St Mirren

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Keanu Baccus insists the increased demands of Stephen Robinson will improve him as a player on his return to St Mirren.

The Australia midfielder, 27, rejoined the Buddies after a year at Mansfield and feels the standards have got higher during his time away.

Speaking before Sunday's trip to face Hibs, Baccus said: "It was only a year away but it felt like longer, because obviously the club were very successful last year, and in Europe. It's good to be back.

"I can feel that smile coming back. I play at my best when I'm enjoying it, definitely, when stuff is comfortable off the pitch it's easy to replicate it on the pitch.

"There's a little bit higher demand from when I was here last time, which is a great thing for us. A little bit more detail in how we want to play, it's definitely going to improve me as a player.

"When I came here the first time I was really surprised with the level of the club and the league, and when I got that phone call, it was a no-brainer to come back to improve myself and keep the club's standards high.

"I want to play in Europe myself with the club. Every game is tough but we want to be fighting at the top end of the table for sure."

St Mirren came within three minutes of holding Celtic at Parkhead and have drawn with Motherwell and Rangers either side of knocking Hearts out of the Premier Sports Cup.

The tough start continues this weekend as Robinson's men chase a fourth consecutive top-six finish in the Premiership.

"That's the standards the club has set over the last couple of years," Baccus said.

"Also, the players they've brought in have been fantastic and adapted well to the style and the way we want to play.

"It's good at the start of the season to play the tougher teams that will be in the top six because you can get a real gauge of where you are and test yourself against them."

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St Mirrern's fitness issues up front have intensified with Jonah Ayunga battling to be fit for Sunday's trip to Hibernian.

Ayunga came off in the second half of Sunday's 1-1 draw with Rangers after scoring the opener before the break.

Mikael Mandron overcame a knock to play in that game and Roland Idowu was restricted to a late cameo as he nurses a knee problem.

St Mirren will still be without Conor McMenamin, who has a calf injury, when they face Hibs and manager Stephen Robinson does not look like getting a new striker in before the trip to Edinburgh.

"Roland Idowu is still carrying a knock on his knee so we'll rest him next week. We'll try and get him through this week," Robinson said.

"And Jonah Ayunga has missed training all week with a knock on his knee so we'll assess him on Saturday and see how he is."

Robinson added: "We're not any closer but I would love to get another striker in, a quick one that gives us options.

"I felt in the Rangers game if we had that electric pace up front then we may have hit them on the counter-attack because they're obviously aggressive with how they're planning to get back into the game.

"But you've got to run the club prudently and it's a case that we probably need somebody to leave before we're able to do that, unfortunately."

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• Hibernian are winless in their past seven league meetings with St Mirren (D3 L4) since a 2-1 victory in May 2023.

• St Mirren have won each of their past three league visits to Hibs, as many as their previous 20 beforehand in the top flight (W3 D6 L11).

• Hibs are unbeaten in 13 home league games (W9 D4), their longest run in the Scottish Premiership since October 2018 (14).

• St Mirren are winless in five league games (D4 L1), last going longer without victory in May 2023 (seven).

• Hibs have scored at least twice in each of their past 10 home league games (26 goals total), the longest run in the Scottish top flight by any side other than Celtic or Rangers in the 21st century.

Chris McLaughlin
Sports news correspondent, BBC Scotland

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AI is the new battlefield in football, and as well as a race for trophies, there's currently an arms race for the very latest tech.

The new technology is transforming areas such as analysis, player fitness and most importantly scouting.

"It initially started with the man doing the match report and player analysis, but it's changing and the stuff we're seeing now is scary," said John Park, St Mirren's head of recruitment.

"Only last week we had students in from the engineering department of the University of Strathclyde profiling players with us.

"We're right at the start of it and I think we may bring the students in to do their final thesis - who knows where it might go."

Park spent many years at Celtic and was responsible for the arrival of players like Virgil van Dijk and Moussa Dembele - he's a man who knows a player.

He was appointed St Mirren's head of recruitment after Martin Foyle left to join Carlisle United.

He held the same role at at Blackburn Rovers and has also worked for Rangers, Birmingham City, Maccabi Haifa and Vancouver Whitecaps.

Park says the days of people resisting the new technology in football are over, and points to player simulation as the next big breakthrough.

If club X is looking at player Y as a potential left-back, the technology now exists for AI to look at every single game player Y has ever played and put him into a simulated match alongside his potential new team-mates.

Analysts no longer have to predict how he might play in the team - they can watch his simulation perform in front of their eyes.

"It means we could essentially take the data to the manager and say 'look, he does fit us'," said Park.

Read more: How AI is reshaping football landscape

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

St Mirren, or 'the home side' as they have tended to be referred to in the several miles of column inches devoted to Sunday's draw, appear to have Rangers' number.

The media scrum regarding Russell Martin, Hamza Igamane, Club Brugge and so on is fair enough; they are the big national story.

However, what is then lost in the frenzy is the quiet, relentless nuisance of the Saints. Dating back to last season's unlucky 2-1 defeat at Ibrox, the Buddies extended their run to five consecutive performances against the blue half of Glasgow where points (plural) would have been the fair outcome.

Unbeaten in four such fixtures, Stephen Robinson's team represent the opposite end of the effort-per-quid-spent spectrum to their weekend visitors.

Robinson continues to work balance-sheet miracles, producing top-six performances on a bottom-six budget. Possession may be sparing, but is weaponised into delivering incredibly efficient outcomes in the opposition half.

If the two-pass counter is on, the two-pass counter is played and Jonah Ayunga can gratefully hold off a Scotland international defender to smash one past an English international keeper.

Keanu Baccus, Killian Phillips and Mark O'Hara may not be earning nine-bedroom and a helipad cash in Paisley, but they eke every last ounce of effort out of their energy reserves for the entirety of their matchday.

Averaging a single shot for every 45 passes (compared to a frugal 17 for St Mirren), the visitors carried a full complement of buckets and spades to the seafront yet refused to build many sandcastles.

Able to call on Spurs' next big thing, the top-scoring defender in UK history and a former Ajax striker from their bench, it was instead the impact of a hungry, homegrown talent that eventually cut through the Saints' defensive stand.

In the Glasgow two and every latte-favouring pundit's latest fascination Motherwell, the Buddies have had a challenging opening trio of fixtures. Hotter heads might see cause for alarm in the wait for a league win and limited rewards in front of goal, though context seems to have been respected for the most part.

A visit to high-flying Hibs awaits before the international break, rounding off this gruelling opening portion of the league season.

On the far shore of that particular oasis, a run of (on paper, at least) more open fixtures await. The proof of this season's level will be in September's eating.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

We asked for your thoughts after St Mirren drew 1-1 against Rangers in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

Here's what some of you said:

Christopher: Crazy to think where we are now that we are disappointed with a point against Rangers. I think that we had lots of good chances but unfortunately didn't take them. We've had a great start to the season, lost narrowly to Celtic with a deflected strike, point at home to a very strong Motherwell who play great football and of course the result against Rangers. Not to mention that we knocked Hearts out of the League Cup. Another great season for St Mirren is on the horizon and hopefully we can push for European football again.

Douglas: Not quite sure whether this was two points lost or one point gained! By far the better side in the first half but held on towards the end of the second as Rangers battered at the door. Two points overall after three games isn't too bad, and having played each side of the Old Firm suggests that we have come a long way. Hibs away will be another test, but we have shown that we can hurt anyone in this league, so we travel in hope!

Iain: A fair result for me in the end and a deserved point. Had a horrible feeling the opposition would nick the three points at the end. We need to defend corners a bit better. Lots of good performances, I thought the goalkeeper was excellent.

Stu: Great performance first half. Good performance second half. Never felt we had to fear Rangers. Shows you how far we've come, or how far Rangers have fallen. Take your pick, but felt like two points dropped. Again, another pointer of how far we've come.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

St Mirren were excellent against Rangers on Sunday and have four players in my team of the week as a result.

Goalkeeper Shamal George made a number of impressive stops to keep Rangers at bay for the majority of the match.

Alex Gogic has the heart of a lion. He's not always perfect at the back, but he oozes leadership and pride when St Mirren are in the trenches. He is also hugely potent as a goal threat from set-pieces.

Strong, athletic, all-action - all adjectives appropriate for Killian Phillips. The Irish midfielder snapped into tackles and drove St Mirren onto the front foot.

And up front, Jonah Ayunga scored St Mirren's first Premiership goal of the season and what a huge goal it was to put Stephen Robinson's side in front.

Watch highlights as St Mirren draw 1-1 against Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson tells BBC Scotland: "I'm disappointed with the draw after the first-half performance. We controlled the game, broke really well, our play out was excellent.

"We felt we had enough chances that we could have got three points.

"We lost a little control in the game because we didn't contain the ball as much. Our two centre forwards tired which is something we have to get better at. We don't have another striker at the minute that we can put on.

"Overall I can't fault the players, we've had a tough start and some really good results. We have good boys that make the core of this team and the new players have to get to that level.

"We believe in getting our better players on the ball quicker and we're not going deviate from that. We need a really quick striker."

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Rangers came from behind to rescue a Scottish Premiership point at St Mirren - but Russell Martin's underwhelming side could not avoid recording their worst domestic start in 36 years.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say here.

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St Mirren have doubts over forward Mikael Mandron and Connor McMenamin (calf) while Roland Idowu is nursing a knee injury. Liam Donnelly (Achilles) remains out.

Cyriel Dessers is unlikely to shake off a knee injury for Rangers while fellow forward Hamza Igamane is still unable to start following his pre-season fitness issue.

Defender Nasser Djiga is suspended.

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St Mirren defender Alex Gogic is urging his team-mates to show no fear as they come up against Rangers in Sunday's Scottish Premiership match.

The Ibrox club have drawn with Motherwell and Dundee in their first two league games of the season and new head coach Russell Martin has come under further criticism following Tuesday night's 3-1 home defeat by Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off first leg.

Despite an initial request to postpone the game in Paisley, Rangers will travel to take on Stephen Robinson's side on Sunday before the second leg of their tie with Brugge on Wednesday.

"That's a bit of the outside noise," Gogic said when asked if Rangers would be "there for the taking".

"At the end of the day, Rangers is Rangers. They've got good players, so we go into the game like we do every other game – show respect, but not fear."

While Robinson's side actually came out on top in their head-to-head record with Rangers last season when they won seven points from the four meetings, Gogic knows this term could be very different.

"Other seasons, you beat other teams and then you lose next season," the 31-year-old added.

"But we've got a new team, fresh players. And, as well, they've got a new manager and new players.

"It won't be the same game like last season, for sure."

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• St Mirren are unbeaten in three league games against Rangers (W2 D1), their longest such run since going five without defeat from August 1983 to August 1984.

• Rangers have conceded more goals in their past two league visits to St Mirren (four) than they had in their previous 10 beforehand (three).

• St Mirren are one of two sides, along with Aberdeen, yet to score in this season's Scottish Premiership, while only Dundee (nine) have mustered fewer shots than the Buddies (13) in the division so far.

• Rangers have drawn both of their league games this season; on only seven occasions have they failed to win any of their opening three matches of a league campaign, most recently in 1989-90 under Graeme Souness.

• Having drawn both of his Premiership games in charge so far, Russell Martin could become only the second Rangers manager to fail to win any of his first three league matches in charge of the club, after John Greig, who won none of his first six in 1978.

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Stephen Robinson insists St Mirren are "massive underdogs" in Sunday's visit of Rangers despite beating the Ibrox club twice last term.

Russell Martin has endured a stuttering start to his Rangers tenure with Premiership draws against Motherwell and Dundee, plus a 3-1 first-leg defeat at home to Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off.

But Saints manager Robinson is braced for a formidable test.

"A very tough game, Rangers have still got some very, very good players," he said.

"Russell's only into the job of building a brand new team. They've shown that they can hurt people. They've shown they've got some really talented players.

"Make no mistake, we're certainly the underdogs and we have to produce our best performance to get a result.

"Rangers are a huge football club that have spent a lot of money on building their squad. On paper, we shouldn't get anything out of the game, but football's not played on paper as I've alluded to many, many times.

"We are very, very respectful of the team that we face. They're a strong side with players with individual brilliance that can hurt you. Rangers should beat us most times that we play. There will obviously be shocks. We have to be at our very, very best to get anything out of any game against Rangers or Celtic.

"I don't think the expectation has changed in terms of what should happen, but we have defied the odds, and we'll have to play to that same standard again to do that against a team that's evolving, a team that Russell's put together.

"Certainly, we've got the belief against every side. We don't fear anybody. We will go and we'll play how we play. It's always about mentality. You have to have a belief.

"We've got the ability to do that and we'll be approaching the game with a real positivity. I know how good a side we are. I know what we have in this building and we'll continue to go quietly about our business.

"It would still be a massive result to get any result over Rangers, we are massively underdogs. We have to turn up and be at the very top of our game."

Daldeep Kaur
BBC Sport Scotland

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Stephen Robinson has been speaking to the media before St Mirren host Rangers in the Premiership on Sunday.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Robinson says his side are "massively underdogs" against "huge club" Rangers despite the difficult start under Russell Martin: "They've again spent a lot of money on building their squad. So we should not get anywhere near them."

• Saints beat Rangers twice and drew once last season, and Robinson says: "They should come and beat us. So no, I don't think the expectation has changed in terms of what should happen. But we have defied the odds and we'll have to play to that same standard again to do that against a team that's evolving."

• Robinson is hopeful his side can "exploit" Rangers' weaknesses and says his team "don't fear anybody".

• He believes when St Mirren win "everybody puts it down to physicality and organisation because we're a small side" but points out "we play some very, very good football as well".

• Robinson is "always active" as the transfer deadline looms, but is looking for someone who is "better than what we've got in the building".

• He is "no closer" to adding a new striker to the squad.

Mark Jardine
Fan writer

Alex Gogic volley. 1-1. St Mirren through in the end. Match report done. Let's talk about penalties.

Few in the loyal cohort of following the Buddies will have forgotten Mark O'Hara's relentless first year in black and white. The now-club-captain was instantly installed on spot-kick duties and repaid that decision over and over again.

Since then, however, penalties have been a source of stress in Renfrewshire. Since missing two in a fortnight at the end of 2023, O'Hara has not been the go-to. Greg Kiltie, Mikael Mandron and Toyosi Olusanya all had opportunities to nail down the role before being denied. This uncertainty has resulted in a conversation rate hovering around the two thirds to three quarters mark, in a side which often can't afford to pass up the advantage.

Last season, in a situation so comparable that you could accuse me of starting from here and constructing the rest of the column around it, the Jam Tarts culled our Scottish Cup run in a shoot-out at the SMiSA Stadium. These penalties came at the end of a 1-1 draw, devastating the Saints who had led for much of the tie. See? Spooky.

On that night, Oisin Smyth followed up a composed Boxing Day penalty, crucial to turning over Rangers, by missing the opening Saints effort. James Scott, never quite capturing his moment in Saints colours, missed the following attempt and the away side walked it in from there.

The 25/26 St Mirren side appear to be a different animal. Roland Idowu, so composed when called upon twice last season, could quite rightly have expected to have taken official penalty taking duties along with his new number seven shirt as a permanent Buddie. Delegated the third Saints penalty in Saturday's shoot out - the Irishman made no mistake yet again and preserved his 100 per cent record.

Malik Dijksteel and Marcus Fraser, though probably not seeking top-billing of regular duties, did all that was asked with a remarkable lack of fuss.

Evan Mooney, still only 17 but growing his reputation gradually, scored his penalty in that previous Hearts defeat. The teenage prospect grasped the opportunity yet again and dispatched what was probably the pick of all ten penalties taken on the day. Ice in the veins and talent in his feet, surely he has nailed down that responsibility when on the park?

Ladies and gentlemen, Richard King. The Jamaican international has slotted in comfortably to the Saints' back three, showing the same confidence and composure exuded by the now departed Richard Taylor. The centre-half, based on his previous effort from the spot against Annan, would appear to have been handed the baton. Two taken, two scored, both perfect.

The Buddies have now scored seven penalties in a row, dating back to March. With King, Idowu, Mooney and more to call upon - that run may well get longer and longer.

Mark Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Winger Malik Dijksteel revelled in a dream home debut for St Mirren after converting the winning spot-kick in the shootout to knock Hearts out of the Premier Sports Cup.

The 24-year-old Dutchman, who signed from Cork City this summer, praised the atmosphere in Paisley as Stephen Robinson's men progressed to a quarter-final at Kilmarnock or Dundee United.

"What a way to make my home debut," Dijksteel told BBC Scotland.

"You always think about these things before the game, the first game at the home stadium.

"I was a bit nervous but for it to go like this, I'm very happy. The atmosphere was great.

"You always want to change the game and make an impact in the game, especially as an attacker. For me to do that through the penalty, I feel good about it.

"You just want to see the boys working hard, you want to be part of it. I was happy to come on.

"I've seen three games now and the atmosphere here, I don't think you find this anywhere else. I'm happy to be part of it and can't wait to get going and score more goals.

"I'm still learning. The Scottish league is different than the Irish league. I definitely feel confident, once I get going I'll hopefully score more goals."

We asked for your views on St Mirren's win on penalties against Hearts in the Scottish League Cup.

Here's what some of you said:

Eddie: We were very good in the first half and a great goal from our trojan Alex Gogic, that man is a leader and a stalwart! Rode our luck a bit in the second half but all that counts is we are in the draw. Derek McInnes was gutted, maybe they are not the second best team in the league.

Douglas: An exciting game spoiled by bad refereeing. Saints deserved their win although Hearts came more into it in the second half. McInnes has problems with his squad, an overrated side.

David: Excellent performance for the first 60 minutes until we started to run out of steam. Great to see so many of the new signings settling in so quickly, with Stephen Robinson's coaching they will all surely improve. I don't think we will have anything to fear from anyone this season.

St Mirren prevailed on penalties against Hearts to reach the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals after a tense match in the Paisley sunshine.

Shamal George's save to deny Claudio Braga resulted in the only unconverted spot-kick in the shootout as the Buddies avenged last season's loss on penalties to Hearts in the Scottish Cup.

Give us your thoughts on St Mirren's win.

Read the full match report.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson: "If you're gonna win it, that's the way to win it. We were very comfortable in the first half, should've been more up.

"We defended really well when we needed to. What a way to win, a wee bit of luck at last in the cup and hopefully a decent draw.

"We pressed properly today, the way we always press. Hearts have got millions of pounds beyond our wildest dreams, but we've got charatcer, we've got quality.

"I don't think I have my best team on the pitch yet, but overall delighted with the character they showed."

We asked for your views on St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson's new deal that keeps him at the club until 2028.

Here's what some of you said:

Eddie: Great piece of business by the club. Robinson has been immense and this gives the club stability and hopefully continued success going forward.

Norman: The best bit of business the club has done this summer. Robinson has a plan for St Mirren and it looks as if he wants to see it through. For me he has surpassed Alex Ferguson in what he has achieved and influenced at St Mirren.

Kate: Absolutely thrilled. Robinson is a fantastic manager and it's great the club sees that. He seems to be happy there too and always striving for more. It's made my Friday!

James: Robinson's tactical, everyone knows that. Less obvious is his fantastic psychology - they way he supports and nurtures the players to be the best they can be, the measured way he's dealt with some VAR stuff last year, the way he takes responsibility as part of a bigger machine - that is rare stuff.

Rarer still are his principles. To get shot of three talented players last year must have been a sore one to take, but the message to the rest of the team, the fans and to football is clear: there is a way to play and conduct yourself. Under Robinson, St Mirren are strong through and through, long may it last.

Scott: Robinson was already on his way to being one of St Mirren's greatest managers, but a six-year stay alongside what he has already achieved is remarkable. The future is looking good.

Alistair: This is a brilliant piece of business and thoroughly deserved for his hard work. We have grown so much with him at the helm and look forward to many more years of punching above our weight.