A 6-2 pummelling could drain the confidence of any side, but St Mirren’s defeat to Celtic at Hampden offered several positives, including the introduction of 17-year-old debutant Grant Tamosevicius.

Ryan Mullen’s early injury handed the academy goalkeeper the opportunity of a lifetime, striding onto the National Stadium’s turf to face the Scottish Champions in the Scottish Cup semi-finals. Grant’s teammates, including defensive stalwart Alex Gogic, hailed the youngster’s maturity in handling the occasion.

“For Grant it was a special moment,” Gogic stated.

“I just told him when he comes in, just enjoy every second, because you never know if you will ever come back.

“I just told him, if you have nerves, just relax, enjoy every second, it doesn’t matter if you make a mistake, just enjoy every second of it, because you never know.

“I’m 32 and you don’t come here often, so I said enjoy it, take it in and enjoy every moment.

“It’s special, the boys were over at him and especially the fans, and he did brilliantly, some good saves.”

Craig McLeish’s objective is simple – keep St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership. Clawing back a two-goal deficit to Celtic, thanks to a Mikael Mandron double, should offer further confidence to the side, who have already picked up crucial victories over Aberdeen and Falkirk.

After three straight top-six finishes, the Paisley faithful have endured a testing campaign in the latest campaign. But having already lifted the Scottish League Cup trophy in December, surviving this intriguing relegation battle would cap off another memorable season.