Ross vows to right hurt of derby loss

ST MIRREN gaffer Jack Ross is on a mission of atonement in tomorrow night’s crucial Renfrewshire derby at Cappielow.

The Paisley boss admits he is still haunted by the 3-1 defeat his side suffered at Morton last November.

And he is desperate to put right the wrongs of a match he called his “lowest point in management”.

Ross has been buoyed by the 1-1 weekend draw with Dumbarton that finally moved Saints off the bottom of the Championship for the first time since August.

Now he is backing his born-again Buddies to continue their attempt to pull off a great escape from relegation by taking points from their promotion-chasing neighbours.

Ross said: “My driving factor for the whole season has been to put right some of the wrongs that were done here as a group – and I include myself in that – to make sure this club is never in this position again.

“And that night was one of my biggest disappointments in management – not just at St Mirren.

“But I think we have rectified it. I think we are a far different group.

“But you still have to go and do it on Tuesday night and we understand the significance of the match for the people who follow the club.

“So my desire is to have a group of players who will go out on Tuesday with a desire to put that night right results wise.”

Saints failed to match the free-scoring height of their 6-2 win the previous week over Ayr on Saturday.

Kyle Magennis fired low past goalkeeper Alan Martin to put the Buddies ahead early on.

Lewis Vaughan then struck to bring Dumbarton level and though St Mirren won a penalty when Stephen McGinn was fouled, Martin denied Rory Loy from 12 yards.

The share of the points ensured Saints came off the bottom after Ayr United crashed to a 2-0 defeat at home to Queen of the South. Both clubs are now level on points but Saints have a superior goal difference.

Ross admitted his team had fallen short of recent standards in failing to collect three vital points. But he remains convinced they can still call on their survival instincts to stay up

He said: “Did we play as fluently as we have done? No, we didn’t. Was there an effort level there? Yes, the commitment level was there.

“I think we were the team that was on the front foot for most of the game.

“So it’s a case of reminding the players how far they have come. A lot of them were not at the standard we expect as a team. I don’t want them leaving here with their chins on the floor. To come off the bottom of the table with five game to go is terrific.

“It isn’t where the club wants to be long term, but it is a big step forward and now we have an opportunity on Tuesday to win a game that will take us out of that bottom two.”

Loy’s penalty miss cost Saints two extra points but gaffer Ross was philosophical about the opportunity. He added: “Rory scored his last one so I have no complaints about him taking it.

“The reaction and the response is probably more important to me than the disappointment.”