THIS was the “cup final” before the cup final and it was St Mirren who can now look out the metaphorical open-top bus. These two teams will meet again at Fir Park in nine days’ time with the Irn-Bru Cup up for grabs but, given their precarious positions at the top and bottom end of the Championship respectively, this meeting under the floodlights in Paisley arguably carried greater significance.
St Mirren will certainly feel so now. This hard-fought victory draws them to within one point of Ayr United at the foot of the table and to within five of Raith Rovers in eighth spot, giving themselves a reasonable chance of beating the drop into League One going into the finishing straits of the season. Having beaten Hibernian and now United at home in the past fortnight, they may feel they can go on to complete the great escape act in the weeks that remain.
For United, this would prove another underwhelming evening. Having pushed Hibs for top spot for a long stretch earlier in the campaign, they now find themselves ensconced in the fourth and final play-off spot and struggling for results. They have won just one of their last nine league games and are without a league victory on the road since early December. A season that promised so much a few short months ago is in danger of petering out tamely.
St Mirren were just about worthy of the win having benefited from a stirring start in which they claimed their first lead of the night within the opening two minutes. The goal stemmed from a carefully-crafted free kick, Stephen Mallan arcing a delivery to the back post where first Rory Loy and then John Sutton nodded it on, and Harry Davis applied the finishing touch. The central defender, though, would endure a mixed evening’s work, departing on a stretcher before half-time with what looked like a serious knee injury.
United gradually grew into the encounter, forcing a number of corners. Simon Murray cut inside for their first chance only to thrash it over the bar, but the striker would play his part when his side drew level after 33 minutes, crossing for Tony Andreu who swept a shot beyond Billy O’Brien.
The visitors were only level for four minutes, however. St Mirren won a free kick wide on the left after Willo Flood had upended Loy, and Mallan, making his 100th start for the Paisley club and called up for the Scotland under-21 squad earlier in the day, curled an effort that dipped to beat Cammy Bell at his near post. It was a terrific strike but from that position and distance the goalkeeper probably ought to have kept it out.
It left United with plenty to do in the second half and they began it with a noticeable degree of urgency. Only the woodwork prevented them from drawing level within five minutes of the re-start, Andreu unlucky to see his header strike the outside of the post. Another promising counter attack just moments later ended with Charlie Telfer sending his shot skywards when the move deserved a much better finish.
St Mirren made them pay with a third goal just four minutes later. Cammy Smith, on loan at Tannadice earlier in the season, was the creator with a driving, purposeful run, his cross turned in at the back post by Lewis Morgan after Loy and Sutton couldn’t convert.
United weren’t finished, however, and Andreu drew them within a goal again with a terrific shot from the edge of the box. They rallied looking for another equaliser but St Mirren held on.
ST MIRREN: O’Brien; Irvine, Mackenzie, Davis (Baird 41), Eckersley; Smith (Storie 81), McGinn, Mallan, Morgan; Sutton, Loy (Magennis 68)
Booked: Loy 65, Morgan 82
DUNDEE UNITED: Bell; Dillon, Durnan, Edjenguele, Robson; Fraser (Mikkelson 30), Flood, Telfer, Nicholls (Coote 63); Andreu, Murray (van der Velden 78)
Booked: Flood 45, Mikkelson 71, Coote 76, Edjenguele 90
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