Buddies urged to finish season on a high

Sean McAllister comes off injured at the start of the second half.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson wants his players to put the disappointment of their 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock behind them to earn European football for next season.

The Paisley side would have clinched a berth in the qualifying rounds of the Europa Conference League had they won at home to Killie at the Smisa Stadium.

Instead they must wait until midweek, when either a Dundee loss to Rangers or a victory over Hearts will deliver Saints a European place for the first time since 1987.

Robinson said: “We want to do it ourselves. We’ve had two or three opportunities here in front of sold-out crowds and haven’t quite got the results.

“A draw (on Saturday) might have been arguably the right result but it was Kilmarnock who put the ball in the net.

“But we want to seal European football ourselves. We don’t want to rely on any other result, although the situation might take care of itself before we play. We want to finish well and concentrate on playing the boys who are going to be here next year and give them a real opportunity to shine and impress.”

Kilmarnock’s victory, sealed by a first-half Kyle Vassell strike, guaranteed them fourth place in the Premiership and a berth in the second qualifying round of the Europa League next season.

Stephen Robinson.