STUTTERING SAINTS CONTINUE TO SUFFER

ST MIRREN’S miserable start to life under Jim Goodwin continued last night as they completed their Group H fixtures after a dismal draw with albion Rovers. the Buddies managed to win the penalty shootout for a bonus point but their failure to take all three points all but confirms they will not qualify for the Betfred Cup knock-out stages. a frustrated Goodwin said: ‘it’s a little bit of deja vu. We were knocking at the door but we have come up against a goalkeeper again who was in fine form. We weren’t clinical enough and it’s disappointing not to progress. ‘We are obviously behind every other club in regards to that (recruiting players) because of the delay in my appointment. ‘But i knew the job and the circumstances, so i believe that in the next ten days we can add a few decent players to it.’ With captain stephen McGinn injured and just four outfield players on the bench, things went from bad to worse for Goodwin’s threadbare squad inside seven minutes when Cammy MacPherson was forced off. Jack Baird set up Kyle Magennis in the 16th minute when he knocked tony andreu’s corner down in the box. saints’ temporary captain for the evening shot through a crowd of bodies and straight down the throat of Rovers keeper Chris smith. Despite being three leagues below their opponents, Rovers continued to threaten as Ross Clark struck a well-timed volley inches over the bar from the edge of the box. the hosts came close to opening the scoring in the 68th minute when smart Osadolor flicked the ball to scott Roberts inside the box. He had Vaclav Hladky beaten with a well-struck volley but the ball cracked off the crossbar on its way over. Goodwin thought his side had finally managed to find a winner in the 83rd minute when Danny Mullen knocked Cammy Breadner’s cross over the line from inside the six-yard box but the flag was raised for offside. that meant a second penalty shoot-out in the space of four days for st Mirren which, this time, went in their favour as Magennis scored the winner.

LOWLAND LEAGUE outfit east Kilbride claimed their second senior scalp inside four days with a 1-0 away win over fourth-tier side edinburgh City.