Let’s not beat around the bush here. St Mirren have a monumental challenge on their hands this weekend to get themselves into the quarter-finals of this year’s Scottish Cup.
On paper, tomorrow afternoon’s trip to Parkhead looks like an almost impossible task. Not only do the Hoops have home advantage, they also haven’t tasted defeat at Celtic Park this season in the Premiership, the Scottish Cup or the League Cup.
In short, it’s a hell of an ask for the Buddies to go and be the first and deny Ange Postecoglou’s side. However, as Stephen Robinson has said recently – thankfully football isn’t played on paper.
And when you look back at previous cup clashes with Celtic, St Mirren have a few memorable occasions to draw on for inspiration.
In 2009, the Buddies sent the Glasgow giants out at the quarter-final stage to reach the last four thanks to Billy Mehmet’s nerveless penalty. And in 2013, St Mirren toppled Celtic 3-2 at a packed Hampden Park to reach the League Cup final.
And just last year, Robinson’s side handed Postecoglou’s side their first domestic defeat of the season – and it wasn’t just a smash and grab in Paisley. It was a thoroughly deserved victory with Mark O’Hara and Jonah Ayunga putting the Hoops to the sword at the SMiSA Stadium.
In terms of winning the Scottish Cup itself, the current St Mirren crop can look back a bit further to 1987. Last year, I spoke to manager Alex Smith about that remarkable achievement and this week I talked to his assistant Jimmy Bone. It’s incredible how aligned their thoughts were on that final against Dundee United.
Yes, their Buddies were huge underdogs. And yes, on paper the Terrors, who had reached the UEFA Cup final that season at the expense of Barcelona, had arguably a better squad. But what Bone and Smith were both certain of was that St Mirren’s players went into that final full of self-belief that they could win it, no matter what the odds where.
And that is exactly the message Robinson needs to drill into his players before they take to the pitch tomorrow night and face a sold-out Parkhead crowd baying for metaphorical blood.
Of course, the game plan will need to be spot on. Players will have to win their individual battles and also hope (and pray) that Celtic have an off day.
But if they don’t go into the game believing they have at least a puncher’s chance, then the game’s a bogey before it’s even begun.
Ayunga will, of course, be a huge miss from that deserved victory against Celtic earlier this season. His physical presence alongside Curtis Main gave the Hoops defence nightmares that afternoon.
While I’m a big fan of Alex Greive, I think Tony Watt’s physical attributes and link-up play would better replicate Ayunga at Celtic Park, where chances to keep the ball in the final third are likely going to be far and few between.
Watt has had plenty of doubters over the last few seasons, but he’s got plenty of experience of the big occasion. Who could forget the goal he scored at the very same venue against Barcelona in one of Celtic’s most incredible against-the-odds wins of their own.
It happens more often in football than seems likely that players score against their old clubs.
And I think it’s worth the risk to start Watt and see if he can be the spark that gives the Buddies a chance to open up the Celtic defence.
Of course, every single Saints player, whoever makes the starting XI, is going to need to have the game of their lives tomorrow evening to stand a chance.
But, as Bone told me this week, there’s something magic about the Scottish Cup that delivers upsets every single year.
The Paisley club's supporters will be hoping their side can put a spell on the Hoops and send them hurtling out of the competition tomorrow night.
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