It was a disappointing night for St Mirren as they went down 2-0 to Raith Rovers in Kirkcaldy.
Two second half goals from Ryan Hardie gave the Stark's Park outfit a vital win in the battle to avoid relegation in the Ladbrokes Championship.
Raith started the game off with a break straight from kick-off. Chris Johnston took the shot but it was straight at the Saints' keeper Billy O'Brien.
Play switched to the other end of the park instantly as St Mirren won a corner with Stevie Mallan to take. It was swung over and headed back out to Mallan by Harry Davis but play was stopped after Iain Davidson of Raith took a knock to the head.
The game continued to swing back and forth with a shot blocked by Lewis Morgan and a shot wide by Mark Stewart.
The home side were forced into an early change after Stewart picked up a knock in a challenge with Adam Eckersley earlier in the match. He made way for Ross Matthews.
With 25 minutes played it was still goalless and Rovers' defender Kyle Benedictus took an speculative shot from distance which O'Brien watched go high over his goal.
St Mirren had another shot blocked after Cammy Smith linked well with John Sutton and Mallan to get his shot away. The follow up corner was held well by Raith Rovers' recent signing Pavol Penska.
As the half wore on, Raith Rovers' pressure continued to build. Chris Johnston looked like he was through on goal but Eckersley stepped in at the last minute to nick the ball away to safety.
St Mirren then had an almost identical chance as Kyle Magennis broke up the right flank but before he could pull the trigger on his shot, Benedictus nicked the ball out for a corner that came to nothing.
The closest the Saints came to scoring in the first half came on the 38th minute as Smith played Morgan in and the midfielder's shot missed the target by the slimmest of margins.
It was Raith who had the final opportunity of the half after they won a free kick in a dangerous area but Declan McManus' shot came off the post and came to nothing as the first half ended goalless.
HALF TIME: Raith Rovers 0-0 St Mirren
St Mirren had a good opportunity to open the scoring early in the second half as the ball fell perfectly for Cammy Smith but his attempt was straight at Penska.
Raith then looked to break with McManus playing the ball forward but the receiving player was judged to be offside. The resulting free kick was whipped towards the Raith box and Harry Davis tried to control but his shot was well over.
The home side then had a shot blocked and as St Mirren broke up the park, Cammy Smith was hauled down by Iain Davidson, winning a free kick in a dangerous area. Both players were booked by Crawford Allan after a confrontation. The free kick was taken by Mallan but came to nothing in the end.
As the game got past the hour mark, both sides looked to make changes as Kyle Magennis made way for Josh Todd for the Saints and Ryan Hardie replaced Iain Davidson for Raith Rovers.
With a quarter of an hour left to play, the deadlock was broken. Raith Rovers had a throw in almost in line with the penalty area. The ball was played into the box and Ryan Hardie headed the ball past O'Brien to make it 1-0 to the home side.
Raith Rovers quickly doubled their lead as Hardie scored again. O'Brien's throw out went straight to the striker who rounded the keeper and buried it in the net.
Ryan Hardie had his chance at a hat trick after Raith got a free kick right on the edge of the box. He played it low but O'Brien got down and held the shot.
With four minutes left on the clock, Gary MacKenzie's bullet header was off target. This was St Mirren's last opportunity of the match as the home side took the three points.
FULL TIME: Raith Rovers 2-0 St Mirren
St Mirren: O'Brien, Stelios (Loy 74), MacKenzie, Davis, Eckersley, Magennis (Todd 64), McGinn, Smith, Mallan, Morgan, Sutton
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Irvine, Baird, Storie, Fjelde
Raith Rovers: Penksa, Jason Thomson, Callachan, M'Voto, Benedictus, Johnston, Stewart (Matthews 20) , B. Barr, Davidson (Hardie 69) , McManus, C.Barr
Subs Not Used: Stevenson, Roberts, Coustrain, Skacel, Jordan Thomson,
Referee: Crawford Allan
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan
Assistant Referee: Willie Ferguson
Attendance: 2124
Jack Ross makes one change to the side the lost to Celtic on Sunday.
Adam Eckersley returns from injury to replace Gary Irvine, who drops to the bench.
We'll have all the action covered on Twitter and Facebook as the Buddies look to extend their winning run in the league to three matches.
St Mirren: O'Brien, Stelios, MacKenzie, Davis, Eckersley, Magennis, McGinn, Smith, Mallan, Morgan, Sutton
Subs: Langfield, Irvine, Baird, Loy, Storie, Todd, Fjelde
Saints are on the road again tonight as they travel to Kirkcaldy to face Raith Rovers at Stark's Park.
The Buddies will meet Rovers for the third time in the Ladbrokes Championship this season with each side sharing a win.
The first meeting came on match day two with Saints paying the Kirkcaldy side a visit after an opening day draw with Morton. Declan McManus gave the home side the lead after just 17 minutes. Ross Callachan put Rovers 2-0 up before a defensive mix-up between Jamie Langfield and Andy Webster allowed McManus to grab his second of the match just a minute later. Ryan Hardie, now at Raith, scored a consolation goal for the Buddies just beyond the hour mark but the damage had been done.
The two sides met for a second time in the league, this time at the Paisley 2021 Stadium, in December. Saints had just picked up their first league win of the season after beating Queen of the South just days before facing Rovers. And they made it back-to-back league wins when Lewis Morgan scored from a thunderous effort early in the second half to secure a 1-0 victory for Saints.
St Mirren's form has improved in recent weeks with the Buddies winning four matches in a row before Sunday's defeat to Celtic. Even in defeat Saints were praised by Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers who described St Mirren as the best team his side had faced domestically this season.
That run of four wins, the first time the Buddies had done so since 2008, included league wins over Ayr United and Hibernian. Both were beaten 2-0 with John Sutton and Morgan netting in the win over Ayr, while full back Stelios Demetriou grabbed his first St Mirren goals as Saints triumphed over league leaders Hibernian in Paisley.
Raith come into this match on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Ayr United at Somerset Park last week. Facing an injury crisis, midfielder Ryan Stevenson had to play in goals for John Hughes' outfit but Rovers have since agreed a deal to bring in Slovakian goalkeeper Pavol Penksa until the end of the season.
The Buddies still sit at the bottom of the Ladbrokes Championship but a win over Raith would bring them to within two points of Ayr United who sit in ninth place and three points off Rovers with a game in hand over the Kirkcaldy side. Meanwhile, our opponents will be desperate to push themselves away from the danger zone and get their first league win since October.
Tickets for the IRN-BRU Cup final will go on sale to season ticket holders tomorrow morning (Wednesday 8 March) from 10am.
Season ticket holders can buy a maximum of two tickets per season ticket and will have until midnight on Monday 13th to secure their ticket before going on general sale subject to availability on Tuesday 14th.
The final takes place at Fir Park on Saturday 25 March with a 12:30pm kick off. Saints supporters will be housed in the Phil O'Donnell and David Cooper stands.
The Buddies reached the IRN-BRU Cup final after defeating Albion Rovers, Hibernian and Ayr United before overcoming Welsh side The New Saints 4-1 in the semi-final.
Tickets will be available to purchase online at smfctickets.co.uk, by calling 0141 840 6130 or by visiting the St Mirren Ticket Office. The ticket office will be opened after Saturday's match for season ticket holders to purchase tickets.
Tickets are priced at £20 for adults, £10 for concessions* and £5 for U12s.
We also have 20 spaces for wheelchair users and they are priced at £10 for adults, £5 concessions* and £3 for U12s. Carers will go free of charge.
*Juveniles aged 12-18, over 65s and full time students.
Tomorrow night (Wednesday 8th March) Saints are on the road to Kirkcaldy for a Ladbrokes Championship match-up with Raith Rovers at Stark's Park.
The latest info we have on Travel Clubs heading to Stark's Park for the match is as follows:
Tile Bar Supporters Bus
The bus for the match against Raith Rovers at Kirkcaldy will leave at 5:15pm.
Bus tickets are now on sale in the bar.
Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus
We will be leaving at 5:00pm for the Raith Rovers game.
Bus tickets for this game are now SOLD OUT.
Chivas Travel Club
We are sharing a bus with the North End Club for the Raith Rovers game.
The bus will leave the Court Bar at 5:45pm
Our bus tickets for this match are now SOLD OUT.
North End Travel Club
We will be sharing a bus with the Chivas Travel Club for the Raith Rovers game at Kirkcaldy.
The bus will leave St James' Street at 5:45pm
Bus tickets are now on sale in the Brewers Tap
| Match | vs Raith Rovers |
| Competition | Ladbrokes Championship |
| Venue | Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy |
| Date | Wed 8th March 2017 |
| Kick Off | 7:45pm |
| Entry By | Pay-at-the-Gate |
| Adult | £15 |
| Over 65 | £8 |
| Under 16 | £8 |
| FT Student | £10 |
| Jobseeker | £10 |
Additional Information for Travelling Fans
Tomorrow, Wednesday 8th March, St Mirren head to 'The Kingdom of Fife' to face Raith Rovers in a Ladbrokes Championship match-up.
The gate prices have now been confirmed for the fixture at Stark's Park and these are shown above.
The referee tomorrow is Crawford Allan and he will be assisted by John McCrossan and Willie Ferguson.
Harry Davis says that confidence is high at St Mirren despite the loss to Celtic in the Scottish Cup.
The defender believes that Saints can take heart from a first half display that saw the Buddies become the first team since Barcelona, in November, to take the lead at Celtic Park.
And the 25 year-old thinks the team should take that, along with recent good form, into Wednesday's match as the Buddies travel to Kirkcaldy to face Raith Rovers.
We've got a lot of confidence in the side from the past four wins that we got on the bounce.
"That breeds confidence and I think everyone can see we are really digging deep for one another and putting in some good displays, that can only help. The first half performance should breed confidence for Wednesday.
"It's a very big game," he said of the match against Raith. "It's all about recovery now and looking to Wednesday and hopefully we can get another win there. Confidence is high and we're really looking forward to the game."
While disappointed that Saints couldn't cause a cup upset, Davis believes playing at Celtic Park was a good test for the side.
"It was a great experience, first of all. I've never been to this stadium so to play here was a great experience. I thought first half we did really well, stifled them. And then second half they started to open us up and they were clinical in their finishing.
"It was a very good display from us, I'm just devastated that we couldn't see it through. We had this belief in the team that we could see the game through and we're disappointed not to be in the next round. But fair play to Celtic, they are a very good side and showed it.
It was Davis who gave St Mirren a shock 13th minute lead when he tapped home from a few yards out following John Sutton's knockdown after a well worked free kick.
It was the Englishman's second goal for the Buddies since joining the club on loan on transfer deadline day and he joked that he'll need to look at having a goal bonus added to his contract.
I was delighted to score," he said. "I'll have to see if I can get a goal bonus! But yeah delighted to score. It was a great header back from Sutts and it was a great feeling to score.
And it could have been even better for Saints when Stevie Mallan's free kick deflected off Moussa Dembele and cannoned off the cross bar. It turned out to be a huge moment in the match with the hosts 2-1 ahead less than 10 minutes later.
It was a bit of a turning point to be fair," Davis confessed. "I think 2-0 puts a lot more pressure on Celtic and it was a big turning point.
"At the end of the day they've showed their quality in the second half, opened us up with very good quality upfront so there's no complaints really."
A selection of pictures from yesterday's defeat to Celtic in the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final.
St Mirren took a shock lead at Celtic Park when Harry Davis struck from close range after just 13 minutes.
Saints almost doubled their advantage early in the second half when a Stevie Mallan free kick came off Moussa Dembele and cannoned off the underside of the cross bar.
But Celtic started to find their rhythm with the help of substitutes Patrick Roberts and Leigh Griffiths. The Hoops scored twice in a minute to go ahead before goals from Dembele and Griffiths rounded off their victory.
Match gallery pictures by John Millar - © millarpictures
Jack Ross speaks to stmirren.com after Saints exit the William Hill Scottish Cup despite a good showing against Celtic at Celtic Park.
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