St Mirren start strongly using relegation scare as 'fuel'

What the report says

St Mirren have made a strong start to the Scottish Premiership season, moving to the top of the table after back-to-back wins over Falkirk and St Johnstone, and doing so without conceding. BBC Sport reports that the Paisley club’s opening has been a sharp contrast to last season, when they were dragged into a relegation play-off and only secured their top-flight place at the end of a difficult campaign.

Manager Craig McLeish said he is using that previous scare as motivation, with a renewed focus on simple, hard-working basics such as fitness, discipline and making the team difficult to play against. He pointed to the value of two clean sheets and said the early results have helped build belief within the squad. Goalkeeper Jacob Chapman made an important penalty save in the win over St Johnstone before Killian Phillips converted from the spot to seal the result.

Phillips has emerged as an early standout, scoring all three of St Mirren’s league goals so far and becoming an influential figure in the side. McLeish also noted that the club expects to develop players and potentially move them on if interest arrives, while emphasizing that the priority for now is to keep building on the positive start. The early turnaround matters because it suggests St Mirren may again be capable of competing above expectations after a season spent fighting for survival.