Killian Phillips Shines as St Mirren Stay Top of Premiership
Killian Phillips is wasting no time making Paisley his stage. A double on the opening day at Falkirk, the winner from the spot here. Two games, three goals, and St Mirren sit on top of the William Hill Premiership for a second successive Saturday night.
This one was tight, tense, and decided by a single mistake and a midfielder who looks utterly unfazed by the pressure.
Chapman’s big moment, Gullan’s missed chance
For a long spell it felt like St Johnstone might be the side to make the decisive move. Both teams arrived with opening-day wins behind them, both looked organised, and the first half offered more jousts than clear blows.
The best chance before the break fell to Samuel Ramos. He met Chris Mochrie’s cross cleanly enough but headed straight at Toby Steward. The goalkeeper could only push the ball up into the air and panic followed, a scramble in front of goal that St Johnstone just about survived.
After the interval, the game cracked open.
A VAR check turned a routine throw-in into a flashpoint. Referee Ross Hardie ruled that Alex Gogic had handled while challenging in the box and pointed to the spot. Up stepped Jamie Gullan, hunting his first big moment of the night.
Jacob Chapman had other ideas.
The St Mirren goalkeeper guessed right, plunging low to his left to claw away the penalty and ignite the home crowd. It was a huge save, the kind that changes not just the scoreline but the feel of a contest. St Johnstone had squandered their first serious opportunity; St Mirren had their warning.
Soon after, the Buddies lost Marcus Fraser to injury, with Liam Donnelly drafted in at centre-back. The reshuffle might have unsettled some sides. McLeish’s team simply reset and went again.
Gullan tried to atone when he teed up Matty Foulds on the run, only to watch the left-back drag his effort just wide. The margins were getting slimmer. The tension thicker.
Phillips punishes Steward’s error
Craig McLeish turned to his bench and almost struck gold instantly. A double substitution brought Luke Thomas into the fray and he wasted no time, slipping Jake Young in down the left. Young drove towards goal, appeared to be held by Cheick Diabate as he shot, and dragged his effort wide of the far post. Home appeals went unanswered, but the pattern was clear: St Mirren were starting to punch harder down that flank.
The breakthrough came from the same side, helped by a moment of hesitation from the visiting goalkeeper.
Declan John clipped a forward pass into space and Toby Steward stepped out, seemingly confident he would gather. He never saw Ramos coming. The St Mirren midfielder surged into his path, Steward collided with him, and the referee pointed straight to the spot.
No fuss from Phillips. The midfielder took the shortest of run-ups, sent Steward the wrong way and rolled the ball home. Simple, cold, clinical. St Mirren had the lead and Phillips had his third of the campaign.
St Johnstone almost hit back immediately. From a corner, Diabate rose highest and powered a header off the post, the ball ricocheting away with Chapman beaten. It was a stark reminder that this game was far from settled.
Late pressure, late chances, but Buddies hold firm
With the clock ticking down, St Mirren went hunting for a second to kill it. Shots flew in, bodies flew out to block them. The hosts camped around the St Johnstone box, only to be nearly caught by their own ambition.
A swift counter sent Ruari Paton racing clear. He slipped Gullan through, the former Hibernian striker with a clear sight of redemption. Instead, his finish lacked conviction and he was smothered by a combination of Steward and Ryan Carr tracking back.
St Johnstone refused to fade. They pushed the game into St Mirren’s half during stoppage time, loading the box and asking questions of a defence that had already bent a few times.
But every attack left space behind, and Young nearly exploited it, forcing a save at the other end on the break. Those final minutes played out with St Mirren cleverly pinning the visitors back, running down the clock in enemy territory rather than their own.
When the whistle went, the story was simple: two wins from two for McLeish’s side, a clean sheet for Chapman, and Phillips emerging as the early-season talisman.
Top of the table again on a Saturday night. The question now is how long they can make this view from the summit last.
