It was showtime indeed for the home side as they were greeted to the pitch with fireworks and a Beetlejuice display from a packed SMISA stadium.
However, the feel good factor was short lived as their Perth counterparts took the lead after just 8 minutes through in form Kimpioka and he was denied his second shortly after by VAR. Ex Saintees full back Scott Tanser struck back for the home side after half an hour with a sublimeeffort from outside the box looping over Sinclair and into the back of the net.
From here the Buddies really grew into the game and just before the hour mark Captain Mark O’Hara got their 2nd. Some good battling from the impressive Greg Kiltie set Marcus Fraser free to cross the ball to his skipper and he makes no mistake heading his side in front. Killian Phillips who had another solid showing in the middle of the park thought he added a third but this was subsequently chopped off by VAR for a foul in the build up.
St Mirren continued to put pressure on the St Johnstone goal and eventually a third goal stood when substitutes Mikael Mandron and Jonah Ayunga linked up with the latter scoring with a fine finish into the top left hand corner. A late red card scare for the hosts was waved away by VAR in a game that had it all. St Mirren looked back to their usual selves after a rocky few weeks and Simo Valakari will hope his side find their rhythm in the coming weeks to steer them clear of the sides below them.
Next up for St Mirren is a home tie for Ross County, meanwhile St Johnstone face Hearts at McDiarmid Park in a game they may view as a must win.
Our Standout Performers:
Greg Kiltie and Marcus Fraser both off the back of signing new contracts showed exactly why they are so important to this St Mirren side. Kiltie who’s work rate and desire can never be faulted looked back to his pre-injury self and fans around the ground weren’t shy in identifying him as the missing piece of the puzzle. Fraser, who had an unusual shaky game last week was composed as ever down the right hand side and played a vital role in the 2nd goal. Solid defensively and good in attack he lived up to his name as Mr Reliable.
Teams & Stats
St Mirren: Balcombe (GK), Fraser, Gogic, Dunne (Taylor, 52’), Tanser, Bwomono, O’Hara (C), Phillips, Kiltie (Ayunga, 85’), Olusanya (Mandron, 67’), Scott (McMenamin, 67’)
St Johnstone: Sinclair (GK), Cameron (Douglas, 68’), Neilson, Sanders, Wright, Holt, Sprangler, Smith (Carey, 68’), Clark (C), Kimpioka (Kirk, 68’), Sidibeh
Referee: Steven McLean
Attendance: 6,042