The time for earning plaudits has run out... we need some points
With just 13 games remaining of the Scottish Premiership season, it is now very much squeaky bum time.
Here are the brutal facts. After 25 top-flight games, with a total of 75 points up for grabs, Saints have secured just 12, three wins, and three draws.
When St Mirren kicked off their return to the top table with an encouraging, perhaps misleading, 2-1 victory over Dundee in August, they have since scored a measley15 goals while conceding 51.
The truth is the odds are mightily stacked against the Saints’ survival.
Yet, there is some cause for optimism.
As Buddies traipsed down Greenhill Road at 9.45pm on Wednesday night, the overriding feeling would have been one of absolute dejection. Just 15 minutes earlier, as Paul McGinn’s glancing header looped over Motherwell keeper Mark Gillespie and into the net, there was only one winner.
The fans sensed a first league victory since the middle of December.
Moments later, St Mirren came crashing down to earth, the supporters who moments earlier were on their feet, were suddenly reduced to silence as Motherwell’s Alan Campbell rose unmarked to bullet home a header and strike a hammer blow into the sorry Saints.
However, fast forward almost 36 hours and Buddiescan reflect on some positivity.
In spite of the players’ failure to mount a serious assault on the Well goal after what turned out to be Campbell’s winner, Saints had previously shown signs of the mental fortitude needed to stay in this league.
St Mirren had started the game impressively, and although an in- form Motherwell side offered a regular threat, so too did the attacking trio of Simeon Jackson, Duckens Nazon and Anders Dreyer, who linked up well on the counter, causing the visiting defence problems.
Then, out of the blue, teenage Well star Jake Hastie - who on recent evidence will go on to play for Scotland - arrowed a stunning 25-yard strike beyond the grasp of Vaclav Hladky.
Saints, to their credit, didn’t wilt.
And after a bold tactical change by the boss, much to the dismay of Jack Baird, St Mirren were the better side, and should have gone into the break ahead – Dreyer, who showed in flashes just how important his creativity could be in St Mirren’s survival push, should have slid the ball home to equalise.
St Mirren were playing with real confidence. Dreyer provided the spark, Nazon the muscle up front and Jackson the runs in behind the defence.
Elsewhere, Anton Ferdinand was composed on the ball, looking to start attacks from the back and Brad Lyons drove forward from the midfield to push Motherwell back.
And it isn’t the first time of late the Buddies have played with such positivity.
Against Hibs, the Saints would have taken all three points had Kyle McAllister been clinical at the crucial moment.
But so often in football, any optimism should be tempered. And Oran Kearney realises that.
The time for earning plaudits and points is quickly running out, and as the downbeat manager admitted himself late on Wednesday night : “We’ve had enough sob stories”, appreciating his team needs to start putting points on the board.
The manager also revealed earlier this week that after bringing in 10 new faces in the January transfer window, that for him, it’s only now that it feels like the start of the season.
But, given the green shoots of positivity from the past three fixtures, supporters would be best to remain patient – you feel that with a lucky break, that elusive win, which could spearhead a real fight and a realistic shot at survival, may just be on the horizon.