Jim Goodwin credits St Mirren’s fight after second dramatic win this week

Posted Sunday, December 20, 2020 by PA

Jim Goodwin praised his side’s never-say-die attitude as they came from behind to defeat 10-man St Johnstone.

Goals from Stevie May and Scott Tanser, either side of an Ethan Erhahon equaliser, had the Perth side 2-1 up at half-time.

But Jason Kerr was sent off for St Johnstone just before the break and St Mirren eventually took advantage to score twice late on through Lee Erwin and Jon Obika.

It capped a good week for the Paisley side following their Betfred Cup win over Rangers on Wednesday night.

Goodwin said: “We’ve been well criticised for our lack of goals of late but that’s six goals in two games this week which is fantastic.

“I know my boys have got character and will keep going right until the end. They weren’t satisfied with taking it to extra time the other night, they wanted to get the winner. And today it would have been easy to take a point but credit the players – they just kept going and going.

“It was two real bits of quality from Kyle McAllister. As a manager when you make substitutions you want an impact. We put Jamie McGrath on the left and McAllister on the right and his two crosses for the second and the third were brilliant.”

The result lifts St Mirren to eighth in the table, while they wait to hear if their appeal against the two 3-0 defeats handed down to them by the SPFL for coronavirus breaches is successful.

Goodwin added: “There’s plenty more to come from us. We’re 11 games unbeaten now which is a great run.

“We’ve actually only played 15 games if you take the two forfeited ones out. So we should, theoretically, have three games in hand on the teams around us. Hopefully that will be the case when the appeal is heard and we get to play Motherwell and Hamilton, who we’ve already beaten this season.”

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson felt the red card had been key in the outcome of the match.

He said: “The sending-off changes the game. For me it is about game management on the right hand side and they can do better.

“I haven’t seen the tackle back but he gave the referee an opportunity to make a decision and he has done that.”