St Mirren and Partick Thistle are set to clash in a two-legged play-off final to determine which club will be playing Scottish Premiership football next season.
Partick Thistle, after finishing second in the Championship, overcame Dunfermline Athletic to earn their shot at returning to the top flight after an eight-year absence.
St Mirren, who lifted the League Cup in December, finished second bottom of the Premiership and are fighting to extend their eight-year stay.
Thistle Aim to Capitalise on St Mirren’s Struggles
St Mirren have had one of the most successful seasons in their history after beating Celtic in December’s Premier Sports Cup final.
It was the club’s second League Cup triumph and the summit of their four-year era under Stephen Robinson which also included three top-six finishes.
But the Premiership has been a struggle for them all season.
St Mirren were 10th when Robinson left for Aberdeen in March and interim manager Craig McLeish struggled to stop the rot.
A run of four defeats in a row without scoring came just as Kilmarnock hit form under Neil McCann, which consigned St Mirren to 11th place and the play-off.
They ended the regular season having scored 10 fewer goals than even Livingston below them, with their productivity up top ultimately costing them as well as a host of injuries.
Partick Thistle’s Road to the Play-Off Final
Partick Thistle have naturally had a more enjoyable season to get themselves into this position.
They pushed eventual winners St Johnstone until the final few games in the Championship title race, eventually finishing 11 points adrift of Saints but 15 clear of third-place Arbroath.
That earned Mark Wilson’s side a place in the play-off semi-final, where they defeated Scottish Cup finalists Dunfermline 3-2 on aggregate after a second-leg home win.
McLeish Confident Despite Play-Off
As the Premiership side and with the second leg at home St Mirren will start as favourites – but only just.
McLeish has won three of his 10 games in interim charge, though performances have been decent at times, including in the most recent win over Aberdeen and draw with Dundee United.
The 36-year-old believes he is the “best person to take the club forward” from next season regardless of what division St Mirren are in.
“The results maybe haven’t gone our way and ultimately it wasn’t enough to avoid a play-off spot,” McLeish said.
“But it’s not like we’re looking like a team that are lost or don’t know what they’re doing or are low in confidence.
“We’re confident as a group but we have to go in with confidence but not complacency.”
Previous Encounter and Looking Ahead
The sides have already played this season in the Scottish Cup, a closely-fought 2-1 win for St Mirren in Paisely in what turned out to be Robinson’s last game.
Partick Thistle will take confidence from how they pinned St Mirren back for long spells and will not fear coming to Paisley for the second leg.
Firstly, they will look to capitalise.
The play-off final starts on Thursday night at Firhill.