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In what's becoming an all-too-familiar scenario, St Mirren suffered another dramatic loss to Celtic, raising the vexing question: What could have been if football matches ended five minutes earlier?
Despite an admirable tactical setup from the Saints, where Conor McMenamin impressively stepped in for the injured Mark O'Hara, nemesis struck in the dying moments. Playing out of his usual role, McMenamin was tasked with shadowing Celtic’s talisman Calum McGregor, which he did with commendable dedication until the 86th minute. The Saints held their structure, limiting Celtic to minimal clear-cut chances despite only having around 25% possession.
The decision to make a late substitute seemed wise at the time, potentially aimed at refreshing the squad or disrupting Celtic’s attack. However, it inadvertently added crucial minutes to the game and provided McGregor just the slice of space he needed. His strike from distance was a blow that felt both sudden and all too predictable, leaving Saints fans to rue what could have been with just seconds on the clock remaining.
It’s tough for any critic to fault the players or management too harshly in this period of challenging results. The effort displayed is undeniable, and the strategic approach has generally been on point. Yet, football can be cruel, and tiny margins have seen five potential goals disallowed at the SMISA Stadium recently, while even minor lapses have been pounced upon by opponents.
Despite these setbacks, we must remember that this is the same team that has charmed us with top-half finishes and thrilling cup runs. The promise of another cup final looms large, and based on our performances against Celtic, there is genuine cause for optimism.
As we march on, our focus now turns to the upcoming fixtures, and with a cup final on the horizon, it’s all to play for. Past seasons have shown that St Mirren is capable of rising to the occasion when it matters most. We've faced down adversity before and emerged stronger – expect nothing less this season!
On a lighter note, here’s a jest for our friends from Greenock Morton: How many Greenock Morton fans does it take to screw in a light bulb? None! They’re still stuck in the dark about how to catch up to us! Keep the faith Saints, our time is coming once again.
