12/04/2025 – ROSS COUNTY (H)

So that’s it then. Top 6 football for the third year running!

It is of course, a tremendous achievement, no matter what others say or how we got there. Based on budget alone, we shouldn’t really be in the hunt, but football is not played on spreadsheets as we well know. You can’t buy team spirit.

However, budget is obviously still important, so add to that our well documented player issues, VAR mistakes, injuries, and our woeful penalty record, then making top 6 this season is very significant.

The match against Ross County was the latest in a string of games where we had the opportunity to take ownership of the 6th spot, but it was also our very last chance to do so, and we also needed Hearts to drop points at Fir Park.

As fans, all we ask is that we take care of our own result, and to the players credit they did, in true St Mirren style on a rollercoaster of an afternoon where Saints edged it by the odd goal in 5.

With the home stands sold out in Paisley, the atmosphere was pumping from well before kick off, but Saints fell behind to a Ronan Hale goal after 22 minutes, in what was County’s first attack of the match. “Here we go again”, collectively sighed 6000 plus Buddies.

Thankfully, on Christmas Day 2024, Caolon Boyd-Munce received a magic potion that allows him to enter ‘Andy Dorman’ mode anytime he feels like it, and the midfielder smashed home a left foot shot from 30 yards to equalise just over 10 minutes later.

This was the Irishman’s 6th goal in 16 appearances since Boxing Day, and his fourth from outside the box during that period. Previously, he had scored just once in 58 matches!

Saints came out fired up in the second half, and took the lead within 5 minutes of the restart when Boyd-Munce weaved his way up-field before splitting the County defence in two with a beautiful pass that bamboozled the Highlanders so much Jonah Ayunga had the simple task of tapping home from half a yard.

We looked well in control and the visitors overwhelmed at this stage, however County scrapped back in contention and equalised after 63 minutes when a corner was headed back across the goal by Jordan White and past a helpless Zach Hemming.

It was now 2-2 in Paisley, but still no score at Fir Park, which left Hearts in the driving seat. Saints had to score again, simple as that. A Motherwell goal at this stage would put the Steelmen in the top 6.

As time marched on, a winner was looking unlikely, however substitute Roland Idowu stole the show with just three minutes remaining with a sensational spin and shot from 25 yards that hit the back of the net like a missile. 3-2 Saints!

All eyes were now on Fir Park, and despite a late near thing from Lawrence Shankland, Hearts league season sputtered out with a whimper in front of an extremely unhappy travelling support. Advantage St. Mirren.

We still had around a minute to play in Paisley, but it was seen out deep in the County half, and top 6 football was quickly confirmed to the joy of both players and fans.

It has since been pointed out by fans of other clubs, that as we are unlikely to get European football and ultimately just finish 6th, we had nothing to celebrate, why the big deal?

Well, having been told we had no right to even THINK we should be in the top 6 when Tony Fitzpatrick said this in 2017, we’re now being told to not celebrate making it for the third year in a row. Make up your minds!

We are well aware European football is probably out of sight this season, but that’s not the point. Top six will guarantee us around £200k extra income, that’s based on the difference between 6th and 7th.

Should we have dropped down to the bottom 6, there was no guarantee we’d finish 7th, however. On the 15th March 2025 we were NINTH. The difference between these places is closer to half a million. It’s another player or two difference for us, at a minimum.

Plus of course, there is now no threat of entering the relegation play off place. Even Hearts can’t say they are safe from this currently, although 1 win would probably do it for them.

The fixtures will be released soon for the split. We can put our feet up. If VAR decisions had went our way in certain matches, or we’d scored all our penalties, we may have gained enough extra points to get close enough to 5th position to warrant real hope of European football, but it wasn’t to be.

6th position is good though. It’s a success against the odds, and we will celebrate it even if it means we have little to play for in the final 5 matches.

Whatever these fixtures are, let’s get behind the boys and try to finish as strongly as possible this season.

COYS!

Ross County Players of the Match:

5 points – Caolan Boyd-Munce

3 points – Jonah Ayunga

1 point – Roland Idowu

Check our the Player of the Season race here –

PLAYER OF THE SEASON