Despite spending the majority of their history in Scotland’s first division, St Mirren’s highest ever league finish is third, which they achieved in 1893 and 1980.
Success has been hard to come by; they have won the Scottish Cup three times, but most recently in 1987.
Their most recent success was a Scottish League Cup trophy in 2013. For a club not expecting to win trophies regularly in a country dominated by Celtic and Rangers, fans can take pride in beating the odds and pulling off unexpected wins.
In this article we’ll take a look at St. Mirren’s biggest upsets in recent history, exploring the times they upset the best free bet offers and won as underdogs when it mattered most.
St Mirren 4-0 Celtic, 2010
St Mirren scuppered Celtic’s title hopes with an emphatic 4-0 victory, but this was more than a one off game, this was an upset which was massive for both sides. St. Mirren came into this game two points above bottom of the table Falkirk, having failed to win in their last 11 league games.
They also came into this game off the back of a heartbreaking League Cup final defeat to Rangers.
This game was huge for Celtic too, they themselves had struggled this season and went into it 10 points behind Rangers with a game in hand, failure to win here would end their hopes of clawing back the deficit.
Celtic had experienced away ties against Manchester United, AC Milan, and Barcelona in the champions league that season, and had managed less embarrassing results in all of those ties. St. Mirren demolished them 4-0 thanks to a brace from both Andy Dorman and Steven Thomson, and ‘we want five’ rang around the stadium.
This was a memorable day for fans who had suffered all season, and could be seen as the catalyst for survival in the league, with Falkirk going on to be relegated. It will certainly go down as one of the greatest results in the club’s recent history.
2013 League Cup Semi Final: St. Mirren 3-2 Celtic
The 2013 Scottish League Cup final saw St. Mirren face the competition’s favourites Celtic, having not scored in their previous eight meetings with Celtic, the hoops were expected to breeze past them. Celtic boasted a strong squad including the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Victor Wanyama. Gary Hooper and Leigh Griffiths. Any chance of making it to the final would mean pulling off a hugely unexpected win.
And that they did. Esmael Goncalves gave them a shock lead before Gary Hooper equalised before half time. Charlie Mulgrew had a penalty saved before conceding one later on for Celtic, which was scored by Paul McGowan.
Steven Thomson scored a volley to make it 3-1 before Mulgrew made up for his mistake with a late consolation goal, but that was too late, and St. Mirren advanced to the final.
2013 League Cup Final: St. Mirren 3-2 Hearts
St. Mirren would again defy expectations in the final, which was a chance to win their first silverware since lifting the 1987 Scottish Cup. Ryan Stevenson scored for Hearts to take the lead, but either side of half-time St. Mirren struck back with goals coming from Esmael Goncalves and Steven Thomson.
Conor Newton made it 3-1 which provided short-lived relief for fans, who watched as their team battled a clearly better side. Stevenson scored Hearts’ second, but the Buddies held on to win the game and got to see their captain Jim Goodwin lift the league cup.
This was a huge win for a team who only three years previously, had lost against Rangers with only 9 men left on the pitch in the 2010 final. This cup win was a rare and historic day for St. Mirren.
2020 Scottish League Cup Quarter-Final: St Mirren 3-2 Rangers
St Mirren produced another memorable cup upset when they knocked Rangers out of the 2020 League Cup, ending their unbeaten start to the season.
Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side were flying high at the top of the Scottish Premiership and looked destined for a clean sweep of domestic trophies. When Connor Goldson put Rangers ahead early on, most expected them to cruise to victory.
However, St Mirren responded brilliantly, with Jamie McGrath scoring twice to put them in front. Rangers equalised in the 88th minute through Steven Davis, but St Mirren weren’t done yet—Conor McCarthy popped up with a 92nd-minute winner to stun the visitors and send St Mirren to the semi-finals.