St Mirren were held to a 3-3 draw by Motherwell after debutant Jardell Kanga scored a stoppage-time equaliser in Paisley on Sunday 30 August 2026. The result means Craig McLeish's side remain fourth in the Premiership with six points from two wins, a position you can track on our standings page.
Motherwell opened the scoring in less than two minutes. Alex Lowry found Tawanda Maswanhise, who finished smartly. St Mirren goalkeeper Jacob Chapman then saved a penalty from Maswanhise, awarded for an Alex Gogic handball. Motherwell doubled their lead after 24 minutes when Tom Sparrow's blocked shot fell to Regan Charles-Cook, who fired in from around 25 yards.
How did St Mirren fight back before half-time?
St Mirren's comeback started six minutes before the break. Chris Mochrie's pass set up Paul Nsio, the Rangers loanee, to score. Declan John then started the move for the equaliser with a tackle in his own half before finishing the move himself, slotting past Motherwell keeper Alex Paulsen. Samuel Ramos completed the turnaround just before half-time, converting from an Alex Gogic knockdown. That gave the hosts a 3-2 lead at the interval.
St Mirren manager Craig McLeish handed debuts to two new signings. Nikolas Agrafiotis, signed that morning from German third-division side Wehen Wiesbaden, and Calvin Ramsay both started. Motherwell boss Alfred Johansson made three changes from the side beaten by Freiburg in the Conference League, bringing in Tom Sparrow, Martin Moorman, and Regan Charles-Cook.
What happened in the second half?
The second half saw chances at both ends. Motherwell's Emmanuel Longelo fired into the side-netting. For St Mirren, Ismeal Kabia had a shot blocked, Alex Paulsen saved a low effort from Eseosa Sule, and Jayden Richardson was denied a goal. Sule and substitute Jake Young also missed opportunities to extend the lead.
Motherwell's pressure told deep into added time. Jardell Kanga, signed just two days prior, marked his debut by firing home to make it 3-3. The goal sparked wild celebrations from the visiting team, a point noted by the home manager afterwards.
What did the managers say after the match?
"It's a great start to the game that makes me excited for this group of players," said Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson. "I'm obviously hugely disappointed then with how we finished the first half." St Mirren boss Craig McLeish offered a different perspective. "I think it shows how far we've come as well as a group that we are disappointed with a point," McLeish said. "You look at Motherwell celebrating a draw the way they do."
What does this mean for St Mirren's season?
The draw leaves St Mirren with a perfect defensive record of zero goals conceded this season, having scored three. They sit three points behind leaders Celtic in the early title race. Their next challenge is an away trip to face Hibernian on 30 December 2026. You can view the full schedule on our fixtures page. While dropping two points late is frustrating, the fightback from two goals down demonstrates the team's resilience as they prepare for the fixtures ahead.
