St Mirren

Roland Idowu found the net in extra time to send St Mirren past Airdrieonians into the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Match report

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "We found a way. There's a lot of tired legs from Tuesday night [and the win over Hearts]. We lacked a little bit of quality in the final third. If you find a way to win, you're in the draw, you've still got an opportunity.

"It's certainly a great chance. If you've won a cup, got to a quarter-final and we manage to stay in the league, it ends up being a terrific season.

"Airdrie were excellent, credit to them. We got really casual. Some tired minds, poor decisions. They had spells in the game where they had momentum and it's a lesson."

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Stephen Robinson has urged St Mirren to continue their new-found momentum by avoiding a Scottish Cup shock in Airdrie on Friday night - live on BBC Scotland.

After battling their way to a point with 10 men against Dundee, the Buddies stunned Premiership Hearts - who had Craig Halkett sent off - 1-0 on Tuesday night for a first win in eight league games.

"Clean sheets mean you don't lose football matches and that's been part of our unbeaten run in the last four games," Robinson said in a club video.

"We said after the Dundee game that was a real positive result with 10 men, whatever way we got four points out of the two games, didn't matter. We have managed to do that.

"You have to remember we won a cup not too long ago as well.

"We have the opportunity to get to the quarter-final of another cup on Friday night and we'll need the same level of performance.

"Ultimately, every season starts at St Mirren with the reality of trying to stay in this division.

"We have massively overachieved as a group of players and staff, and sometimes people forget that.

"So it's really, really nice to be back to winning ways on a good run and looking to end a positive week on Friday night, hopefully."

Airdrie go into the game on the back of victory over Arbroath in the KDM Evolution Trophy and some impressive form since Aaron Taylor-Sinclair became their third manager of the season.

The Diamonds have only lost twice in their past 13 matches under the former Partick Thistle and Motherwell full-back.

The Airdrie boss said: "It's a manager I played under at Motherwell so I know how good a coach he is and how well he coaches his teams. So it's a difficult task but one we are looking forward to."

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St Mirren defender Miguel Freckleton says the Buddies are "relieved" to pick up their first league win since December after they beat leaders Hearts on Tuesday night.

The 22-year-old scored in the 88th minute in Paisley to overcome 10-man Hearts and give Stephen Robinson's side a much-needed three points.

Craig Halkett was shown a straight red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity after half an hour with the score at 0-0 but the Buddies have faced, and been beaten by, a 10-man Hearts already this term.

Hearts managed to score twice at Tynecastle, despite being reduced to 10 players, and beat Robinson's side 2-0 last month.

"It was a relief," goalscorer Freckleton said of the win on Tuesday night.

"We needed that as a team, the fans needed that and we needed that.

"We've been there [Tynecastle] before and we lost 2-0 when they went down to 10 so we had to make sure we kept a clean sheet and then we got the goal.

"The manager always says, football opinions can change very fast.

"We beat the league leaders and if win on Friday we're in the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup."

The transfer window shut on Monday with Freckleton still in Paisley, despite reported interest from clubs in England.

But the centre-back insists he's committed to Robinson's project.

"I spoke to the manager and I said I'm happy here and I want to stay here," he added.

"Obviously, it's good when I'm confident and I want to keep this confidence going and I want to play for the team and the fans.

"You can go somewhere else and you can lose your confidence so I think being here right now is the best for me."

We asked for your thoughts after St Mirren beat 10-man Hearts 1-0 in the Scottish Premiership to pick up their first win since December.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

JayDee: We really must stop having a pop at Stephen Robinson and the team. Most of the players have come to Paisley because of the manager. I dread to think where we would be in terms of recruitment without his good name. We have a squad containing full Internationals full-time professionals from around the UK & Europe. This doesn't happen in Paisley, not in my lifetime.

Sean: There's the St Mirren I know. Played with intensity and desire from the first minute and didn't allow a very, very good Hearts side time to settle. The red card helps but we played like we did first half of the campaign. Alex Gogic was superb in his natural position, Shamal George and the defence coped with the threat of Claudio Braga and Pierre Landry Kabore. Mikael Mandron and Dan Nlundulu battling constantly up top, and young Jacob Devaney was simply outstanding - gave us the composure we've lacked with Keanu Baccus missing. Tough games to come, but we go next week to Kilmarnock with a huge opportunity to pull away from the quagmire.

Andy: Great performance from Saints but we must start to take our chances, or could find ourselves struggling again. Solid display from young Jacob Devaney did very well to win the ball for the sending off.

Leaders Hearts remain six points in front as they were beaten for only the third time in the Premiership this season, with Miguel Freckleton's 88th-minute header ending a poor run of form for St Mirren.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson told BBC Scotland: "Hearts are a very good side and very difficult side to break down. We played them with 10 men a few weeks ago and weren't able to do that, so we learned our lesson and showed patience.

"We thoroughly deserved the win. We started really brightly, our pressing was back to what it was. We had a penalty overturned, rightly so. Both decisions were outside the box.

"It was important we continued to be patient, play balls in behind. The subs were very good when they came on and eventually we got our just rewards.

"That's us four unbeaten now. There's light at the end of the tunnel. People forgot we won a cup six weeks ago. We've got the opportunity to go into the quarter-final of another cup on Friday.

"The boys have massively overachieved but haven't forgotten what the basics are. We need to try to stay in the division and the result tonight helps us."

We asked for your thoughts on St Mirren's business in the January transfer window.

Here's what some of you said:

Alan: Not enough work done in the January window, especially with the position we are in, but the problem is finding the right players. Kion Etete is definitely not one of them.

Pauline: January is always a difficult month to recruit. Think Jake Young looks a good prospect, need to see more of Etete. Sorry to see Evan Mooney go, but it's a good move for him. I am disappointed he wasn't put out on loan to get him more game time, we move on.

Tony: I think this window has all but confirmed we will be bottom two.

Alistair: Good luck to Evan, it's a no-brainer, it was good to keep the core group as we've lost key players to injury. Stephen Robinson rarely gets it wrong so hoping the new guys get up to speed quickly as we're in a scrap.

Andrew Christie
Fan writer

There are players who arrive at a club, do a job, leave a handful of memories, and slowly fade into the background hum of football.

And then there are players who arrive and, almost without you realising it, shape the rhythm of the team.

Not a headline. Not a symbol. Just someone you rely on without thinking, the quiet presence that makes everything feel… steady.

Marcus Fraser is very much that player.

Two hundred and fifty appearances for St Mirren. That's a lot of football. Rain, wind, late nights, trips that feel like road movies, knocks that didn't make the media, games where nothing happened except that everything worked.

Five years of making St Mirren calmer, smarter, steadier. The kind of presence you only fully appreciate when you try to imagine the team without him - and it suddenly feels wrong.

Fraser arrived in Paisley in 2020 on a one-year deal from Ross County, where he'd spent over five years and captained the side. Calm, dependable, quietly unshakable.

Celtic academy at eight. Europa League debut at 17. He wasn't flashy. He didn't need to be. He just… fitted.

Fraser has turned out as a right-back. Wing-back. Centre-back. Right of a back three. Left of a back three. He's The Dude's rug. Really ties the room together.

Wherever he's placed, the team somehow makes sense. Chaos falls into order. Gaps close. Mistakes vanish. And you realise: oh. That's why it works.

Milestones stacked up, 200th appearance, Boxing Day 2024 - famous win over Rangers. And then there was Hampden. The 2025 League Cup final. St Mirren lift the trophy. Fraser, captain, goalscorer, lifting it first.

Then, as he leads the team out for number 250 against Dundee, it feels like the right moment to appreciate it properly.

He's been the calm centre, the steady hand, the guy quietly making it all work for years. Every tackle, every decision, every subtle adjustment that made the team stronger, smoother, more certain - it all adds up here.

A long-overdue nod to everything he's done. Fraser. The reason it all holds together.

Andrew Christie can be found at Misery Hunters, external

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• Only against Ross County (nine) and Motherwell (eight) has Hearts' Lawrence Shankland scored more Scottish Premiership goals than he has against St Mirren (seven), with the forward netting five in his past seven league appearances versus the Buddies.

• St Mirren have only lost one of their past seven Scottish Premiership games at home to Hearts (W2 D4), a 2-1 reverse in April 2024.

• Hearts have only suffered one defeat in their past eight league meetings with St Mirren (W5 D2), going down 2-1 in September 2024 in what was Steven Naismith's final game in charge of the club.

• St Mirren have only won one of their past 33 league games against opponents starting the day top of the Premiership (D4 L28), a 2-0 home win over Celtic in September 2022.

• Hearts are unbeaten in seven top-flight games played on a Tuesday (W5 D2) since a 3-1 defeat at Celtic in January 2018.

With the transfer window now shut, we want to know if you think your team have made the right moves.

St Mirren were busy on deadline day, signing Jacob Devaney on loan as Evan Mooney was sold to Arsenal.

The Buddies added Jake Young, Allan Campbell and Kion Etete earlier in the window while Fraser Taylor and Oisin Smyth went out on loan.

Are you happy with the club's business? Are Saints in good shape now to secure Premiership survival?

Tell us your thoughts here.

Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart disputes the decision to send off St Mirren forward Jake Young in the Buddies' goalless draw against Dundee on Saturday.

"I thought Stephen Robinson summed it up perfectly - he doesn't stretch, he's not high," Stewart said.

"Yes he catches him and there's probably enough in officialdom world to say it's a red, but I think that was a perfect example of a yellow card at most."

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St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson says his team will need to rely on "desire and attitude" when Premiership leaders Hearts come to Paisley on Tuesday.

Robinson's side are without a win in seven matches, including a 2-0 defeat by 10-man Hearts last month.

Both teams were in action on Saturday as Hearts beat Dundee United and St Mirren drew with Dundee, but Robinson says he is not able to rotate his squad like opposite number Derek McInnes.

"I expect another tough challenge," Robinson said. "We only played Hearts recently, there was not a lot between the teams at that stage but we had individual errors.

"But we had a clean sheet on Saturday, so that's a positive. We have to do the same. We have to keep a clean sheet.

"We know they've got a big squad and we know they can change it up and change things around. We can't. But we'll go with the same desire and attitude, I've no doubt about that.

"We just need to add that bit of quality, which I'm hoping will come when the players we've brought in get that extra sharpness from games and a little bit of confidence as well.

"That's obviously something as well that comes with winning games. We look forward to the game."

The Buddies are set to be without injured trio Mark O'Hara, Jonah Ayunga and Keanu Baccus plus the suspended Jake Young, unless an appeal against the attacker's red card in Saturday's goalless draw with Dundee is successful.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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Manchester United Under-21s skipper Jacob Devaney is set for a loan move to Scottish Premiership side St Mirren.

Devaney, 18, has been a key figure in United's under-21 set-up this season, featuring in every game, initially under Travis Binnion and then Tom Curtis following a coaching reshuffle at senior level.

He has excelled in central defence, at right-back and in central midfield as United have spent most of the season at the top of the Premier League 2 table.

However, he is yet to break into the first-team squad and is now set to get his chance in Scotland's top flight with St Mirren, who have not won in the league since 20 December.

St Mirren forward Evan Mooney, 18, could join Arsenal, who are pondering a £400,000 plus add-ons bid. (Sun), external

Monday's Scottish gossip

Watch highlights as 10-man St Mirren and Dundee share the points in a goalless stalemate in Paisley. (Available to UK users only)

We asked for your views on 10-MAN St Mirren's 0-0 draw against Dundee.

Here's what some of you said:

Douglas S: Poor quality in the final third. New signings not up to speed yet, but looked promising. Alex Gogic was immense again but referee Nick Walsh shouldn't be allowed to referee another game, at any level. Some of his decisions were totally baffling and his two assistants were equally as bad. Saints will come good again and will remain in this league.

Stuart: Maybe it's time for Stephen Robinson to move on for his own benefit. Club budget can't buy decent players and many of the existing ones are embarrassingly poor. Currently playing like they've never met before.

David: Another shocking refereeing performance and VAR choosing not to do its job properly again overshadowed another very poor St Mirren performance. The Buddies' bubble burst after the League Cup win, however it had been in very soapy waters right from the start of this season. We simply can't score goals.

Iain: We're not a good watch at the moment, can't score and injuries to key players are killing us. Never a sending off, Walsh moved too quickly to get his red card out. The positives are that we dug in with 10 men, performances of Gogic, Marcus Fraser etc. Come the end of the season, this might prove to be a precious point.

Neil: Another game where we had plenty of effort but lacked conviction and created little. Two new strikers but no change in service from a meek midfield that was dominated by Dundee who played a lot of nice stuff but never threatened in the final third. Sending off was soft but we played just as well with 10 men.

Douglas M: It was a game that reflected the inability of each side to score goals. Neither keeper was tested to any extent. Not quite sure how we break out of this relegation scramble at the bottom. Livingston seem divorced, but Kilmarnock will put something together, meanwhile we struggle to find the net.