ST MIRREN…3 ST JOHNSTONE…1
A Scott Tanser wonder strike inspired his Buddies to victory in the battle of the Saints last night.
The St Mirren wing-back produced a moment of magic when it was so badly needed to wipe out Benji Kimpioka’s early opener for St Johnstone.
Skipper Mark O’Hara’s third goal of the season then put his side in the ascendancy at the SMiSA Stadium.
And substitute Jonah Ayunga climbed off the bench to score his first goal since December 30 last year to clinch all three points.
There was plenty of drama throughout the game with three goals disallowed and several VAR interventions. A combined 13 minutes of injury time was played across both halves.
But this much-needed triumph snapped a four-game losing skid for Stephen Robinson’s men who moved up to seventh place in the Premiership table.
The manager said: “I think from start to finish we were excellent and it followed on from the performance on Sunday. We should have won by more and had a goal disallowed.
“Greg Kiltie was the epitome of everything we done. His fitness levels after being out for so long were incredible.
“We went a goal down when they hadn’t caused us loads of problems. You need a bit of genius or a bit of luck and it was a fantastic finish from Scott. VAR always seems to have a starring role in our games. But I don’t want to overshadow our performance.
“It’s been a difficult period but everyone’s stuck together. We were back to what we are. We tried to evolve and signed players to play that way. If we play like St Mirren and are right up against people, it brings energy to the stadium.”
Robbo continued: “Personally, as a manager, it’s been very challenging. We’ve had decisions go against us. A lot of things have dictated what team we put out. We’re back in our system now and we never lost belief.”
There was a rather dramatic scene as both teams emerged before kick-off with a huge ‘It’s Showtime’ tifo creation featuring Beetlejuice unveiled in the West Stand as fireworks were set off in Tannahill.
And in the closing stages, there was a special starring role for Ayunga who ended a 10-month goal drought to ensure no way back for the Perth Saints.
Robbo added: “Jonah has been on the periphery of things. He’s reacted well, trained well. We reminded him of what he’s good at. Run. You saw he remembered that.”
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