Flashback It was short and sweet
Striking sensation
It has now been five years since St Mirren won the Scottish League Cup – their first major honour since their 1987 Scottish Cup win.
In that time, they won a couple of Championship titles and promotions back to the Premiership, but this was more special.
The team and fans had one man to thank – Esmael Goncalves.
The Portuguese striker only spent five months at the club but became a cult hero.
Goncalves joined on loan in January 2013 from Rio Ave FC when Danny Lennon was in charge of the club, scoring three goals in 12 appearances in the league and three goals in two appearances in the Scottish Cup.
It would be the League Cup, though, in which Goncalves, then 21, would make his name. He made two appearances, scoring two goals, St Mirren FC is a club with a proud tradition — and a history to match.
They have been at the centre of the Scottish game since their formation in 1877.
Today, we look back at the impact Portuguese striker Esmael Goncalves made in a Saints jersey.
including one in the final.
His goal in the final was crucial as opponents Hearts were 1-0 up after 37 minutes. St Mirren then gained the upper hand and went 3-1 up before Ryan Stevenson pulled a goal back with five minutes remaining.
There were talks of trying to make Goncalves’ loan move permanent with Celtic being mentioned as a number of potential suitors vying for his signature. Ultimately, no deal could be reached and Goncalves went back out on loan to APOEL Nicosia, leaving St Mirren with a respectable record of eight goals in 16 appearances. After APOEL, he had several loan spells at PAE Veria and Anorthosis before he joined Ettifaq. However, he failed to settle and quickly retuned to Anorthosis.
The striker was not done with Scotland and returned in January last year to join Ian Cathro’s Hearts side.
He left Hearts just a year later with 15 goals in 42 games for the Jambos to join Uzbekistan side Pakhtakor Tashkent.
The Portuguese striker only spent five months at the club but became a cult hero