A penalty, controversial VAR decisions, a red card, a golazo and a last-minute overhead kick.
No-one can say you don’t get value for money down at the SMiSA Stadium these days.
When the rain started lashing down on Wednesday night I feared the game could turn into a dreary affair.
But the 100+ minutes of football served up were a treat for the neutral, albeit it was the St Johnstone fans who headed home the much happier bunch after Nicky Clark’s dramatic overhead kick equaliser.
Ultimately St Mirren paid the price for sitting off the visitors after Mark O’Hara’s stupendous wonderstrike.
While St Johnstone were a wounded animal, and crucially down to ten men after VAR intervened to give Alex Mitchell his marching orders, the Buddies failed to deliver a knockout blow.
That of course allowed St Johnstone to battle back and pinch a point through Clark’s late leveller, a suckerpunch for every Buddie who thought they were walking away with three points that would have seen St Mirren soar up to fourth spot in the Premiership table.
While boss Stephen Robinson couldn’t understand why there were a minimum of five minutes additional time given at the end of the second half, the home side should have still seen the game out regardless.
Instead of going for the jugular themselves late on, Robinson threw on defender Joe Shaughnessy and enforcer Alex Gogic in a bid to see the game out.
Ultimately that was a tactical move that backfired massively.
Of course it could have all been different if Greg Kiltie’s strike had curled just inside the post instead of inches wide with the scoreline balanced delicately at 2-1.
Having waited patiently for an opportunity, the talented playmaker was one of the Buddies’ star performers on Wednesday.
On a night of brilliant goals, he took his own with aplomb to get his side level.
He also bagged an assist with a clever cushioned chest pass to O’Hara, although we won’t give him too much credit for what followed.
O’Hara has been hugely impressive as the Saints’ stand-in captain this season, and his fourth goal already of the campaign was the pick of the bunch.
You won’t see a much better goal in Paisley this season. It was a hit that deserved to be a winner.
Kiltie has certainly put his name in the hat for a starting berth against Rangers tomorrow afternoon.
With Keanu Baccus still nursing an injury, no-one could begrudge Robinson for playing it safe with the Australian who is set to become St Mirren’s first ever World Cup star.
Yes he’s a hugely influential player for the Buddies first and foremost, but this could well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Baccus.
It would be beyond cruel to risk him when only half-fit and to see him hobble off the pitch with his childhood dream in tatters. Particularly given how well he’s played for the Paisley club to get into the position he has.
No doubt every Saints fan will be supporting the Socceroos at the World Cup, but before then there is the small matter of tomorrow’s clash with Rangers.
While the Glasgow side are undoubtedly not as consistent as they were last season, they have still won ten of their opening 14 Premiership games so far and boast a hugely talented squad.
That being said, St Mirren have won five of their last seven fixtures at the SMiSA and proved they can beat anyone on their home turf after brilliantly ending Celtic’s incredible domestic unbeaten run back in September.
After an undeniably impressive start to this league campaign, it would be a sweet moment for the Buddies to head into the World Cup break by toppling both sides of the Old Firm by mid-November.
After the late drama of Wednesday night, Robinson and his troops would certainly sign up for a straightforward narrow victory to cap off a brilliant start to the season before attention turns to Qatar.
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