St Mirren suffered a narrow defeat to Rangers in a Scottish Premiership match this week, a result that leaves the Paisley side third in the table. The Buddies made a bright start but were ultimately edged out by the odd goal, continuing a recent trend in this fixture according to a report from the BBC.
Rangers now lead St Mirren on goal difference after this latest encounter. The result sees Stephen Robinson's side on 10 points from their opening five games, with a record of three wins, one draw, and one loss. Their recent form reads LWDWW, and they have scored eight goals while conceding five so far this season. You can see how the table shapes up on our standings page.
How did the match unfold?
St Mirren began the game with real intent and caused problems for the Rangers defence early on. This positive opening was a contrast to their last visit to Ibrox, where they were soundly beaten in a Premier Sports Cup tie last month. On that occasion, Rangers had the run of midfield and James Penrice enjoyed a lively debut. "I enjoyed a lively Rangers debut that day, scoring one of five goals and setting up another," the left-back said. Penrice has started each game since that cup match and is part of a settled Rangers back line featuring central defenders Olwethu Makhanya and Emmanuel Fernandez.
What is the recent history between these sides?
This latest league loss means Rangers have now won the last two Premiership meetings between the clubs, both by a single goal. Prior to that, St Mirren had built an impressive unbeaten streak of four games in this fixture. The tight nature of these contests was evident again, with Rangers spurning several good chances to increase their lead after getting ahead. Motherwell also found it difficult to threaten at Ibrox on Saturday, a sign of the platform the settled Gers defence is providing.
Where does this leave St Mirren in the table?
The defeat means St Mirren remain third in the Scottish Premiership, now five points behind leaders Celtic. Their goal difference of +3 reflects a generally solid defensive record, though they were without goalkeeper Paul Nsio for this match as he is ineligible to face his parent club. The squad will need to regroup quickly, as their next fixture is a tough home encounter against second-placed Heart of Midlothian on December 5th. Fans can look ahead to that match and others on our fixtures schedule.
What challenges did St Mirren face?
Craig McLeish's team was impressive between both boxes in their weekend match but lacked a killer touch in the final third. This issue was compounded by an injury to Lawrence Shankland, who had just found his scoring form. His absence may mean new signing Kevin Kelsy does not have the luxury of easing himself into his new surroundings. The team's overall defensive solidity, detailed in our stats section, will be important as they navigate this period.
St Mirren's next match is at home against Heart of Midlothian on the 5th of December.
