forward ghosted in beyond Fraser to collect a through ball from Ridvan Yilmaz before weaving his way past two Saints defenders. He struck towards the far corner and it only just squirmed through the legs of Scott Tanser before rolling into the net. 

Saints reacted well though with Mark O'Hara's powerful header being held by Robby McCrorie on 29 minutes. Main was inches away from connecting with a low Jamieson cross just a few minutes later, but caught McCrorie late and was shown the first booking of the match. 

Jamieson had a decent opportunity not long after the break when Keanu Baccus' quick thinking saw him prod the ball through to the St Mirren Youth Academy graduate after the referee didn't give a foul for a challenge on Main. Jamieson cut in on his left foot but fired wide from 20 yards. And Rangers doubled their lead less than a minute later when Sakala picked up the ball deep in the Saints half and drove forward. He cut through the Saints defence and shot from 20 yards with the effort squirming underneath Urminsky to make it 2-0. 

The manager made a double change on the hour mark with Greg Kiltie and Kieran Offord introduced to the fray in place of Boyd-Munce and Jamieson. The substitutes combined within two minutes when Kiltie's low ball into the box picked out Offord. The forward took one too many touches though which allowed Rangers to snuff out the danger. Kiltie was involved again moments later when his dangerous corner wasn't dealt with by McCrorie who flapped at the ball. Richard Taylor was in at the back post but sliced his effort sending it wide. 

The visitors added a third with 12 minutes left with substitute Antonio Colak heading home from close range to finish the scoring. 

A disappointing result on the final day, but it won't overshadow what has been a good season for the Buddies. The players walked round the park following the final whistle to applaud supporters and mark our strongest top-flight finish since 1985.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-3 Rangers

St Mirren: Urminsky, Shaughnessy (c), Gallagher, R.Taylor (Dunne 73), Strain (Fraser 8, Tait 73), Baccus, O'Hara, Boyd-Munce (Kiltie 60), Tanser, Jamieson (Offord 60), Main
Subs Not Used: Carson, Kenny, Gogic, F.Taylor,

Rangers: McCrorie, Tavernier (Devine 69), Souttar, Lundstram, Ridvan (Barisic 69), Jack, Cantwell, Raskin, Hagi (Arfield 69), Matondo (King 79), Sakala (Colak 69)
Subs Not Used: McGregor, Rice, King, Lowry, Wright

Referee: Matthew MacDermid
Assistant Referee: David Roome
Assistant Referee: Michael Banks
Fourth Official: Duncan Williams
VAR: Andrew Dallas
Assistant VAR: David Dunne

Attendance: 7,490

10-men Saints fell to a 3-0 defeat to Aberdeen at Pittodrie with Thierry Small shown a straight red card in the first-half following VAR intervention.

The result - coupled with Hibernian's win over Celtic - means the Buddies finish the season in sixth place. While there will be disappointment tonight, a historic season - in which we finished in the top six for the first time in this format - represents our highest top-flight finish since 1985. 

Despite doubts over the fitness of Small and Curtis Main both managed to make it and Stephen Robinson named the same starting eleven that drew 2-2 with Celtic on Saturday. 

Aberdeen took the lead on 14 minutes when Leighton Clarkson despatched a free-kick into the net from 20 yards.

Saints best chance for an equaliser came less than 10 minutes later when Alex Gogic rose to meet a Small cross. The Cypriot midfielder's header forced a good one-handed save from Dons goalkeeper Kelle Roos who tipped over. Gogic was first on to the resultant corner, but nodded wide. 

St Mirren's hopes of finding an equaliser were dealt a major blow when Small was shown red after a VAR check following a foul on Bojan Miovski who had to be stretchered off. Initially the loanee was shown yellow, but referee Don Robertson consulted the monitor and upgraded to red which Saints could have no complaints about.

Aberdeen almost hit Saints on the counter with 10 minutes of the half remaining. Duk ran clear but had his effort saved by Carson. The Saints goalkeeper couldn't gather at the first attempt and had to be quick to deny the follow-up. 

The Dons did double their lead on 42 minutes with Graeme Shinnie heading home to make it two-nil. Carson had to push away Joe Shaughnessy's deflection of a Marley Watkins' cross, but the ball spun up in the air which allowed Shinnie to nod into the net. 

Shinnie added his second and Aberdeen's third just four minutes into the second-half. The Dons midfielder met a low ball in from Ylber Ramadani and forced under Carson.

Saints first opportunity of the second-half came just after the hour mark when a strong run from half-time substitute Kieran Offord saw the young forward fouled 25 yards from goal. Strain stepped up to take the free-kick but Roos was down well to gather. 

Main could have pulled one back with just over 20 minutes of time remaining when he raced on to a Gogic ball over the top and went one-on-one with Roos. The forward's effort was powerful but the Dons keeper stayed big to block. Mark O'Hara was next to test Roos with a long-range drive that Roos had to get both hands behind to push away. That was to be the last opportunity for either side as the Dons picked up the points. 

Full-Time: Aberdeen 3-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Carson, Fraser, Shaughnessy (c), R.Taylor (Tanser 46), Strain (Gallagher 75), Baccus (Offord 46), O'Hara, Gogic, Small, Kiltie (F.Taylor 80), Main (Jamieson 75)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Kenny, Dunne, Boyd-Munce

Aberdeen: Roos, McCrorie, Pollock, McDonald, Scales, Shinnie, Ramadani (Barron 71), Hayes, Clarkson, Duk (Bavidge 75), Miovski (Watkins 34)
Subs Not Used: Lewis, MacKenzie, Morris, Coulson, Duncan, Richardson

Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: Steven Traynor
Assistant Referee: Paul O'Neill
Fourth Official: Chris Fordyce
VAR: Euan Anderson
Assistant VAR: Sean Carr

St Mirren picked up what could prove to be a valuable point as a Curtis Main double saw us draw 2-2 at Celtic Park.

The striker's first-half double had us ahead at the break, but a late equaliser from Celtic captain Callum McGregor saw the Scottish Premiership Champions rescue a point. 

There were two changes to the side that drew with Hearts at The SMiSA Stadium last weekend. Thierry Small and Keanu Baccus came in for Scott Tanser and the injured Alex Greive. The manager elected for the same shape despite the absence of Greive and that saw Greg Kiltie pushed up alongside Main as the front two. 

Saints got off to the perfect start to silence the capacity crowd at Celtic Park. Anthony Ralston collided with Tomoki Iwata which allowed Main to run on to a long kick from Trevor Carson. The striker broke into the box and took a touch to cut inside of Ralston who was trying to recover before firing into the net to put us ahead on just four minutes.

Curtis Main put us ahead on just four minutes (Image: Allan Picken)

Celtic equalised 10 minutes after the opener though when Reo Hatate threaded a ball through for Kyogo Furuhashi who rifled high into the net to make it 1-1. 

Saints' reaction was good and the Buddies looked to restore the advantage almost immediately with Main firing over the bar from 20 yards. 

The home side were seeing more of the ball as you would expect and Carson was was forced into a smart stop on 19 minutes when he pushed away Matt O'Riley's low shot before Hatate sent a swerving effort over the bar from distance two minutes later.  

St Mirren - as they have done on many occasion this season - were making life difficult for the hosts and forced a couple of corners in quick succession just after the half-hour mark. Richard Taylor didn't get the connection he'd have hoped for after being first on to a Kiltie header which allowed Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart to gather. 

The hosts almost took the lead in fortuitous fashion on 35 minutes when O'Riley's effort deflected off Baccus and nearly sneaked in at the near post. Carson was down quickly to block. 

But it was Saints who would go back ahead when Main grabbed his second of the afternoon on 39 minutes. Celtic couldn't deal with the initial danger and Main was there to meet O'Hara's header back into the box. A lengthy VAR check for offside ensued, but the forward was played onside by McGregor. That goal came just a minute after Saints should have retaken the lead when Ryan Strain knocked wide from just a few yards after being first on to a parry from Hart. 

The Buddies took a lead into half-time and started the second-half quickly with Main agonisingly close to his hat-trick just a few minutes after the restart. He rose the highest to meet a Strain cross, but nodded inches wide of target. The striker then had another good opportunity for his - and Saints' - third just before the hour mark when he once again was first to a Strain ball from the right only to head over this time. 

Celtic almost levelled with 20 minutes of the game remaining when a deep cross from Ralston met Daizen Maeda at the back post. It looked like the Celtic forward was going to sweep into the net, but he miscued and stuck the effort wide. 

Saints again came so close to killing the match on 79 minutes when Main pounced on Iwata's mistake and drove into the box. The forward had a go from the angle and his effort cannoned off the far post. 

And how frustrating that would prove to be when Celtic equalised on 81 minutes. McGregor's strike from 20 yards found its way into the bottom left corner to restore parity and rescue a point for the hosts. 

Full-Time: Celtic 2-2 St Mirren

St Mirren: Carson, Fraser, Shaughnessy (c), R.Taylor, Strain (Gallagher 83), O'Hara, Gogic (Jamieson 90), Baccus, Small (Tanser 61), Kiltie, Main
Subs Not Used: Urminksy, Dunne, Kenny, Boyd-Munce, F.Taylor, Offord

Celtic: Hart, Ralston, Starfelt, Iwata, Taylor, McGregor (c), Hatate (Haksabanovic 72), O'Riley (Oh 72), Jota, Maeda (Abada 72) Kyogo
Subs Not Used: Bain, Bernabei, Kobayashi, Turnbull, Forrest, Summers

Referee: David Munro
Assistant Referee: Ross Macleod
Assistant Referee: David Doig
Fourth Official: Mike Roncone
VAR: Steven Kirkland
Assistant VAR: Andrew McWilliam