St Mirren

Watch the Sportscene panel discuss the magnitude of next weekend's encounter between St Mirren and Kilmarnock.

Read more: Play-off pressure piles up for St Mirren v Kilmarnock

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Watch the best of the action as Dundee boost their bid to avoid the relegation play-off with a 1-0 win over St Mirren, who drop to 11th. Available to UK users only.

St Mirren fans, we asked for your opinions on the 1-0 loss to Dundee at Dens Park. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Eddie: Very worrying. We have a novice at the helm and it's starting to show!

Michael: A team devoid of goals or fight. A temporary manager who lacks inspiration or strategy and is completely lost at this level. A board who clearly lack ambition and would be better suited to another sport.

A club that's on it's knees and heading for a lower league unless everyone steps up and, based upon recent performances, that is clearly not going to happen!

A lot of these players are playing in a league well above their actual skillset and are stealing an income under false pretences. I genuinely hope for a result next week but pray for a miracle.

John: Dreadful game of football. Saints have no cutting edge at all. Absolutely no chance of us beating Killie next week. We are definitely play-off bound, and with so many injuries I fear the worst.

A lot of the players need to take a look at themselves. Can't help feeling that there is already a few of them looking to their agents getting them out of the club rather than fight for the cause.

Robert: Same issue which has plagued the team all season, lack of goals! 27 goals in 35 league games is why we are where we are. The Kilmarnock game in Paisley next week is possibly the biggest game of our season. Never thought that would be possible after the Cup final in December but staying in the Premiership has to be the priority for our club every season.

Eddie: It's been a depressing season, however, even if we end up on the play-offs I think we have enough to beat any of the Championship sides who qualify to play us. It's what we have deserved.

Douglas: Absolutely not good enough to say the least. Craig McLeish seems to be out of his depth and not able to change systems, bringing on subs far too late. Mikael Mandron has to go. His work rate is appalling, he can't jump and is so slow. No wonder we are lowest scorers in the league.

Playing out from the back does not suit the players and all the square and backward passes do nothing. If we go one behind we won't score, as has been proved many times before.

St Mirren have dropped to second bottom spot in the Scottish Premiership after a 1-0 defeat by Dundee in Dens Park.

Kilmarnock have jumped above after their win over Dundee United, setting up a showdown in Paisley next Saturday.

Read the match report.

Let us know your thoughts.

Image source, SNS

St Mirren interim manager Craig McLeish suggests a lack of goals has been his side's problem all season and haunted them again in their 1-0 defeat by Dundee at Dens Park.

"Another sore result," he told BBC Scotland. "I don't think we will have come here often and dominated so much of the game.

"It is sore for the boys. The boys have given everything.

"There are bodies hanging together there. There are bodies playing with pain and injuries and people playing when they probably shouldn't be playing.

"I can't ask any more of them. It is the bit in the final third that we've been searching for all season and we're still searching for it - and that's the bit that can make the difference. The way we are playing probably deserves more from what we are taking.

"Next game [at home to Kilmarnock] was always going to be massive. We have to win now. We are up for the fight."

Image source, SNS

Dundee have a doubt over Scott Wright while Clark Robertson (thigh) is likely to remain sidelined.

Marcus Fraser has declared himself available for St Mirren six weeks after shoulder surgery and Liam Donnelly returns.

Saints have lost Jonah Ayunga to a serious knee injury, while Dan Nlundulu remains out along with goalkeepers Ryan Mullen (thigh) and Shamal George (ankle), winger Malik Dijksteel (groin) and midfielder Keanu Baccus.

Image source, SNS

Marcus Fraser is set to ignore doctor's advice and rush back from injury in an effort to help St Mirren's survival battle.

The defender's season appeared to be over after he suffered a dislocated shoulder and then underwent surgery in mid-March, but interim manager Craig McLeish revealed the 31-year-old has made himself available to face Dundee on Saturday.

The Buddies are just two points above second-bottom Kilmarnock with four games to go, starting at Dens Park.

"We just need to be careful with him because he's not at the bit yet where the specialist is happy with how his injury's properly healed," McLeish said.

"He's probably a couple of weeks away for that. The type of boy Marcus is, he's made himself available for selection and he's happy to take part and contribute.

"We can't have enough people like that around the building. It's a fantastic attitude. He's a big personality around the place, he's a big part of our group.

"He's been training now for maybe two weeks, where we've had to be careful with him and be non-contact.

"He's seen the specialist and, I don't mind saying this, he's been advised not to play for the rest of the season, but he's happy to be involved and take a little bit of that risk on as well.

"That's now up to me to balance that, but just his attitude and his willingness to be there and fight with us, that has to spread around the group as well."

Fraser's potential return comes after Jonah Ayunga suffered cruciate ligament damage for the second time in his St Mirren career, and his second major injury of the season, with his contract set to expire.

"We all feel for him," McLeish said. "He's been through it before. It's his other knee this time but it's the same injury, so it's like a double-edged sword.

"He knows that he can come back from it and he can come back strong, but he also knows what he now faces, a lengthy time out and frustrating periods through rehab."

St Mirren remain without goalkeeper Shamal George, which means loan signing Ross Sinclair will continue in the team at Dens Park.

The 24-year-old is determined to seize his unexpected opportunity after sitting on the bench throughout St Johnstone's Championship title-winning season and with his contract due to expire.

Sinclair said: "It gives me an opportunity to play games to hopefully show people what I can do and then we can take my career from there.

"Hopefully, something comes at St Johnstone but if something doesn't come at St Johnstone then hopefully it puts me in the shop window, worst case scenario. I will just focus on the job I need to do here at St Mirren."

Image source, SNS

Former St Mirren striker Rory Loy thinks losing at home to bottom side Livingston has knocked the Buddies' confidence heading into the final four games.

Livingston had only won one game this season, back in August, before they triumphed 2-0 in Paisley last weekend thanks to an Alex Gogic own goal and Scott Pittman's late strike.

Given that Kilmarnock lost at Aberdeen, St Mirren remain two points above the Rugby Park side in the relegation play-off spot as they prepare for Saturday's game at Dundee.

But Loy believes the loss to Livi is a worrying sign for Craig McLeish's injury-hit side.

"This is going to sound disrespectful to Livingston, and I don't mean it this way, but they hadn't won a game since August," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"You don't want to be the team that loses to Livingston.

"Everyone's looking to see who they'll beat, who they'll finally get that win against, and that's not to say they haven't deserved a few wins along the way between August and now, but everyone looks at it and thinks who's going to be the team [that loses].

"Not only that, it was at home as well. St Mirren's foundations have been built with good home form over the last few seasons.

"Going to Paisley, has been notoriously difficult over the last three years. They've taken points off Rangers, Celtic, Hibs, Hearts, you name it.

"So to lose to Livingston at home in such a precarious position already was damaging. Alarm bells will be ringing if they get beat this weekend."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

So St Mirren have extended the emergency loan of St Johnstone goalkeeper Ross Sinclair. Good. Shamal George is still recovering from an ankle injury and Ryan Mullen is out for the foreseeable.

Now, if only there was provision to bring in crisis cover for Alex Gogic. The Cypriot force of nature is out for half of the Buddies' remaining fixtures as they battle relegation.

Goga picked up his 14th yellow card of the season in the home defeat by Livingston and will be absent then for the matches away to Dundee and at home to Kilmarnock. He will be missed.

So will League Cup final hero Jonah Ayunga, who was carried off on a stretcher in the same game with an ACL injury and is out long term.

While we're at it, the man who opened the scoring in the League Cup final win over Celtic - Marcus Fraser - is also out for the remainder of the campaign. Australia international Keanu Baccus won't be seen again this term either.

Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune over which interim manager Craig McLeish had no control. If he can keep St Mirren in the Premiership under such circumstances you'd have to say he'd deserve a crack at the gig in the longer term.

Even though there was no European football for St Mirren this season, with two cup runs it's been a marathon and it could be said St Mirren are running out of puff – or at least personnel.

The perils of running with a smallish squad through financial necessity I guess.

But let's not dwell on the negative. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and St Mirren still have a two-point lead over Kilmarnock and superior goal difference.

Plus, a win over Dundee by a margin of two goals will lift the Buddies into the sunny uplands of ninth place, setting things up nicely for the visit of Kilmarnock a week on Saturday.

See Killie off then and Premiership survival will be in sight.

It could happen. St Mirren are enjoying more possession and creating more chances (17 shots at goal against Livingston) so maybe they just need a fortunate bounce of the ball, or a kindly VAR intervention here and there. But every club in the mire is hoping for the same.

There's no doubt the Paisley side are 'circling the drain', but even if St Mirren do get sucked down the Premiership plughole, Buddies will always have 14 December and the League Cup final to look back on. So even if the worst happens the season won't have been a complete washout.

Image source, SNS

• Only Motherwell's Ibrahim Said (38) has created more chances without yet providing an assist in the Scottish Premiership this season than Dundee's Yan Dhanda (35).

• Dundee have won their past two Scottish Premiership home games against St Mirren, as many as their previous 10 against the Buddies in the top flight beforehand (W2 D3 L5).

• St Mirren have only won one of their past six league meetings with Dundee (D2 L3), a 1-0 victory in September this season.

• Dundee have lost three of their past four league games (D1), as many as their previous 12 beforehand (W5 D4 L3).

• Over their past 10 Scottish Premiership matches, St Mirren have picked up just seven points (W2 D1 L7), the fewest of any side in the competition.

Image source, SNS

Goalkeeper Ross Sinclair will remain at St Mirren on another seven-day emergency loan from St Johnstone.

The 24-year-old joined last week and started in the Buddies' 2-0 defeat to Livingston.

It was the goalkeeper's first appearance since May 2025 when St Johnstone were last in the Scottish Premiership.

St Mirrren's first-choice keeper Shamal George remains on the sidelines while back-up Ryan Mullen is out for at least three months with a thigh tear sustained in the Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Celtic.

Image source, SNS

St Mirren have confirmed forward Jonah Ayunga suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during last Saturday's defeat to Livingston.

The 28-year-old Kenya international was taken off on a stretcher in the second half of the 2-0 loss.

"Jonah ruptured the ACL in his right knee," said the club.

"The 28-year-old will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and he will have our full support.

"Everyone at St Mirren wishes Jonah the very best in his recovery."

Ayunga, who is out of contract at the end of the season, previously ruptured his ACL in January 2023, spending 10 months on the sidelines.

He joined the Paisley club four years ago and was a Hampden hero in this season's League Cup final, netting a double in the 3-1 win over Celtic.

Billy Hogg
Fan writer

The task couldn't have been simpler. Pick up three points against the league's worst team - who were enduring the longest winless run in Scottish top-flight history - and edge closer to securing a ninth straight season in the Premiership.

As we all know, though, things aren't always simple when it comes to St Mirren.

For months now, there's been a lingering feeling that Livingston were "due a win." Since their previous league victory against Falkirk on 9 August, they had drawn 12 games, thrown away 25 points from winning positions and come close to beating both Rangers and Hearts.

On Saturday in Paisley, that 31-match run finally came to a deserved end at the expense of Craig McLeish's men. In the first half the hosts were in control and carved out several decent opportunities, but were unable to put the ball in Jerome Prior's net.

After half-time, though, the Buddies were undone twice on the counter, with Alex Gogic's own goal and Scott Pittman's strike giving the visitors all three points and delaying their return to the Championship for another week at least.

For the Buddies, Kilmarnock's defeat at Pittodrie was the only bright spot on a bleak day as we remain two points clear of 11th spot.

Of course this will always go down as the season where major silverware came to Paisley for only the fifth time and the club got so, so close to another final.

But I'd quite happily pack in the season now, take the 10th-place finish and start afresh in July. Sadly the league doesn't offer deals like that and this Saturday brings a trip east to Dundee as Saints look for a first league away win outside Grangemouth in almost a year.

Gogic misses out, his 12th booking of the season earning him a two-match ban. Emergency goalie Ross Sinclair looks set to continue between the sticks as Shamal George is still to return from the injury that kept him out of the Scottish Cup semi-final loss.

To get over the line McLeish's side will need to dig deep, with this trip to Dens Park immediately followed by the ultimate six-pointer at home to Kilmarnock on 9 May.

During McLeish's brief reign there have been positives, including a gritty road win against Falkirk and impressive home victory against Aberdeen just three weeks ago.

If the Buddies are able to pull out performances like that in the next four games, another season at Scottish football's top table awaits.

But if last Saturday's second-half performance is repeated? Well, we'd be staring down the barrel of another 180 minutes - or more - of football against whoever emerges from the Championship dogfight.

For the sake of my blood pressure, let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Billy Hogg can be found at Misery Hunters, external

ARE HEARTS DESTINED TO WIN THE TITLE? 🏆

It was a seismic weekend in the hunt for the Scottish Premiership crown. Are you rejoicing, are you quietly optimistic, or are you chucking it?

Join the debate with Ray Bradshaw at 18:00 BST TONIGHT on the BBC Sport Scottish Football YouTube channel, external to give us your views in the chat. The show is fully interactive, so have your say.

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Watch the Sportscene team discuss St Mirren's lack of goal threat in their 2-0 defeat at home by Livingston.

"When you're not putting the ball in the back of the net, you run the risk of potentially getting hit with a sucker punch," former Scotland midfielder Michael Stewart said.

"Livingston were dangerous and capable. When you don't convert opportunities, you put yourself under pressure.

"The goals they concede, they are caught with quick breakaways. It's something Craig McLeish needs to look at."

Watch all the highlights as Livingston picked up their second victory of the season and handed St Mirren's survival hopes a blow with a 2-0 win in Paisley. Available to UK users only.

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St Mirren interim manager Craig McLeish insists his side will "fight till the very end" after their survival hopes were dented by a 2-0 home defeat to bottom side Livingston on Saturday.

The League Cup winners are 10th in the Premiership table, just two points above Kilmarnock in the relegation play-off spot with four games left to play.

But McLeish, who took interim charge following Stephen Robinson's move to Aberdeen, insists the Buddies are up for the fight.

"They are and they will be," he said.

"And one thing about any group that I lead is that they will fight until it's absolutely over and hopefully it's a positive outcome for us at the end of the season.

"But the one thing that we will do as a staff, as a group of players, is we will fight till the very end.

"We know we're in a fight – it wasn't like going into the game we thought we were in a comfortable position.

"We were in a fight before we went into the game, we were in a fight now.

"We've just lost one of our five games. We've got four to go to save our season."

St Mirren fans, we asked for your views after Saturday's defeat to Livingston.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Alan: Plenty of the ball in the first half but as usual no cutting edge, that has been a problem for many seasons. The second half was just awful. We really need to wake up and realize we are in serious trouble before it's too late.

Gus: The collapse in extra time at Hampden was unacceptable but I was more interested in the league. After seeing how the team played against Livi, there should be no chance of Craig McLeish being considered for the managers job.

Ali: Sigh.

Michael: Absolutely rotten from the temporary manager down. Time for a clear out. We may have won a cup be we have lost our heart. Only bonus is that those around us are just as bad. Clear out, clean up and come back with fresh blood.

Panther: An embarrassing display, especially in the second half. The entire team looked out of sorts, Mark O'Hara looked lost, Miguel Freckleton was too slow with the ball and put on a nervous display and even the usually rock-solid Alex Gogic had a bad one and a bewildering own goal. If we play anywhere near as bad as we did in this match in our remaining games we will be fortunate to get a play-off place.

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St Mirren interim manager Craig McLeish: "That was a sore one. We know we're in a fight, we know the situation we're in. It's fine margins in all of these games. You can't take anything for granted.

"Anyone can beat anyone in these games. We did probably enough in the first half to take the lead, the goalkeepers made a couple of good saves. We can't take that for granted and think that will continue to happen.

"We have to convert some of our chances. We spoke all week about Livingston being dangerous on the counter attack, and they've hit us twice.

"That was my frustration today, we were loose in possession at times. We weren't as fluid and confident on the ball as we have been.

"They wanted a slow game, a turgid game. We spoke all week about speeding it up, playing with intensity, and we didn't do that enough. A real tough one today.

"We've got a choice now. We either stick together and keep fighting, or it goes the other way. We've lost a game, we've got four to save our season."

Livingston picked up just their second Scottish Premiership win of the season - and first since August - as they beat St Mirren to keep their extremely slim survival hopes alive.

Read the match report here.

Let us know your thoughts.

Image source, SNS

St Mirren will have either 17-year-old Grant Tamosevicius, who has signed a contract extension after making his debut in Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Celtic, or Ross Sinclair, who has arrived on a seven-day emergency loan from St Johnstone, in goal against Livingston.

It follows Sunday's injury to Ryan Mullen, while Shamal George already sidelined.

Malik Dijksteel, Keanu Baccus and Marcus Fraser are out for the season, but forward Dan Nlundulu could be back.

Livingston forwards Connor McLennan and Jeremy Bokila are still out, but midfielder Aidan Denholm is closer to featuring after recovering a long-term hamstring injury.