It wasn’t too long ago that a visit to Paisley from either Rangers or Celtic usually spelled a heavy defeat for the Buddies.
Having been on the end of a fair few hammerings, sometimes it felt like even just keeping the scoreline respectable was a decent result in itself.
That is what makes the overall feeling after last Saturday’s draw with Gio van Bronckhorst’s side even more impressive.
St Mirren weren’t happy with just a point against Rangers. They wanted more.
Admittedly the Govan side haven’t been at their best this season.
But they have still tasted defeat just twice domestically this season and came to the SMiSA Stadium boasting a squad stuffed with international talent.
The Saints came mighty close to dishing out a third loss. As they did in their recent 2-0 win against Celtic in Paisley, Stephen Robinson opted for brute force up front with Jonah Ayunga and Curtis Main again causing havoc up front.
The pair linked up for the opener, with Main flicking on a long throw that Ayunga buried at the second attempt.
With the clock ticking down it looked like ragged Rangers were going to be heading back along the M8 empty-handed, just as their Glasgow rivals did in September.
Unfortunately, after a brilliant defensive display throughout the match Ryan Kent finally got the better of a St Mirren defender.
Marcus Fraser deserves a lot of respect for holding his hands up after the match and admitting he’d made a mistake.
These things happen in football, especially when a lightening fast winger is bursting into the box late in the game while you hang on to a narrow lead.
Ayunga was absolutely right in his post-match press conference that St Mirren deserved to win the match.
St Mirren limited the visitors to minimal chances and created a fair few of their own too.
While a draw against the Old Firm will never be sniffed at by the Buddies, the fact everyone associated with the club wanted more shows just how far they’ve come in recent years.
Jim Goodwin, in fairness, started the trend, with that incredible late League Cup quarter-final win against Rangers, sealed by Conor McCarthy’s dramatic winner that showed the club they could go toe-to-toe with the Glasgow giants.
Now Stephen Robinson appears to have drilled his side into a system that can take not just points off every club in the top flight, but maximum points.
Four out of six against the Old Firm already this season is a brilliant tally. Not many of their rivals for a top six spot will match that up until the split.
So it’s undeniable St Mirren have got themselves into a brilliant position when they return from the World Cup break.
While there’s no men’s game this weekend, Buddies can still get their fix of football at the SMiSA Stadium by getting along to the ground on Sunday afternoon to watch the club’s women’s team in action.
The job head coach Kate Cooper has achieved in bringing the women’s team up from scratch to competing at the top end of the SWF League One in the space of just five years is truly exceptional.
Many of the club’s players are St Mirren fans themselves, so playing at the SMiSA is going to be a hugely exciting and memorable occasion.
Considering the hard work they’ve put in to promote the game, particularly sticking with it despite the coronavirus pandemic which caused several other women’s teams to fold, they truly deserve the chance to step out at the club’s ground.
A big crowd would also go a long way to making the day extra special, so if you can get along to give Cooper’s team the support they deserve.
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