Stephen Robinson insists St Mirren’s top-six hopes not over after loss to Hearts

Stephen Robinson insists St Mirren will not give up on finishing in the top six of the Premiership after being nudged into the bottom half following Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat at Hearts.

The Buddies boss acknowledged it will be difficult, especially as their next match is at home to Celtic. But with four further fixtures before the split against sides currently below them in the table, he still retains hope.

“We’ll be fighting for the next five games to still try and get into the top six,” said Robinson, whose side finished fifth last term and sixth the season before.

“It’d be a bonus for the football club. To do it three years in a row would be incredible.

“Injuries may be taking their toll a little bit at times with players unavailable but we’re still hanging in there. We’re still in there and about the top six.

“Credit to this group of players, I have nothing but applause for them. They’ll respond again on Saturday and we’ll give everything we have to try and get results.”

Seventh-placed Saints are in the midst of a run of three games against last season’s top three, so Robinson is heartened by having collected three points from a possible six so far ahead of Saturday’s visit from Celtic.

“We said these three games would be a bonus, anything we got out of them, and then the next four games, at the end of it, would decide whether we get the top six or not,” he said.

“We’ve got two very good performances, we’ve got three points from Rangers. We go into Celtic and we play with no fear, we press with no fear. That’s all I can ask when you look at the disparity between the football clubs and the resources.”