Robinson relieved with point as Carson keeps Killie at bay
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ST MIRREN and Kilmarnock played out a largely drab affair i n Paisley, but both s i des missed chances to take three vital points.
The hosts had the chance to go third but Curtis Main’s first half header from all of six yards dropped the wrong side of the post, while Kyle Lafferty and Rory McKenzie both missed one-on-one chances for the Ayrshiremen as they missed the opportunity to pull further ahead of Dundee United and Ross County.
“It certainly wasn’t a classic,” St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson admitted. “You have to be honest and we didn’t perform today. We had a 15 minute spell at the end of the first half where we looked like ourselves.
“We still created chances, but they did as well. They had three or four chances, Killie probably deserved to win the game and Trevor Carson gets us a point today.”
Ash Taylor should have put the visitors ahead inside the first two minutes, the defender heading a Daniel Armstrong cross over from point-blank range before Jonah Ayunga called the Kilmarnock goalkeeper into action with a snapshot from a tight angle.
The deadlock in a scrappy first half was almost broken when Alebiosu cut in from the left and looked to curl one in on his left foot but the Arsenal loanee’s effort went just wide of Trevor Carson’s far post.
Ryan Strain’s venomous half-volley looked goal bound but, despite seeing it late, Hemming was able to palm it over the bar while Ayunga was guilty of snatching at a presentable chance as half-time approached.
With St Mirren in the ascendancy it was strike partner Curtis Main who had the biggest chance of the half, his diving header going wide of the far post in stoppage time.
Lafferty was gifted a goal by Craig Gordon’s slip last weekend and St Mirren were in equally generous mood as the second half kicked off. The ball was surrendered straight to the feet of the Killie striker to leave him one-on-one with Carson but the Northern Irishman was denied by his compatriot’s right foot.
Armstrong did have the St Mirren goalkeeper beaten with a strike from range but saw it bobble agonisingly wide, with team-mate Wright altogether more fortunate at the other end when he escaped with only a booking for halting a promising home attack right on the edge of the box.
It was Carson to the rescue again as McKenzie, played in by a beautiful ball from Armstrong, could only stab against the goalkeeper’s leg as the Killie fans behind the goal rose in anticipation of the opener.
It was the last real moment of danger at either end, with both sides – particularly the visitors – left to rue their profligacy.
Killie boss Derek McInnes said: “I’m not here to make players feel any worse about themselves but we felt the performance was good enough to be a winning one and unfortunately we’ve not managed to do that.
“I thought we were very good, I thought we dominated the first half in particular, we were very assured and passed the ball well, we got between the lines with good athleticism on the sides – we just didn’t get the goal.
“We’ll take the clean sheet, we’ll take the point, and it keeps us unbeaten from the last three games. We were 45 seconds away from beating Hearts at home, on the balance of play in that game a draw was probably the right result.
“But the away form has to improve, we’ve managed to pick up a point today and the only away win we’ve had has been away at Tynecastle and in the League Cup section.”