St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson hails fans as win at Kilmarnock secures Hampden semi-final return

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson was delighted to reward fans for their backing at Kilmarnock with a long-awaited trip to Hampden.

More than 2,000 travelling fans watched their team emerge victorious in a penalty shoot-out at Rugby Park on Friday night as St Mirren booked a place in the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals.

Dozens of supporters spilled on to the pitch after Malik Dijksteel’s winning spot-kick as they revelled in the prospect of their first big day out at the national stadium since St Mirren beat Hearts in the 2013 final.

Jim Goodwin led the club into both major semi-finals in the 2020-21 season but no fans could attend because of Covid restrictions.

“I remember watching that and football was never the same during Covid anyway,” Robinson said. “To get to two semi-finals, you’d be so disappointed that you couldn’t go as a fan. So I’m delighted we’ve given them that opportunity.

“To bring 2,500 people down was incredible. We were just about getting over 3,000 when we first came into the football club, at home, so to have that kind of following, that passion behind us, it certainly makes the job easier.”

The support has been growing in recent years and so has St Mirren’s progress on the park. The cup run complements their hugely impressive league form which has seen the Paisley side secure top-six finishes for three years running and a return to European football for the first time since the 1980s.

Friday’s shoot-out triumph, after an entertaining 2-2 draw, means St Mirren have only suffered one defeat in 17 games, which came as a result of Luke McCowan’s 87th-minute winner at Celtic Park.

During that run, St Mirren have also drawn at Parkhead, held Rangers twice, beaten Aberdeen and Dundee United, held in-form Hibs twice and knocked Hearts out in the previous round. So they will fear nobody in Sunday’s semi-final draw.

Robinson, who led Motherwell to semi-final wins over Rangers and Aberdeen in the 2017-18 season, said: “It’s a fantastic day for fans and as a staff and players, if you lose, it’s not a great day. So we have to enjoy this moment in getting there and then do everything in our power to try and get another step into the final.

“I’ve had two semi-finals so far and won them both. So hopefully that bodes well for the future.

“But we’ve got a group of boys that never say die. They’re so together. You see their passion and their desire and a large amount of quality on a really hard surface. So I’m delighted for them more than anything for me.”

The win came at a cost with captain Mark O’Hara and first goalscorer Mikael Mandron going off injured.

“Mark O’Hara’s got a plantar fascia injury that we’re a wee bit worried about,” Robinson said. “And Mika Mandron, I believe he’s broken or dislocated his toe. So, they’re boys we’re going to have to look at and get scanned.”