Aberdeen beaten by St Mirren on Stephen Robinson’s return to former club

St Mirren wrecked Stephen Robinson’s hopes of a winning return to Paisley as they overcame Aberdeen 2-0 in a hard-fought encounter at the SMiSA Stadium.

Dons boss Robinson returned to his former club for the first time since swapping the Buddies for Aberdeen last month, but he left empty-handed to leave his new side just three points above the relegation play-off spot.

Jonah Ayunga’s 40th-minute opener put St Mirren’s interim manager Craig McLeish on his way to back-to-back league victories, before Alex Gogic’s towering 83rd-minute header made sure of the result which moved them level on points with their ninth-placed opponents.

Saints looked fired up for Robinson’s first trip back to Paisley, where opposite number McLeish had been confirmed just a week earlier as caretaker manager until the end of the season.

McLeish had led St Mirren to an impressive 2-1 away victory against Falkirk prior to the international break and, as early as the 11th minute, Liam Connelly fired an ominous warning to Aberdeen when his header clipped the crossbar.

The Dons were finding it hard to get out of their own half at times as Saints played to their strengths and launched the ball deep into opposition territory at every opportunity, and it took them until midway through the first half to register their first clear shot at Shamal George’s goal.

It came from Kenan Bilalovic, who went on a surging run from inside his own half which saw him evade several Saints challenges. The 20-year-old Swede opted to go all the way himself and was ultimately unfortunate to see his low 20-yard effort skid narrowly wide of George’s left-hand post.

The home team, though, remained on the ascendancy, with their tactics of applying pressure from set-pieces causing the visitors endless problems.

And it was no more than they deserved when they took the lead five minutes before the interval. Ayunga was first to a loose ball, cutting swiftly inside before drilling a low finish into the bottom left corner.

Aberdeen looked like a different beast in the second half, with German midfielder Emmanuel Gyamfi posing a considerable threat down the left.

Twice in quick succession, Gyamfi fizzed dangerous crosses into the Buddies’ box but there was nobody there to deliver the finishing touch.

As hard as they tried, it was a clear lack of quality and confidence which prevented the Reds from getting back on level terms.

And they had no answer when substitute Scott Tanser’s in-swinging corner picked out Gogic, who nodded an unstoppable effort high past visiting goalkeeper Per Kristian Bratveit.