Ten-man St Mirren battle to Kilmarnock draw

St Mirren battled to a goalless draw with Kilmarnock after Ethan Erhahon’s early red card reduced the Paisley side to 10 men.

However, Derek McInnes’ side could not make the visitors pay as they failed to create any clear-cut chances.

Saints remain fifth and Kilmarnock ninth in the Scottish Premiership.

Kilmarnock have a superb home record, particularly against St Mirren, and McInnes has an excellent individual record against the Buddies – with one loss in 26 top-flight meetings – but despite their player advantage they could not find a winner.

Erhahon’s moment of recklessness was right in front of referee Grant Irvine and despite his protests, the decision stood.

Kilmarnock only tested Trevor Carson on two occasions. The first was a Blair Alston chance – the midfielder rifling at goal after Scott Robinson’s dummy – that required Carson to tip it behind.

The second did not come until the 85th minute, when Christian Doidge rose to meet a Ben Chrisene cross. The striker, still looking for his first Killie goal, powered a header towards the top corner but again Carson pushed the ball over.

St Mirren were perhaps lucky not to go down to nine men when Alex Gogic also caught McKenzie in the face with an elbow, but this time Irvine only produced a yellow.

They could have had all three points, too, when Alex Greive was played into the box completely unmarked but he sliced over from only six yards out.

A decent St Mirren rearguard secured a courageous point but the lack of quality in front of goal will not have pleased McInnes.

Player of the Match – Marcus Fraser (St Mirren)

St Mirren hang on against blunt Kilmarnock – analysis

Kilmarnock dominated possession, pushing and pulling St Mirren across the pitch but they did very little to adequately test Trevor Carson.

From a St Mirren perspective, it was a point well won. They sat in, bringing Gogic on as they openly prepared to absorb any Kilmarnock pressure.

And that’s exactly what they did. Charles Dunne, Declan Gallagher and Marcus Fraser headed, tackled and booted everything away that came near the St Mirren box.

Danny Armstrong, and then Jordan Jones, huffed and puffed, swinging the ball into their strikers but the final touch was not within sight.

What they said

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: “I was hoping for more quality, hoping someone would come up with that moment that would work their keeper.

“Although they were a man down, St Mirren still had three in the middle and a back-five. We had to be more precise and inventive rather than just throwing crosses in, which we were guilty of, and just being a bit predictable.”

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson: “It’s what we’re very good at. It’s our DNA. We’re very good at defending. We’ve shown we can go and get points away from home now. 90 minutes with ten men, it’s fantastic how well the back five defended – to a man.

“I love Ethan [Erhahon]. He’s a kid that’s been brilliant for me all season. If it is a red, it’s a lesson for him and the boys have dug him out of a hole.”

What’s next?

Kilmarnock face the league champions at Celtic Park on 7 January, while St Mirren host Hearts on the same day (both 15:00 GMT).