Top six now within touching distance

When St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin and chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick both revealed at the start of the season they were gunning for a top half finish, there were many voices in Scottish football that were quick to pour cold water on their ambition.

For so many seasons the overall goal for the Paisley club has simply been to stay in the top flight, with relegation battles often ensuing.

While this campaign has been so strange due to being played out against the backdrop of empty stadiums, what has been such a welcome change has been the Buddies maintaining a safe distance from a relegation scrap since the end of 2020.

Their remarkable unbeaten run also put them in with a serious chance of making the top six for the first time since 1985.

When Dundee United took the lead against Killie on Saturday afternoon, it looked like nothing but a win would do to keep the Saints in the top six.

With just two games remaining now until the split, it really felt like a do or die situation.

And while their penalty winner was somewhat fortuitous, the way in which St Mirren have reached this stage has been anything but.

They’ve battled Covid-19 like no other club has had to this season, while losing half their strikers to injury just as they entered the business end of the season.

What has never been in doubt this campaign has been the unbelievable team spirit that has driven this club on through every obstacle put before them.

With Betfred Cup-winning St Johnstone capable of victory in all three of their remaining fixtures, it looks like St Mirren still need to find one more win to get the job done.

Given how they’ve stood up to previous tests of mental strength, Goodwin and Fitzpatrick’s ambitious aims don’t seem quite so pie in the sky anymore.