St Mirren could guarantee not finishing bottom of the Ladbrokes Championship when they host Raith Rovers tomorrow in a must win game.
A win for the Saints would see them leapfrog the Kirkcaldy side heading into the final match of the season. And with Raith facing current bottom side Ayr United on the final day, a Buddies victory tomorrow would mean that they cannot finish in 10th place.
The Buddies have faced Raith Rovers three times this season only managing a win on one occasion. Jack Ross was in charge for the last two meetings between the sides which saw him win one and lose one.
The first meeting between the two sides came back in August and saw visitors St Mirren suffer a 3-1 defeat. Declan McManus opened the scoring after 17 minutes. Ross Callachan then doubled the Rovers’ lead on the 50th minute before McManus scored his second and Raith’s third just a minute later. Rangers loanee Ryan Hardie pulled one back for the Saints just after the hour mark, but it wasn't enough to stir a Saints comeback.
Jack Ross had taken over as St Mirren manager when Raith Rovers travelled to the Paisley 2021 Stadium for the second league match between the sides. The Buddies, who had just picked up their first league win of the season a few days earlier, made it back-to-back triumphs with a goal from Lewis Morgan early on in the second half securing all three points.
The last clash between the two relegation rivals saw the Saints travel to Kirkcaldy to face Raith at Stark’s Park. Hardie, back on loan at Rovers after his spell at St Mirren, scored a double late on in the second half to give his side an important victory.
Despite coming off the back off a frustrating defeat to Dundee United last week, Jack Ross’ side will be confident going into tomorrow’s game following a great run of form aside from the Tannadice hiccup. The Buddies have won four of their last seven league matches and lost only two of their last 10.
It has all the makings of a tense and exciting game as both teams know a win will see them avoid finishing at the foot of the table ahead of the final day.
