East Stirlingshire 3 - 6 St Mirren: St Mirren narrowly avoided adding crimson faces to their all-red away kit as they crept into the second round of the Co-operative Insurance Cup after an almighty struggle against third division opposition.

St Mirren narrowly avoided adding crimson faces to their all-red away kit as they crept into the second round of the Co-operative Insurance Cup after an almighty struggle against third division opposition.

The Scottish Premier League side had been expected to brush aside the challenge posed by East Stirlingshire but seemed to switch off after going three goals in front, allowing their hosts to claw their way back into the contest and draw level before a dramatic first-half was over.

It took further goals from Billy Mehmet, who scored five in total, to ensure St Mirren's place in tomorrow's draw and manager Gus MacPherson was just relieved to have avoided an embarrassing upset.

"We had a crazy 20-minute period," said the St Mirren manager. "Every time East Stirlingshire went up the park, they looked like they were going to score.

"That's taken the gloss off it a bit as when you go 3-0 up so emphatically you should be seeing the game out.

"We made life difficult for ourselves but in the second half we were very professional and got through, scoring six goals."

In truth, it was hard to recall a cup tie as eventful as this one. Seven goals were scored in the first half alone as St Mirren spectacularly surrendered a comfortable three-goal advantage before nosing back in front again a minute before the break.

For that slender one-goal half-time advantage, St Mirren were indebted to the striking prowess of Mehmet.

The English-born striker had bolstered his scoring figures last season with a hat trick against Dumbarton in the same competition and, faced with lower league opposition once more, he again took advantage.

He celebrated the first of his five goals after six minutes, tapping in from close range after good work by Steven Thomson and Andy Dorman, before adding his second with a cute lob after a defensive mix-up.

When he then completed an 11-minute hat trick with a header from a Dorman corner, it seemed the only question outstanding was how many St Mirren would eventually rack up.

Complacency, and a spirited East Stirlingshire comeback, though, would alter the picture and, less than 20 minutes after going three goals behind, McInally's side somehow managed to pull themselves level.

Stephen McGuire applied a neat finish to give his side a glimmer of hope, before Andy Rodgers arced in a shot from the edge of the box and then fashioned an equaliser after Jamie Stevenson's free kick had cannoned off the crossbar.

Paul Gallacher, making his first competitive start in goal for St Mirren, could not have imagined his debut unfolding like this. As jaws dropped all around the stadium, it was left to Mehmet to haul his side back in front after cottoning on to a Michael Higdon knock-down.

The second half, unsurprisingly, contained rather less drama but it took Mehmet's fifth goal of the match to confirm St Mirren's passage through to the next round.

Dorman's cross to Thomson wasn't adequately cleared and Mehmet took advantage to roll the loose ball into the net from the edge of the box to complete a good day's work for the former Dunfermline striker.

"I know it's against East Stirlingshire but I'm delighted to get the five goals," he said. "Hopefully, that stands me in good stead for the start of the league season."

As the visitors' resistance eventually wilted, Stephen O'Donnell added a sixth in 62 minutes after beating the offside trap to run on to Thomson's pass to complete the scoring.