St Mirren U18s booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Youth Cup after a comprehensive victory away to Hearts.

Evan Mooney was the hat-trick hero as he netted all three goals at Ainslie Park to see the young Saints progress to the last eight of the competition. 

The U18s started brightly, pressing Hearts well and putting numerous dangerous balls into the box with no takers, while there was a strong shout for a penalty after a handball. It would be 34 minutes before the Hearts goalkeeper was forced into a real save with Lewis Marshall's strike from 20 yards pushed away by the stopper. 

The young Saints would hit the front in the final minute of normal time at the end of the half. Good pressing saw Marshall the quickest on to a loose ball and he moved forward before slipping the ball to Mooney. The forward took a touch and sent a low finish across the goalkeeper to break the deadlock. 

Billy Hutchison was close to doubling the lead before the break when he got his head on the end of a Marshall corner but saw his effort blocked on the line.

The Buddies continued that first-half form after the restart with Lyle Hunter sending a shot just wide after Mooney's cross was headed out only as far as the midfielder. 

Saints doubled their advantage just before the hour mark when Mooney struck again. The forward met a low cross from Thomas Falconer, took a brilliant touch to take the Hearts defender out of the game and create space before firing beyond the Hearts goalkeeper. 

Mooney completed his hat-trick just five minutes later to secure Saints' place in the quarter-final. A nice bit of play saw the forward play in Matthew Turner. His strike was saved but Mooney was quickly on hand to send the follow-up into the net. 

Hearts were reduced to 10 men when a poor challenge on Innes Clark saw Owen Muirhead shown a straight red card. Clark left the field on crutches to be replaced by Owen Carey.

Saints had opportunities to add to their lead with the pick of the bunch following for Theo McCormick after he was found by Mooney but his effort was saved by the Hearts goalkeeper at point blank range.

The young Saints go marching on!

Full-Time: Hearts U18s 0-3 St Mirren U18s

St Mirren: Tamosevicius, Penman, Clark (Carey 69), McEvoy (c), Hutchison, Hunter (Barr 86), McCormick, Turner, Mooney (Douglas 86), Marshall (Farquhar 79), Falconer
Subs Not Used: Kelly, Stoddart, Lavery

St Mirren defied Storm Bert to make it three wins from four and consign Aberdeen to their first William Hill Premiership defeat of the season.

It looked like the weather would beat the Buddies, with the game in doubt due to the volume of snow that covered the SMiSA Stadium pitch. But a brilliant effort from staff and volunteers, coupled with a delayed kick-off saw the match proceed. And goals from Toyosi Olusanya and Richard Taylor saw Stephen Robinson's man take the three points.

Coming off a 2-1 win away to Hibernian before the international break, the manager named the same starting eleven. Conor McMenamin, who netted a brace in the win over the Hibees, looked to keep up that form as the Saints started brightly. The Northern Irishman saw an effort deflected just inches by the post on four minutes. 

The Buddies came close again on 10 minutes when Scott Tanser fired a strike just wide from 20 yards. Brilliant footwork from Olusanya the on right-wing saw the forward work his way into the box. He found McMenamin who slipped but the ball was eventually worked to Tanser who wasn't far opening the scoring. 

Saints would hit the front when Olusanya scored his seventh goal of the season on 20 minutes. A ball from Ellery Balcombe gave the forward something to chase and he raced ahead of two Aberdeen defenders to get on to the ball. He collected himself before slotting under the legs of Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov. 

Alex Gogic was given his marching orders on 25 minutes when referee John Beaton showed the Cypriot defender a straight red card for a challenge on Shayden Morris. It looked like Gogic had won the ball and wasn't reckless in the challenge. That proved to be the case with a VAR review seeing the decision downgraded to a yellow card.

Saints came agonisingly close to a second in the final seconds of the first-half when McMenamin's curling flew inches over the bar.

Aberdeen fired a warning shot early in the first-half when Jack MacKenzie got in behind the defence and saw his effort blocked by Balcombe. The Dons would level five minutes after the restart. Substitute Kevin Nisbet was found by a cross from Duk, but the forward completely miss-hit his effort. However, it fell kindly to ex-Saint McGrath who stroked low into the net to make it 1-1. 

Despite that setback, Saints looked to hit back immediately with Olusanya firing a strike just over. McMenamin should have made it 2-1 on 64 minutes after a lovely bit of play from Saints. Great feet from Kiltie allowed the forward to get away from two Aberdeen defenders before picking out Elvis Bwomono of all people in the box. Bwomono picked out McMenamin but his low strike was saved by Mitov who stuck his leg out to block.

Bwomono was involved again when his cross found Kiltie but his volley was held by Mitov with 15 to go.

The Buddies would go back ahead with just over five minutes of normal time remaining. A corner from captain Mark O'Hara found Taylor at the far post and he rose the highest to bullet home his first goal for the Saints.

Aberdeen almost equalised for a second time two minutes later when a backheel from Duk inside the box came back off the post before substitute Mikael Mandron did brilliantly to block an attempted follow up.

But Saints would see the game out to pick up a deserved three points on a day where it looked like there might not even be football in Paisley. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 2-1 Aberdeen

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Bwomono, Phillips, O'Hara (c), Tanser, McMenamin (Mandron 74), Olusanya (Ayunga 82), Kiltie (Boyd-Munce 90)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Kenny, John, Penman, Smyth, Idowu

Aberdeen: Mitov, Devlin, MacKenzie, Shinnie, Sivert Nilsen (Palaversa 69), McGrath (Besuijen 85), Clarkson (Nisbet 46), Sokler (Duk 46), Morris (Keskinen 69), Molloy
Subs Not Used: Doohan, Polvara, McGarry, Milne

Attendance: 7,533 

Manager Reaction - "We dedicate that to all the volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly to get game on."

Stephen Robinson gives his reaction after our 2-1 win over Aberdeen.

A first-half double from Conor McMenamin saw St Mirren pick up a thoroughly deserved three points away from home in the William Hill Premiership.

The Northern Ireland international's brace was enough to ensure a 2-1 victory over Hibernian at Easter Road. But contrary to what the narrow scoreline may have suggested, it was dominant performance from Stephen Robinson's men. 

The manager made just one change to the side that drew 0-0 with Ross County last weekend with McMenamin coming in for his first start of the season in place of James Scott. 

After a fairly even opening to the match, Saints took the lead with just 16 minutes on the clock. McMenamin did well to hold off the challenge from a Hibs defender before feeding the ball to Mark O'Hara. The captain switched it wide left to Scott Tanser who sent in a terrific low cross that McMenamin turned in from close range.

Conor McMenamin celebrates his opening goal (Image: Paul Byars)

Hibernian came close to a leveller just before the half-hour mark with Elie Youan smashing his effort off the post. The forward played a nice one-two with former Saints midfielder Hyeokkyu Kwon before turning his man and seeing his powerful strike hit the woodwork.

It was Saints who would add to their tally though with McMenamin getting his and The Buddies' second on 31 minutes. The Northern Ireland international robbed Warren O'Hora to steal the ball and charged forward from deep in the Hibernian half. He had Greg Kiltie and Toyosi Olusanya as options but elected to go himself as he slammed beyond Josef Bursik.

McMenamin adds his and St Mirren's second (Image: Paul Byars)

Stephen Robinson's men looked the more likely to extend their advantage before half-time. Killian Phillips met a cushioned header from Kiltie but saw his low effort from inside the area deflected wide.

Hibernian boss David Gray responded to his side's first-half showing by making three changes at the interval. Rocky Bushiri replaced O'Hora, while Nicky Cadden and Dylan Levitt replaced Hyeokkyu Kwon and Nectarios Triantis. An early cross from Nicky Cadden looked primed to meet Martin Boyle at the far post, but Tanser got his head on it to take away from the Hibs forward.

Joe Newell was shown a yellow card for the home side around five minutes after the restarting after a foul on Phillips around 25 yard from the Hibernian goal. After receiving treatment, it was Phillips who stood up to take but he curled a low effort straight into the arms of Bursik. 

Saints should have had a third on the hour mark. Richard Taylor rose the highest to meet a Tanser corner but his header cannoned off the bar. It fell to Alex Gogic with the goal gaping but he headed over. 

It looked like the Buddies would rue the miss almost immediately when Hibernian were awarded a penalty just a minute later. Martin Boyle went down under the challenge of O'Hara and while it looked soft, a VAR check didn't rule it to be a clear and obvious error by referee Iain Snedden. Boyle stepped up to take but Balcombe was equal to the effort, diving low to his right and holding. 

Ellery Balcombe saves Martin Boyle's penalty (Image: Paul Byars)

The manager made three changes with just over 20 minutes remaining when Oisin Smyth, Jonah Ayunga and Mikael Mandron replaced Kiltie, McMenamin and Olusanya. Mandron had a chance almost immediately after his introduction but his effort was tame which allowed Bursik to gather with ease. 

Hibernian started to see more of the ball as they searched for a way back into the match, but Saints were looking threatening on the counter with Ayunga seeing a strike blocked on 76 minutes.

The game looked to be ticking away to a comfortable St Mirren victory. But when do St Mirren ever do things the easy way? A handball from Gogic saw the hosts awarded a penalty in the third minute of added on time which Nicky Cadden despatched to reduce the deficit. And mere moments later, Cadden looked to have given Hibernian the unlikeliest of points when he lashed home from inside the area. Thankfully, VAR intervened with the ball having struck off substitute Dwight Gayle who was in an offside position. 

Full-Time: Hibernian 1-2 St Mirren

Ellery Balcombe and Conor McMenamin celebrate post-match (Image: Paul Byars)

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Bwomono, Phillips, O'Hara (c), Tanser, McMenamin (Ayunga 67), Olusanya (Mandron 67), Kiltie (Smyth 67)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Penman, Adeniran, Idowu, Scott, Mooney

Hibernian: Bursik, C. Cadden, Ekpiteta, O'Hora (Bushiri 46), Obita, Kwon (N.Cadden 46), Triantis (Levitt 46), Newell, Youan, Boyle (Gayle 67), Hoilett (McKirdy 67)
Subs Not Used: Smith, Miller, Doyle-Hayes, Iredale

Referee: Iain Snedden
Assistant Referee: Ross Macleod
Assistant Referee: Andy Milne
Fourth Official: Lloyd Wilson
VAR: Kevin Clancy

Attendance: 15,594

Manager Reaction - "I thought for 80 minutes we were outstanding."

Stephen Robinson gives his thoughts after our win at Easter Road.

It was stalemate at The SMiSA Stadium as St Mirren were held to a goalless draw by Ross County in the William Hill Premiership.

Manager Stephen Robinson was forced into one change from the side that defeated St Johnstone on Wednesday night with Richard Taylor coming in for the injured Charles Dunne.

Saints made a positive start as early pressure saw James Scott send an effort wide in the sixth minute. Both teams seemed cautious in a first half which offered little in the way of clear-cut chances.

The biggest talking point came in the 34th minute when Don Robertson was called to the VAR monitor to review a shirt pull on Marcus Fraser by Elijah Campbell. Following the short stoppage, a penalty was awarded, and the County defender found himself the first name in the book.

Greg Kiltie stepped up to take the spot kick, but the attempt was saved by the feet of a diving Ross Laidlaw and sent out for a throw in, which ended with another wasted chance sent well wide of the post.

As the half reached its end, it was the Dingwall side who came closest to threatening. The ball was worked well into the box before Jordan White’s effort was sent high over the cross bar.

Moving into the second 45, it was St Mirren who were setting the tempo. An early chance saw the substitutes Conor McMenamin and Jonah Ayunga winning corners for the home side, as Ross Laidlaw was forced into a low save, with the effort tipped onto the post.

A deep throw for the Dingwall outfit resulted in a low cross which flew through the box, missing everyone. This spurred a fast counterattack in which Ayunga smartly set up Olusanya whose final play of the game was unfortunately sending the ball wide of the post before the linesman called the play offside. He was replaced by Mikael Mandron while Kiltie also made way for Roland Idowu.

There was almost an instant impact from Idowu, as the substitute saw his first effort flash wide as Saints continued to pour on the pressure. However, similarly to the first half, Ross County begun to play their way into the match as the game crossed the hour mark.

With the teams still tied, the visitors grew in confidence as they sent more bodies forward in search of a late winner. An awkward bounce from a looping pass took Taylor out of the play, falling nicely for County, but the resulting shot from Ronan Hale was sent wide by Ellery Balcombe.

Entering the final stages, the last 10 minutes of the game were end to end but with neither side having the quality to score the opener. A forward pass by Idowu attempted to open play for Ayunga, but Laidlaw was quick off the mark before sending the ball back long again, asking questions of the Saints defenders who were forced to concede a corner.

The corner resulted in a deep throw, as County continued to make a late push to take three points up the A9. A good clearance from Taylor was eventually sent long by Tanser, with intelligent play finding Mandron alone in the box, but he couldn’t control his shot which was sent over the bar.

As the seconds continued to tick away, Ross County won an injury-time corner that offered a real chance for the visitors, when Balcombe couldn't claim the ball. Thankfully, Taylor was on hand to head an effort off the line before Balcombe claimed the follow up attempt.

Injury-time was drawing to a close and County were afforded a huge opportunity. Taylor was booked for his challenge on the edge of the area. The wall, and the goalkeeper, were up to the task as the initial free kick was well blocked before Balcombe hoovered up the away side's final shot.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-0 Ross County

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Bwomono (McMenamin 46), Phillips (Boyd-Munce 77), O'Hara (c), Tanser, Scott (Ayunga 46), Olusanya (Mandron 59), Kiltie (Idowu 59)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Penman, Smyth, Adeniran

Ross County: Laidlaw, Wright, Lopata, Campbell, Brown, Randall (Allardice 75), Nisbet, Reid (Efete 75), Chilvers (Hale 46), White, Grieves (Denholm 46)
Subs Not Used: Hamilton, Lamie, Loturi, Samuel, Brophy

Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: Alastair Mather
Assistant Referee: Alastair Taylor
Fourth Official: Steven Kirkland
VAR: John Beaton

Attendance: 6,142

St Mirren came from behind to win the battle of the Saints at The SMiSA Stadium. 

Benjamin Kimpioka gave St Johnstone an early lead in Paisley, but the Buddies battled back with Scott Tanser scoring a stunning effort on 30 minutes to draw Saints level. Second-half goals from captain Mark O'Hara and substitute Jonah Ayunga saw the Stephen Robinson's men pick up all three points. 

The manager named an unchanged starting 11 form Sunday's narrow defeat to Rangers at Ibrox. And it was bright start from his charges with Elvis Bwomono having the first opportunity of the game with just four minutes played when he got in front of a St Johnstone defender to meet a deep Tanser cross, but his header was straight at goalkeeper Ross Sinclair who managed to block.

Despite a positive start, the visitors would strike first as they took the lead on nine minutes. Jack Sanders was quickest to react to a corner and his header was turned in by Kimpioka. Initially the far side linesman flagged for offside, but a VAR check saw the goal stand. 

Kimpioka had the ball in the net again 10 minutes later but this one was disallowed for a handball which VAR confirmed. 

Saints would find themselves level on the half-hour mark in stunning fashion. Olusanya went down under a challenge in the box but no penalty was given. The ball remained active and was knocked on to Tanser who, 20 yards from goal, curled high into the far corner of the net to level. 

Scott Tanser celebrates goal against St Johnstone (Image: Allan Picken)

Buoyed by the goal, the Buddies grew in confidence after the goal and could have been ahead four minutes later when a terrific Tanser delivery met the head of Marcus Fraser. But the defender couldn't get the connection it needed which meant it was easy for Sinclair to gather. 

Olusanya wasn't far away from putting the Buddies ahead with a little over five minutes of the half remaining. He was slipped in by O'Hara but the angle was tight as he made his way into the box and his powerful effort flew wide of the near post.

St Johnstone had the ball in the net again when Adama Sidibeh lobbed the ball over Ellery Balcombe in the final minute of normal time in the first-half. But referee Steven McLean pulled it back for a foul on Charles Dunne. Dunne wouldn't be able to continue much longer with Saints forced into a change before the break. The defender was replaced by Richard Taylor who would make his first appearance since returning from hernia surgery earlier this month. 

Robinson's men started the second-half brightly with a Killian Phillips cross coming off the bar after beating Sinclair all ends up. The ball would fall to Olusanya who fashioned some space to get the shot away but his effort was deflected wide. 

Saints would be rewarded for that bright start as they would take the lead 12 minutes after the restart. Greg Kiltie was brilliant as he dug in to steal the ball in the middle of the park. That allowed Fraser to take the ball and charge forward before flinging in a terrific cross that found captain O'Hara. His header found the net via a deflection that took it beyond Sinclair. 

Mark O'Hara and Killian Phillips celebrate (Image: Allan Picken)

It looked like Saints had added a third on 65 minutes when Phillips finished off a nice move by slotting through the legs of Sinclair. But a VAR check saw the goal disallowed with Phillips being penalised for a foul in the middle of the park at the start of the move. 

That decision looked to take a little bit of the sting out of Saints who had been bossing the opening period of the second 45. But St Johnstone never really came close enough to threaten an equaliser and substitute Ayunga wrapped up the three points in added time when he raced on to a Mikael Mandron ball and finished well to score his first goal of the season.

Full-Time: St Mirren 3-1 St Johnstone

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor (Dunne 45), Bwomono, Phillips, O'Hara (c), Tanser, Scott (McMenamin 67), Olusanya (Mandron 67), Kiltie (Ayunga 85)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Taylor, Smyth, Boyd-Munce,

St Johnstone: Sinclair, Wright, Cameron (Douglas 67), Sanders, Neilson, Holt, Smith (Carey 67), Sprangler, Clark, Sidibeh, Kimpioka (Kirk 67)
Subs Not Used: Rae, Essel, Kucheriavyi, McPake, Keltjens, Franczak

Referee: Steven McLean
Assistant Referee: Craig Ferguson
Assistant Referee: Colin Drummond
Fourth Official: Gavin Duncan
VAR: Alan Muir

Attendance: 6,042 

A strong performance at Ibrox wasn't enough for Saints to take anything as the Buddies were edged out by Rangers. Mohamed Diomande gave Rangers an early lead, but Alex Gogic levelled with a first-half header. Toyosi Olusanya saw a goal disallowed in the second-half before Vaclav Cerny gave the hosts all three points. 

Manager Stephen Robinson made two changes to the side that lost away to Hearts last weekend. Kevin Van Veen missed out with a foot injury that saw him replaced by James Scott. Elvis Bwomono also came into the starting lineup in place of Oisin Smyth. Conor McMenamin was back in the squad for the first time this season after recovering from a tendon injury with the Northern Irish man taking up a place on the bench, while youth academy prospect Callum Penman was also included in the 20 man squad. 

After a bright start, Saints should have taken the lead inside the opening 10 minutes when Killian Phillips sent Toyosi Olusanya one-on-one with Jack Butland. The forward raced into the box, but sent his effort wide of the far post. 

It was Rangers who would strike first when Mohamed Diomande put the hosts in front on 13 minutes. A powerful strike from Nicolas Raskin on the edge of the area took a deflection and Ellery Balcombe could only push it into the path of Diomande who knocked home from close range.

A Phillips clearance almost gave Olusanya another opportunity to go through on the Rangers goal, but the forward couldn't manage to bring the ball under control which allowed Leon Balogun to get ahead of him and clear. 

Saints would deservedly draw level on 25 minutes. Captain Mark O'Hara swung in a super delivery to the head of Gogic who rose above Robin Propper and powered beyond Butland to make it 1-1. 

Alex Gogic celebrates his goal against Rangers (Image: Allan Picken)

In between a Greg Kiltie chance from 20 yards that flashed wide, Neraysho Kasanwirjo hit the bar for Rangers, while a Cerny cross to the back post evaded the Saints backline to find Nedim Bajrami, but he could only find the side net.

With the scores level at half-time, the hosts made a change at the interval when Cyriel Dessers came on to replace Hamza Igamane.

Saints thought they had gone ahead five minutes after the restart when Kiltie's ball sent Olusanya scuttling clear. Olusanya finished nicely through the legs of Butland only for the offside flag to come. A VAR check showed the forward was agonisingly centimetres offside. A few minutes later, the Buddies felt they should have had a penalty when Olusanya went down in the box. But the referee, who had initially played advantage after Kiltie had been fouled by Nicolas Raskin, pulled it back for a free-kick which O'Hara would send over the bar. 

The game was finely in the balance, swinging end-to-end. Ellery Balcombe pulled off a big save on 57 minutes when he touched a Dessers header over the bar. Two minutes later, brilliant strength from Olusanya saw him rob Propper on the touchline and force a good save from Butland at his near post.

Rangers took the lead for a second time with just over 20 minutes to play. A strong run by Dessers saw the substitute burst beyond the Saints defence to get to the byline before rolling back into the path of Cerny who rolled into the net from close range. 

Balcombe denied Cerny his second of the match on 82 minutes when he made an outstanding save. The Rangers winger had all the time in the world to pick his spot but the Saints goalkeeper was down brilliantly to push away. 

The Buddies would press for a second equaliser but just couldn't find the leveller that their performance merited. Despite the defeat, Saints will take heart from a much improved performance ahead of two home matches against St Johnstone and Ross County next week. 

Full-Time: Rangers 2-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Dunne, Bwomono (Mandron 79), Phillips, O'Hara (c) (Boyd-Munce 79), Tanser, Scott (McMenamin 62), Olusanya, Kiltie (Idowu 68)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Penman, Smyth, Adeniran, Ayunga

Rangers: Butland (c), Kasanwirjo, Propper (Tavernier 61), Balogun, Jefte, Raskin, Diomande, Barron (Sterling 85), Cerny (McCausland 89), Igamane (Dessers 46), Bajrami
Subs Not Used: Kelly, Dowell, Fraser, McKinnon, Lovelace

Referee: Calum Scott
Assistant Referee: Dougie Potter 
Assistant Referee: Andy Milne
Fourth Official: Euan Anderson
VAR: Greg Aitken

Attendance: 48,859

St Mirren U18s booked their place in the next round of the Scottish Youth Cup with an emphatic victory over Caledonian Braves at The SMiSA Stadium.

Goals from Struan Thompson, Evan Mooney and Innes Clark saw the Saints race into a 3-0 lead with just 13 minutes played. Thompson, who opened the scoring in the previous round, slammed home from 12 yards after getting on the end of Mooney's cut-back.

16-year-old Mooney, just two days on from making his first-team debut, added his name to the scoresheet on 11 minutes. He finished low into the net after meeting Thomas Falconer's pass from the left. And it would get better for Saints just two minutes later when Clark headed in Thompson's corner. 

Theo McCormick added a fourth on 40 minutes when he swept home inside the area to give the young Buddies a 4-0 advantage at the interval. 

Half-time substitute Lewis Marshall's header made it 5-0 just five minutes into the second-half, with a deflected strike from captain Carrick McEvoy adding a sixth four minutes later.

Luke Douglas, who replaced Thompson just after the hour mark, scored a brace inside three minutes with his goals coming on 73 and 76 minutes to cap off a brilliant night for the young Saints. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 8-0 Caledonian Braves

St Mirren: Tamosevicius, Penman (Stoddart 55), Clark, McEvoy (c) (Lavery 62), Hutchison, Hunter, Mooney (Farquhar 55), Turner, McCormick (Marshall 46), Thompson (Douglas 62), Falconer

St Mirren were held to a 1-1 draw by Kilwinning FA Ladies in the Barclays Scottish Women's League One. 

Nikki Lavery's opener gave Saints an early lead, but Rachel Scott levelled for the visitors in the second-half to see them take a share of the spoils at a very windy SMiSA Stadium. 

Kate Cooper's side came into the match in fine form, having won six of their opening seven league matches to sit atop Barclays Scottish Women's League One. And they got off to the perfect start when Kirsten Treanor's terrific pass cut through the Kilwinning defence to find Lavery who finished well beyond opposition goalkeeper Zoe Duff. 

The Buddies came close to doubling their advantage a little over 10 minutes later when Eilidh Drain's free-kick from 20 yards came crashing off the bar. The Kilwinning defence managing to clear the danger before Saints captain Helen McLeod could get on to the rebound. 

The Ayrshire side managed to ensure they took a point from the game when they equalised on 64 minutes. A long ball launched by a Kilwinning defender bounced over the Saints defence which allowed Scott to race clear and round the goalkeeper to slot into the net.

Up next for Kate Cooper's team is a trip to Queen of the South next Sunday. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-1 Kilwinning FA Ladies

St Mirren: Russell, McLeod (c), Ashe, Coyle, Lavery, Paton, Treanor (Murray 65), Coyle (Irvine 90), Warren, Sullivan (Richard-Campbell 67)
Subs Not Used: Cannon, Cole, Monaghan

St Mirren were beaten 4-0 at Tynecastle on our return from the international break. Kenneth Vargas opened the scoring on 15 minutes before goals from Daniel Oyegoke, James Wilson and Blair Spittal in the second-half gave the hosts a win in Neil Critchley's first match as Head Coach. 

Fresh from signing a two-year contract extension yesterday, Greg Kiltie was handed his first start of the season. Scott Tanser returned from his suspension, while Oisin Smyth was handed a start as Stephen Robinson made three changes from the side that lost to Dundee United before the international break. 

Hearts started brightly in new boss Critchley's bow, having the bulk of the possession in the opening stages of the game. But it was Kiltie who had the first attempt on goal for Saints with just five minutes on the clock. The forward was under pressure from Jambos defender Kye Rowles and snatched at the chance as he sent the effort wide from 20 yards. 

The hosts would hit the front 10 minutes later when Vargas opened the scoring after a neat bit of play. The Costa Rican dummied a pass from Blair Spittal and was on hand in the box to meet Lawrence Shankland's flicked ball over the top. Alex Gogic was at full stretch to try and nod the ball away from the path of Vargas but couldn't get enough on it to stop it finding the forward who finished beyond Ellery Balcombe. 

Chances were few and far between for Saints, but the Buddies weren't far from drawing level on 37 minutes when Tanser swung a corner deep to the back post where it met the head of Killian Phillips who nodded wide of the target.

The manager made two changes at the break with Elvis Bwomono and Dennis Adeniran replacing Phillips and Smyth, but the hosts would double their lead just two minutes after the restart when Daniel Oyegoke found himself in space around 20 yards from goal and curled his strike into the back of the net. 

A triple change just after the hour mark saw 16-year-old Evan Mooney handed his St Mirren debut when he replaced Toyosi Olusanya. Kiltie and Kevin Van Veen also made way for Roland Idowu and Mikael Mandron.

16-year-old Evan Mooney came on for his Saints debut (Image: John Millar)

Hearts added a third in the closing minutes when James Wilson scored from close range. Dhanda's free-kick found Frankie Kent and the defender forced a header back across goal. Saints couldn't deal with the loose ball, with Gogic and Mandron colliding as they both attempted to head clear, which allowed substitute Wilson to bundle home.

The hosts rounded off a disappointing afternoon for the Buddies when they added a fourth in injury time. Spittal slotting low into the corner of the net from the edge of the area.

Full-Time: Hearts 4-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Dunne, Tanser, Phillips (Bwomono 46), Smyth (Adeniran 46), O'Hara (c), Olusanya (Mooney 61), Van Veen (Mandron 61), Kiltie (Idowu 61)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Brown, Boyd-Munce, Scott

Hearts: Gordon, Oyegoke (Forrester 65), Kent, Rowles, Penrice, Spittal, Boateng, Baningime (Devlin 77), Dhanda (McKay 87) , Vargas (Wilson 78), Shankland (Forrest 65)
Subs Not Used: Clark, Kingsley, Halkett, Boyce

Referee: Colin Steven
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: Gordon Crawford
Fourth Official: George Calder
VAR: David Dickinson

Saints head into the international break following defeat to Dundee United at The SMiSA Stadium.

In a game lacking in quality, the decisive moment came from a quarter of an hour from the end. Ellery Balcombe did well to parry Ross Docherty's piledriver, but could do nothing to stop Emmanuel Adegboyega – guilty of missing a sitter in the first half – from rushing in to net the rebound.

Saints had almost made a spectacular opening to the game as Richard Taylor acrobatically sent a corner over the bar in the opening 60 seconds. However, that wasn't a sign of things to come and things soon began to settle down, Will Ferry firing an effort well over for the visitors. A Budies free-kick then almost created a chance, keeper Jack Walton opting to punch the ball rather than catch it and Caolan Boyd-Munce crossed for Killian Phillips, however he couldn't connect properly and Walton gathered.

Seconds later United should have been ahead. A free-kick was headed on by Ross Graham and everyone apart from Adegboyega seemed to stop, however he only managed a fresh air swipe at the ball and Saints scrambled it clear. There were some half-hearted penalty appeals from the home fans when Toyosi Olusanya exchanged passes with van Veen and then went down as he entered the box, but ref Ross Hardie was unmoved.

Taylor smashed over at another corner before Roland Idowu did well to fashion himself an opening, but his shot was always going wide. The opening 45 minutes were well summed up as the half drew to a close when a penalty box scramble gave Sam Dalby a sight of goal but his shot was blocked by one of his United team mates.

There were loud penalty shouts from the away fans early in the second half when Taylor blocked Luca Stephenson's header but the officials deemed it wasn't handball. Boyd-Munce then tried his luck from 25 yards and was unlucky to see his piledriver kept out by a tremendous Walton save, Olusanya unable to force home the rebound. Ellery Balcombe's had a rather more straightforward job a few moments later when it came to dealing with Stephenson's header.

Phillips curled one wide from the edge of the box as Saints threatened again, another chance coming when Mark O'Hara's corner was headed back across goal by Phillips but Olusanya could only nod over the bar.

However, with 15 minutes left it was United who took the lead, a corner dropping perfectly for Ross Docherty at the edge of the box and while Balcombe kept it out, he could do nothing as Adegboyega netted the rebound to make up for his earlier miss.

Sub James Scott turned and shot over from the edge of the box as Saints looked to respond quickly, Phillips then doing likewise from a bit closer in. Sub Oisin Smyth did find the target with his attempt but it was easy for Walton. Six minutes of stoppage time provided some hope for the Buddies but Taylor heading over from Smyth's cross was as good as it got.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-1 Dundee United

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Dunne (Mandron 81), R.Taylor, Phillips, Boyd-Munce (Smyth 84), O'Hara (c) (Bwomono 81), Idowu (Scott 65), Van Veen (Kiltie 65), Olusanya
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Penman, Adeniran, Ayunga

Dundee United: Walton, Adegboyega, Gallagher, Graham (Holt 57), Stephenson, Sevelj, Docherty (c), Sibbald, Ferry, van der Sande (Middleton 38), Dalby
Subs Not Used: Richards, Babunski, Odada, Fotheringham, Thomson, Stirton, Ubochioma

Referee: Ross Hardie
Assistant Referee: Frank Connor
Assistant Referee: Paul O'Neill
Fourth Official: Duncan Nicolson
VAR: Greg Aitken

Attendance: 7,166

Manager Reaction

Watch manager Stephen Robinson's reaction to our 1-0 defeat to Dundee United.