St Mirren manager Craig McLeish admitted he was “as angry as that at winning a game” after watching his side come from 3-0 down to beat East Kilbride 4-3 in the Premier Sports Cup.
Saints trailed 3-0 after 57 minutes before goals from Eseosa Sule, Ryan Carr, Killian Phillips and Malik Dijksteel completed a remarkable turnaround at the SMiSA Stadium.
Despite the comeback, McLeish said the first-half performance fell well below the standards his side have set.
He said: “Well done for showing the character to come back and win the game, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as angry as that at winning a game at the end of a game.
“Just first half not good enough. Not the levels that we’ve set so far.
“Part of me is probably quite happy that it happened, that we needed a bump in the road or a kick up the backside to see how we reacted from it.”
McLeish praised his players for their response after the break and said the substitutes made a big difference.
“The players’ reaction was fantastic at halftime. Not once did they turn on each other in the second half. They stuck together, they fought, we made changes.
“The boys that came on the pitch gave us spark, gave us energy.”
He said the lack of energy and effort in the opening 45 minutes was unacceptable.
“It was a lack of energy, a lack of running. We knew it was going to be that man-for-man type game the way East Kilbride play, but they were running away from us and winning their individual one-v-ones. That’s not acceptable.
“We’ve won the game, but ultimately it’s not good enough. We need to be better than that leading into the league campaign. We can’t play like that.”
McLeish said he was encouraged by the impact of the players introduced from the bench.
“Ryan Carr’s probably a wee bit hard done by that he’s not featured as much. He comes on there, runs himself into the ground, flies into tackles and handles the ball well.
“Stevie comes on and gives a bit of calmness in the middle of the pitch as well. Sosa gets his first goal and causes some problems up front. He’s probably not quite up to speed yet, but still did what he needed to do to get us over the line.
“Jaden’s forward runs from full-back gave us that energy and spark.”
The St Mirren boss was also pleased to see Malik Dijksteel score the winning goal after an injury-hit spell.
“He’s looked really bright in training. It’s been a wee bit stop-start even with his recovery from surgery last year.
“Great that he gets the winning goal. Ultimately now for Mal, he has to step up and show that he can be part of the group and contribute to it.
“So, no, great for him personally after the tough time he’s been through to go and win the game for us in that manner.”
McLeish also confirmed defender Deki John missed the match with a hamstring injury.
“He’s got a slight tear in his hamstring, but it’s not too bad. Probably looking at maybe four weeks or so. We just need to protect him.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s final group game against Dunfermline Athletic, McLeish expects another tough test.
“They’ve won big and they’ve closed the gap in terms of goal difference, so it’s all to play for.
“We need to perform better than we did tonight against a Championship team. We have to show better energy levels, better quality than we did in the first 45 minutes.
“The second half showed the levels, the energy, the effort and the work rate that we need because then our quality comes through. But you can’t put yourself in that type of situation in the first half.”
Photo Credit: High McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: New signing Chris Mochrie, signed from Airdrieonians, on the attack for St Mirren.
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Jalmaro Calvin has a shot at goal for St Mirren.
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: New signing Samuel Ramos on the ball after joining from Slovakian side Zemplín Michalovce.
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Ryan Carr, who signed from Ipswich Town, in action for St Mirren.
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Eseosa Sule celebrates scoring his first St Mirren goal after joining from West Bromwich Albion.
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Killian Phillips scores to level the match at 3-3.
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Stevie Mallan in action as a trialist for St Mirren.
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News
Photo: Malik Dijksteel scores the winning goal as St Mirren complete a 4-3 comeback victory over East Kilbride.
Photo Credit: Hugh McMillan / Renfrewshire News