Craig McLeish insists St Mirren have the confidence to seal Premiership spot

St Mirren interim boss Craig McLeish insists his side have the confidence to seal a spot in the William Hill Premiership next season, after they were consigned to a relegation play-off place despite a 2-0 victory over Aberdeen.

Richard King put the home side in front shortly before the interval with an emphatic close-range finish following a well-worked set-piece, while former Don Killian Phillips added a second 10 minutes from time in scrappier fashion.

However, Kilmarnock’s win at Dundee means St Mirren can no longer escape 11th place.

McLeish said: “We asked for a reaction after the game on Saturday because that was a disappointing one for us. It’s the only one since I’ve taken over the group that I was disappointed with how we’ve played.

“We’ve maybe not had the luck, or the rub of the green, or taken some of the chances we’ve been creating, but I asked for a reaction and they gave us that tonight, which can only help build confidence and momentum within the group.

“We now know what we face to stay in the league, and I can’t ask for any more from the boys. They fought for each other and they stuck together. There were some tough moments within the game, but I thought we thoroughly deserved to win.”

Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson admitted his frustration with his side’s performance, but felt that perhaps with his side being safe from relegation before the match, some players maybe relaxed a little too much.

He said: “The first-half performance, I think we’ve seen this many, many times this season, lacked intensity. We were playing out from the back, moving too slowly, moved the ball backwards and sideways without hurting them.

“That’s not what we’ve done for the last six games, so some of the players have turned up today subconsciously ready to play an end-of-season game.

“St Mirren turned up with an intensity, fighting for their lives, and the first-half performance cost us.”