Reports, photos and highlights: St. Mirren 3-1 Celtic

St Mirren have lifted the Premier Sports Cup after a dramatic final victory over Celtic at Hampden, bringing the trophy back to Paisley for the first time since 2013.

Saints made the perfect start when Marcus Fraser headed home inside the opening two minutes, immediately putting Celtic under pressure and setting the tone for the afternoon.

Reflecting on the occasion afterwards, Stephen Robinson admitted the scale of the achievement had yet to fully register.
“I’m wet. I’ve had to change because they threw a bucket of ice over me, and I think there was beer poured over me as well,” he said. “But yeah, fantastic. It hasn’t sunk in yet, to be honest.”

St Mirren continued to play with confidence and purpose in the early stages, with Dan Nlundulu’s physical presence unsettling Celtic’s defence and creating further openings.

Robinson said the belief shown by his players was rooted in the work done across the club.
“The amount of work that goes into this football club – the gap between us and a lot of clubs is huge,” he said. “But we bridge that gap so often because of the quality of the players, the desire and the work rate of the players and staff. That’s both on-field and off-field.”

Celtic worked their way back into the game and drew level just before half-time when Reo Hatate finished at the back post after a cross from Kieran Tierney, following an earlier save by Shamal George to deny Kelechi Iheanacho.

Robinson acknowledged Saints had lost some control before the break and explained the changes made at half-time.
“After that, I thought we sat back too much. I thought they caused us too many problems on their left-hand side, so we changed it at half-time,” he said. “I got my two centre-forwards to play outside their two outside centre-halves and hit them on the counter-attack.”

The tactical switch paid off early in the second half when Jonah Ayunga finished from close range to restore St Mirren’s lead, sparking renewed belief among the black and white support.

Robinson said the game plan was built on bravery.
“We said to them, ‘Opportunities don’t come around all the time. When you’re young, you think they do, but they don’t,’” he said. “We asked them to grab it with both hands, and they did.”

Celtic struggled to build momentum as St Mirren remained disciplined and dangerous on the break, and Ayunga sealed the win late on with his second goal of the afternoon after racing clear on the counter-attack.

Robinson felt the scoreline could have been even more convincing.
“It probably could have been a couple more if we’d taken our chances on the counter-attack,” he said. “To say that after winning 3–1 is a huge compliment to the players.”

The St Mirren manager described the victory as the product of long-term collective effort rather than a one-off result.
“Sometimes in life you achieve things and it’s not all together, you get lucky. This hasn’t been that,” he said. “This has been collective hard work from a group of people on and off the pitch – football staff, admin staff and players – who’ve come together and had a fantastic four years.”

He also paid tribute to the travelling support, with more than 13,500 Saints fans inside Hampden.
“It was terrific. You could hear them the whole time,” Robinson said. “Celtic obviously outnumbered us, but our fans were outstanding.”

Robinson admitted he allowed himself to enjoy the moment at full-time, with his family in attendance.
“I don’t usually take the limelight, but I couldn’t help myself today. I had to get in amongst them,” he said. “You have to enjoy these occasions. It’s a special day, and one that will be remembered forever.”

For St Mirren, the Premier Sports Cup win adds another landmark moment under Robinson’s management — a trophy secured against the odds, and a day Hampden and Paisley will not forget.