Head coach Kate Cooper believes her Buddies proved they're a class above after pushing SWF Championship side Rossvale all the way in their high-scoring Women's Scottish Cup clash.
The SWF League One side went into the third round clash with in-form Rossvale, who currently sit second in their division, as underdogs. But Saints gave the Bishopbriggs side a serious scare at Mossedge Village, where only a late second-half goal made the result secure.
The visitors struggled to break down St Mirren and had to rely on an own goal from a corner to take the lead just a minute before half-time. The home side came out fighting in the second half, equalising through Ceara Macintyre just two minutes after the restart.
While Joss Fletcher restored Rossvale's lead, Cooper's side refused to give up the fight and levelled again through Gemma Dickson. Despite their stirring comeback, goals from Kirsten Treanor and Elise Weiringa eventually put the Championship side through to the next round.
Cooper was delighted to see her side show they're still progressing on the park after running their much-fancied opponents so close throughout the exciting tie.
She told Renfrewshire Live Sport: "We're naturally a wee bit disappointed with the result, but when you look at how much we've progressed it's hard to be downhearted.
"We pushed them all the way which shows we're still growing so much.
"They scored just before half-time, which was a real blow. If we'd got in at 0-0 I think it would have been a real challenge for them.
"We still bounced back from that though and equalised twice, both good goals from open play.
"I thought we were a bit hard done by for their second goal, as it looked like a foul in the build-up.
"They're second top of the division above and you could see by their celebrations at the end of the match that they'd been in a serious game.
"They maybe thought it was going to be a canter against us, but our players are starting to realise the potential we have in this squad. We've shown in recent weeks we don't need to fear any other team."
The Buddies have a break this weekend before their final fixture of 2022 against Dundee West on Sunday, December 18.
Cooper is determined to end the club's excellent end to the year on a high as they look to keep their momentum going before the short winter break.
Cooper said: "We've come so far over the last few months and we don't want that momentum to go to waste.
"The effort and commitment of the players has been fabulous. There's a feeling of constant progress and it's still just small margins that are the key.
"The journey they'e went on has already been incredible and they understand we're getting better every single week."
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