St Mirren booked their place in the fourth round of the IRN-BRU Cup after a hard fought extra-time win over Albion Rovers. Saints found themselves 2-0 down early on but showed good resilience to score three goals in eight minutes to take the lead. However, Albion equalised moments later to level the scores at 3-3 going into the half-time break. A drab second half followed before Lawrence Shankland headed home to seal a 4-3 win for the Buddies. Saints were well worthy of the win as they controlled the game for the most part and will be pleased to have their name in the hat for the fourth round.

St Mirren started the game fairly well, winning a corner early on but found themselves one behind with just eight minutes on the clock when Ross Dunlop scored. A corner kick that was put into the Saints box was punched by Jamie Langfield, though the goalkeeper didn’t get enough contact on it and it fell to Dunlop who controlled the ball before belting it into the St Mirren net. It was a disappointing start that was only going to get worse when the other Dunlop, captain Michael, added his name to the scoresheet. Another corner was Saints undoing as the ball was swung deep into the box where Dunlop rose above the Saints defenders to bullet Albion into a 2-0 lead.

It was surreal stuff for St Mirren, to be two down with only 15 minutes on the clock and the pitch wasn’t helping as any time the ball was sprayed across the pitch it was bobbling. That was no excuse for the Saints and they know they were staring down the barrel of a cup upset in a competition that they made it to the semi-final stage of last season. Langfield had to be on alert when Ryan Wallace tried to catch the experienced goalkeeper out at his near post from a free kick but it was easily gathered.

Lewis Morgan gave St Mirren a lifeline when he smashed home on the half hour mark. It was a great effort from the youngster who has really made a mark on the first team this season, as he cut in from the right side and thumped the ball beyond Stewart from the edge of the box.

Saints started to get a grip on the game at this point as they controlled the play and were level a mere 5 minutes later through a stunning strike from Stephen Mallan. The 20 year-old, who scored 14 goals last season, went close two minutes before opening his account for the season with a long range shot that was pushed wide by Stewart. When Mallan did get his goal it could only be described as an absolute screamer. He picked the ball up in the centre of the park and leathered it, low and hard, into the left hand corner of the net leaving Stewart with no chance.

Saints were in full flow and the comeback was complete just 3 minutes later when John Sutton bulleted a header to send the travelling supporters into raptures. The striker leaped above his marker to power home Tom Walsh’s cross and put St Mirren ahead in dramatic fashion.

However, the ecstasy of coming from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 was short-lived when Ross Dunlop scored his second for Albion to level the scores just a minute later. It was a frustrating moment after having fought hard to complete the comeback. Dunlop found himself with time and space in the box and turned before firing the ball beyond Langfield to keep the drama going heading into half-time.

Half-Time: Albion Rovers 3-3 St Mirren

The second half had a lot to live up to after a blistering first half but it was a drab encounter after the break with neither side able to find the goal that would avoid going another 30 minutes for extra time. The half began with a half-time substitution for St Mirren, with youth prospect Andrew McDonald making his first team debut in place of Jordan Stewart.

Ryan Wallace, who was proving to be one of Albion’s trickier players, went close twice. Firstly with a free kick which went over the bar before an effort from outside the box which Langfield did well to tip the ball away from goal.

Saints were pushing for a winner and both Sutton and Morgan went close – the former with a header that went just wide and the latter having a shot from inside the box blocked by the Albion defence.

There was a huge cheer on the 76th minute with the emergence of Rocco Quinn who was making his comeback after a long injury lay-off had kept him out. Quinn showed his qualities when coming on with great composure on the ball and calming everything down.

There was no goal to be found before the 90th minute despite both teams going close in the closing moments and the game went into extra time.

End of 90 minutes: Albion Rovers 3-3 St Mirren

Saints were dealt a huge let off when Albion player/manager Darren Young blasted over the bar in the 96th minute. The manager, playing in midfield, was teed up in acres of space in the box but smashed the ball over the bar to the relief of the Saints defence. It was a huge chance for Albion who would rue missing that opportunity a few minutes later when Lawrence Shankland scored what turned out to be the game’s winning goal. The striker showed his attacking instincts as he was on hand to head into the net after strike partner Sutton’s deflected shot fell into his path.

Shankland’s day wasn’t done though as he picked up a booking just before the end of the first half of extra-time after a tangle with Albion’s Mark Ferry who received a second yellow and was sent off.

Both sides had half chances in the second half of extra-time – Saints to wrap up the win, Albion to take the game to penalties – but neither side could convert and it’s St Mirren whose name will be in the hat for the fourth round draw on Tuesday.

After Extra-Time: Albion Rovers 3-4 St Mirren

Albion Rovers: Stewart, Reid, Turnbull, M. Dunlop, R. Dunlop, Ferry, Fisher, Willis, Wallace (Gilmour 79), Stewart, McBride (Young 53).
Subs Not Used: Lightbody, Johnston, O’Kane, McManus, Potts (GK).

St Mirren: Langfield, Irvine, MacKenzie, Webster, Stewart (McDonald 46), Morgan, Hutton (Quinn 76), Mallan, Walsh, Sutton, Clarkson (Shankland 53).
Subs Not Used: Naismith, Baird, O’Keefe, Gallacher (GK).

Referee: Mike Roncone.
Assistant Referee: Alan Mulvanny.
Assistant Referee: Ivan Stankovic.

Attendance: 711.

Match report pictures by Allan Picken – © Allan Picken Photography.

Match Gallery Pictures © John Millar.

The Under-20 side surged to the the top of the SPFL Development League on Tuesday evening with a convincing 5-2 victory against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

The young Buddies came out the traps quickly and were a goal in front after 7 minutes when Lewis McLear forced the ball past Caley Thistle keeper Daniel Hoban. Four minutes later the lead was doubled when a great move ended with Kyle McAllister putting Saints two-up.

Saints went three-up on 22 minutes as Kalvin Orsi got on the scoresheet but ten minutes later the visitors hit two goals in the space of two minutes as Ali Sutherland netted first for Caley Thistle then Lonsana Doumbouya pulled another back from the penalty-spot ninety seconds later.

Four minutes before the half-time break Saints gave themselves a bit of breathing space again as Conor O’Keefe fired his shot past Hoban from ten yards out.

It took until 85 minutes for St Mirren to restore their three goal advantage when Lewis McLear netted for the second time in the match.

St Mirren: Langfield, McNaughton, Stewart, Magennis, Gordon, MacKenzie (Fawkes 78), McAllister (McDonald 46), Whyte, Orsi (Flanagan 67), McLear, O’Keefe.
Unused Substitutes: Barclay, McKendry, Johnston, Willison (GK).

Match report pictures © John Millar.

Tom Walsh’s 89th minute header rescued a point for St Mirren at Somerset Park. The midfielder nodded the ball beyond Greg Fleming after Lawrence Shankland launched one of his trademark throw-ins deep into the Ayr United box. A ruck of players, from both St Mirren and Ayr, attempted to get a head on it before it fell invitingly into Walsh’s path for the loanee to level the score.

The Buddies started the game off sluggishly and with less than a minute on the clock, Ayr’s Nicky Devlin missed an opportunity to really test Scott Gallacher in the Saints goal with a cross-cum-shot that lacked power.

It was the hosts who took the lead early in the first half when former Kilmarnock player Jamie Adams headed home. Brian Gilmour whipped in a free kick that Adams managed to get on the end of to head into the back of the net. It was a frustrating start for Saints who are looking to get their first league win of the season on the board.

The closest Saints came in the first half came on 24 minutes when David Clarkson ran on to a cross from John Sutton but the striker was unlucky to see the attempt go wide of the keeper’s near post.

It was a drab first half with not many chances for either side but the Buddies were dealt a huge let off with 10 minutes of the first half remaining. Gilmour did well to find ex-Saint Gary Harkins with time and space in the box but the midfielder failed to get the shot away and St Mirren mopped up the danger.

Half-Time: Ayr United 1-0 St Mirren

Saints played with more purpose after the break but the warning signs were evident immediately when, just a matter of seconds into the second half, Ayr had the ball in the net a second time but thankfully the linesman’s flag had already been raised.

The Buddies were growing into the match a little more and Ryan Hardie went close when he got on the end of a cross from Jason Naismith. The striker got his head to the ball but saw the effort pushed away well by Fleming. Fleming again foiled Hardie a minute later after the loan man was found brilliantly in the box by Clarkson. He burst in on goal but his shot was blocked with Sutton unlucky not to get something on the rebound.

Tom Walsh entered the match on the hour mark and within just six minutes of being on the field, sent in a good cross for Clarkson whose header went agonisingly wide of the post.

Walsh’s desire to have an impact on the game would not be denied when he grabbed the equaliser for St Mirren with the clock fast approaching the 90 minute mark. The Ayr United defence didn’t deal with Shankland’s throw and Walsh ghosted in to nod the ball beyond the helpless Fleming.

The drama wasn’t to end there though as Sutton was put clean through on goal a minute later when Hardie found him in acres of space inside the box but Fleming was equal to it. Ayr broke up the field and almost got themselves a late winner on the counter but Harkins’ effort went wide of the far post.

Full-Time: Ayr United 1-1 St Mirren

Ayr United: Fleming, Devlin, Boyle, Murphy, Meggatt, Cairney (Crawford 81), Docherty, Gilmour, Adams, Harkins, Nisbet (Forrest 64).
Subs Not Used: Rose, Thomas, O’Connell, McGuffie, Hart (GK).

St Mirren: Gallacher, Naismith, Baird, Webster, Irvine, Stewart (Walsh 60), Mallan, Hutton (Shankland 70), Hardie, Sutton, Clarkson.
Subs Not Used: McLear, Whyte, Gordon, McDonald, Langfield (GK).

Referee: Crawford Allan.
Assistant Referee: David Roome.
Assistant Referee: Derek Crothers.

Attendance: 2,165 (800 St Mirren fans).

Match pictures by Allan Picken – © Allan Picken Photography.

Saints’ stuttering start to the season continued this afternoon as they were beaten at home by Hibs.

It was Jason Cummings who did the damage in the first half, the striker converting David Gray’s cross before taking advantage of a horrendous mix-up between Scott Gallacher and Jack Baird to grab his second. He had chances to complete his treble before the break as the visitors looked to kill the game off.

Often teams are made to pay for passing up such chances but today wasn’t one of those days. After a couple of openings were squandered, the game settled down until the final 10 minutes when there was a flurry of goalmouth action at both ends.

If you hadn’t known any better you’d have been forgiven for thinking it was a friendly. It took until six minutes from time for Saints to get a shot on target and had Hibs been put under any sustained pressure you got the feeling they would just have clicked up a few gears to deal with the problem.

Gallacher was back in goals at the expense of Jamie Langfield, one of three changes after the previous week’s defeat at Raith Rovers. John Sutton took over from Ryan Hardie up front and Tom Walsh replaced the injured Calum Gallagher. Hibs opted to leave new signings Andrew Shinnie and Brian Graham on the bench, Cummings starting up front with former Buddies John McGinn and Darren McGregor also in the team.

McGinn should have given the visitors the lead after 10 minutes. A cross from the left caused problems in the Saints defence and when the ball was cleared as far as David Gray he played it back in only for the unmarked McGinn to volley wide. Neil Lennon’s side were on top and it was little surprise they took the lead midway through the half. Lewis Morgan committed himself too early as he tried in vain to halt the progress of the rampaging Gray, the Hibs skipper getting to the byline before crossing for Cummings to slot home the opener.

For all that the visitors had seen plenty of the ball, they hadn’t exactly been creating a plethora of chances. However, Saints had enjoyed neither opportunities or possession, their first meaningful attempt on goal coming when Kyle Hutton intercepted a Hibs throw and teed up Stephen Mallan, who sent a 25-yard drive narrowly over the top corner of Ross Laidlaw’s goal. If that created some hope among the home fans, it wasn’t to last as their side was soon two goals down. Gallacher and Baird left a harmless ball to the other to deal with and Cummings didn’t need asking twice, immediately rushing in to mop up possession and squeeze a shot into the net from a tight angle.

The cautious optimism turned into vocal disgruntlement and there was no let up from Hibs, James Keatings not too far away with a hopeful 30 yard effort before Cummings was sent through only to shoot straight at Gallacher. The Saints defence was struggling to cope with the striker and another chance for the hat-trick arrived soon after, this time Gallacher saving it before reacting quickly to keep out Grant Holt’s follow-up effort. Brief respite came when Saints were awarded a free-kick but Mallan’s delivery was a little too deep and Andy Webster couldn’t get his header on target – much to the delight of the Hibs fans behind the goal. Their side resumed the hunt for a third and it almost arrived when Gray found McGinn at the edge of the box, the midfielder going close with a powerful effort.

Half-Time: St Mirren 0-2 Hibernian

Morgan, who’d been on the end of a hefty challenge early in the first half, failed to reappear after the break, Hardie replacing him. The young striker – who has scored in his last three games for Saints and Rangers under-20s – had a chance to make an instant impact as the ball dropped to him in the box, however he smashed his shot well off target. Hutton was first in the book for wrestling with Lewis Stevenson before Baird had a chance to partially redeem himself for earlier. Mallan’s free-kick was flicked on to the back post but the big defender couldn’t adjust himself quickly enough and he headed well over.

There was no cavalry charge to follow those chances, Hibs looking well in control without really threatening to add a third. Midway through the half Shinnie was handed his debut at the expense of Keatings with Saints putting David Clarkson on for Sutton, Jordan Stewart replacing Lawrence Shankland a few minutes later. Hibs responded with Graham being handed his first appearance in the fluorescent shirt when he came on for Holt.

Things got a bit more interesting in the final stages as the chances began to come. Shinnie went close to grabbing a debut goal when he shot just over from 20 yards or so before Saints finally managed a shot on target as Laidlaw held Clarkson’s effort. Shinnie again went close to scoring as he curled a shot over the bar but there was to be no hat-trick for Cummings, who was replaced by Martin Boyle for the final few minutes.

Mallan almost found the net with a spectacular free-kick that flashed just past the post before Stewart was booked for fouling Bartley. The free-kick almost provided Hibs with their third, Gallacher doing well to block Graham’s shot from close range. In the final seconds McGinn almost increased the misery on his old side as he rattled the bar with a howitzer, the ball dropping in front of the line before bouncing to safety.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-2 Hibernian

St Mirren: Gallacher, Naismith, Irvine, Webster, Sutton (Clarkson 70), Shankland (Stewart 75), Mallan, Walsh, Hutton, Baird, Morgan (Hardie 46).
Subs Not Used: Whyte, Gordon, McDonald, Langfield (GK).

Hibernian: Laidlaw, Gray, Hanlon, Bartley, McGinn, Holt (Graham 76), McGeough, Stevenson, Keatings (Shinnie 68), McGregor, Cummings (Boyle 84).
Subs Not Used: Fyvie, Forster, Crane, Virtanen (GK).

Referee: Don Robertson.
Assistant Referee: Stuart Hodge.
Assistant Referee: Kevin McElhinney.

Attendance: 4,517

Match report and match gallery pictures by John Millar – © John Millar.

A 63rd minute goal from Ryan Hardie wasn’t enough to spark a comeback for St Mirren after they went 3-0 down away to Raith Rovers. A first half goal from Declan McManus was the start of a bad day for the Saints which was only added to by Ross Callachan and a McManus second.

Hardie’s goal spurred on St Mirren but they couldn’t build on it and in the end it proved a consolation.

The match started brightly for the Saints as they had a corner within the first minute. Stephen Mallan was the player to send it in and it found Jason Naismith, whose header was held by Aaron Lennox in the Raith Rovers goal.

St Mirren continued their pressure in the opening exchanges, Jack Baird sending in a free kick which was played to Hardie, The man on loan saw his shot cannon back off a Raith defender and so started the home side’s pressure. Bobby Barr won Raith Rovers a free kick in a dangerous area and it was played into the Saints box. After a bit of head tennis, the ball was eventually cleared.

The ever influential Lewis Morgan got his first chance to make his mark on the game as he flew up the wing and cut the ball back to Lawrence Shankland who in turn cut past two defenders before unleashing his shot. However, Lennox managed to get his fingertips to it and see it out for a corner. While Lennox saved, Calum Gallagher went down and required attention.

Moments later, the deadlock was broken by McManus at the other end of the park. The ball was flicked on by Lewis Vaughan and McManus cut past the defence and lobbed the ball over Jamie Langfield.

Things got more difficult for the visitors as they had to make an early change. The knock Gallagher picked up forced him off and he was replaced by Tom Walsh.

Raith Rovers continued to attack and McManus was the main threat. He came close to his second after half an hour but he dragged his shot wide.

Next was the first penalty claim the Saints had. Mallan looked to be taken out in the box but nothing came of it and in the end captain Andy Webster was shown a yellow card after protesting.

Half-Time: Raith Rovers 1-0 St Mirren

Much like the first half, St Mirren were first to press in the second. Within minutes, they had a free kick. The ball was floated in and Hardie got on the end of it, however, his shot wasn’t strong enough to trouble Lennox.

The free kick was followed by a corner but the set pieces did not pay off as the Rovers countered and scored two in quick concession.

Straight from the Saints corner, Rovers streaked up the park and Ross Callachan doubled the lead. Only a minute later, McManus had his second. A mix up between Langfield and Webster allowed McManus to loop round the keeper and slot the ball into an open goal.

With 40 minutes left of the match, St Mirren searched for a way back into the game and the glimmer of hope came on the 63rd minute. The visitors won a throw in and Lawrence Shankland’s trademark long throw paid off. After several attempts to clear the ball by Raith, Hardie latched on to the end of it and turned it passed Lennox.

The Buddies continued their search for another goal and it looked like the opportunity came when there were claims of a handball in the box but the referee waved them away and play continued.

In the end there wasn’t enough time for St Mirren to bring it back.

Full-Time: Raith Rovers 3-1 St Mirren

Raith Rovers: Lennox, Thomson, McHattie, Callachan, M’voto, Bennedictus, Vaughan (Skacel 71), Barr, Matthews (Roberts 83), McManus (Stewart 78), Thompson.
Subs Not Used: Johnston, Osei, Coustrain, Cuthbert (GK).

St Mirren: Langfield, Naismith (Sutton 55), Webster, Baird, Irvine, Mallan (Clarkson 83), Gallagher (Walsh 23), Hutton, Morgan, Hardie, Shankland.
Subs Not Used: Gordon, O’Keefe, McDonald, Gallacher (GK).

Referee: Kevin Graham.
Assistant Referee: Joseph Lawson.
Assistant Referee: Steven Strang.

Attendance: 2,140 (477 St Mirren fans).