St Mirren followed up on European excellence with domestic delight in a convincing 3-0 William Hill Premiership win over Hibernian in Paisley.
After winning through to the next qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League with a 4-1 home win over Icelandic side Valur on Thursday, Stephen Robinson’s side kept up the good form in their league opener with Roland Idowu, the 22-year-old midfielder on loan from Shrewsbury, firing them ahead three minutes into the second half with a terrific strike.
An element of farce was introduced to the afternoon when the VAR system went down moments later and play continued for a while before the system returned to partial operation.
Saints substitute Oisin Smyth, on for Dennis Adeniran, headed in a second in the 77th minute and drove in a third two minutes later to boost St Mirren before they return to European action against SK Brann on Thursday – while sending David Gray’s Hibs side back to Leith to think again.
Perhaps surprisingly after Thursday’s exertions, Robinson made only two changes.
Saints captain Mark O’Hara was out through injury and Jaden Brown dropped to the bench as Scott Tanser and Caolan Boyd-Munce came in.
There were league debuts for Hibs’ summer signings Josef Bursik, Marvin Ekpiteta and Warren O’Hora while Ukrainian striker Mykola Kuharevich, who signed on another loan for the Easter Road side on Saturday, started on the bench.
Both sides came close early on. A low drive by Saints attacker Jonah Ayunga from the edge of the box after seven minutes sped past Bursik’s far post, before Hibs wide-man Jordan Obita’s cross from the left could not be converted by Easter Road forward Dylan Vente at the other end.
In the 35th minute a powerful run by St Mirren striker Toyosi Olusanya took him to the edge of the Hibs box and when he laid the ball off to Idowu, his deflected strike just missed the near post, the corner coming to nothing.
Moments later, former Hibernian player Alex Gogic almost turned a cross from 18-year-old Rudi Molotnikov, making his first league start for Hibs, into his own net, alert Buddies goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe saving the day.
The Paisley side sprung out of the traps in the second half.
Brown, who had replaced Tanser at the break, fed Idowu down the left and he turned inside Hibs defender Lewis Miller and curled the ball past Bursik and into the far corner of the net.
There was a cheer all around the ground when it was announced VAR was non-operational and after a lengthy delay it was then announced that the game would continue without its use until further notice.
Hibs roared back and attacker Martin Boyle had two efforts on goal – the first blocked, the second saved easily by Balcombe – as it was then announced VAR had returned to partial operation.
The game opened up.
In the 73rd minute Boyle raced clear of the St Mirren defence but a poor finish allowed Balcombe to save.
Idowu came in from the right-hand side and crashed a shot off the post from 16 yards with Smyth, signed from Oxford in June, unable to guide the rebound into the net.
However, he was much more accurate when fellow substitute James Scott worked hard to keep the ball in on the byline and chipped for Smyth to power in a header.
As Hibs staggered, Smyth then converted a cutback from Scott to clinch all three points – 10 minutes were added for the VAR delay – and set them up nicely for another tilt at Europe next week.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Liverpool & Wirtz now Ange Postecoglou to be sacked by Tottenham Hotspur Feeling old Premier League big team transfer Antony? THIS IS MENTAL The Manchester United pull…Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, originaltrollfootball)...
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup debuts in the United States with a fresh format, gathering 32 elite clubs for the pinnacle of inter-club competition. This edition spotlights Group C, which brings together Bundesliga leaders FC Bayern Munich, South American powerhouses Boca Juniors, Primeira Liga giants SL Benfica, and Oceanian dark horses Auckland City FC. These teams, with their diverse and unique s...
According to reports, new Bayer Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag is considering signing the Brazilian for Leverkusen this summer.Erik ten Hag is reportedly keen to sign Antony for Bayer LeverkusenTen Hag was in charge at United when Antony arrived for £86m in 2022.But the tricky winger's time in Manchester has been nothing short of a disaster, with Antony even admitting he went days without eatin...
Premier League runners-up Arsenal are now 'advancing' in their attempts to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, according to widespread reports.The Gunners are finally going to sign a new centre-forward this summer with widespread reports claiming that Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta have a couple of targets in mind.Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko have...
Arsenal have received a huge boost in their quest to sign 'their main target' in the summer transfer window, with a report revealing that a two-time Champions League winner is 'willing' to move to the Gunners.What promised to be a successful season for Arsenal turned out to be trophyless yet again. Mikel Arteta's side could not last the distance in the race for the Premier League title, and the eu...
Liverpool struggling to agree Kerkez fee with BournemouthLiverpool are struggling to agree a fee with Bournemouth for the signing of full-back Milos Kerkez, per a new report.Per i News, Liverpool have been locked in talks with the Cherries over a deal to sign Kerkez but have yet to agree a fee for the left-back. The 21-year-old is valued at £45 million ($61m) and the Cherries are refusing to ...
Panama v Mexico: Final - CONCACAF Nations LeagueThe Fulham striker dismissed the idea of a true football rivalry between El Tri and La Albiceleste.Chile v Argentina - FIFA World Cup 2026 QualifierWHAT HAPPENED?Raúl Jiménez, striker for Fulham and a regular with the Mexican national team, weighed in on recent remarks made by Lionel Messi regarding the supposed football rivalry between Mex...
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FC - Premier LeagueThomas Tuchel says he has the "greatest respect" for Ange Postecoglou, but has hinted he understands why Tottenham chose to sack the Australian. WHAT HAPPENED?England boss Tuchel was asked about Postecoglou at his press conference ahead of the Three Lions' World Cup qualifier against Andorra, with the news breaking minutes before...
Tottenham Hotspur FC v Brighton & Hove Albion FC - Premier LeagueTottenham players have been left fuming by the club's decision to sack Ange Postecoglou and his successor may face a player revolt, per a new report.WHAT HAPPENED?Per the Daily Telegraph, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has angered a number of players with his decision to sack Postecoglou on the back of their Europa League triumph. Wh...
Bayer 04 Leverkusen v Borussia Mönchengladbach - BundesligaLiverpool have submitted a fresh bid for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz, and are now reportedly closer to reaching a deal for the German.WHAT HAPPENED?The Premier League champions have been working hard since the end of the season to sign Bayer Leverkusen's in-demand Wirtz, as they looked to beat the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester...
- 1 Albanian Laura Woods wows fans in Champions League final outfit
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 4 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 9 Liverpool's dream transfer window with six signings including £100m striker
- 10 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season