For long periods of the season, it looked like St Mirren were heading toward disaster. Injuries piled up, goals became difficult to find, and pressure continued to grow around the club. But after weeks of tension and uncertainty, the Buddies managed to hold onto their place in the Scottish Premiership.
Now the big question around the club is simple should interim boss Craig McLeish be trusted with the job permanently?
McLeish stepped in after the departure of former manager Stephen Robinson earlier this year. At the time, St Mirren were slipping toward danger despite already enjoying one of the most memorable cup campaigns in club history.
The season itself felt like two completely different stories.
On one side, supporters watched their team lift the League Cup and enjoy big occasions against some of Scotland’s top clubs. On the other, league form collapsed badly enough to drag the club into the relegation play-off.
Everything came down to the play-off final against Partick Thistle. After a tense first leg ended level, St Mirren finally survived thanks to a narrow win in Paisley. Defender Marcus Fraser scored the decisive goal that kept the club in the Premiership for another season.
Following the match, McLeish made it clear that he wants to remain in charge long term. He said he believes he is capable of leading the club forward and preventing another season filled with so much stress and inconsistency.
Many fans were still not fully convinced by McLeish a few days ago. Some supporters questioned his tactics, while others felt the team did not create enough chances during the play-off games. There were also concerns that the players looked nervous in important moments.
Still, football often comes down to results and McLeish delivered the one result that mattered most.
Keeping St Mirren in the Premiership was financially huge for the club, especially after players openly admitted that relegation could have affected jobs behind the scenes. Midfielder Killian Phillips described the play-off as even bigger than the club’s cup final because of what was at stake for everyone connected to St Mirren.
The 36-year-old manager also earned praise for staying calm during an extremely difficult period. Players continued fighting for him despite the pressure, and the squad eventually showed enough composure to get over the line.
There is no doubt St Mirren still need major improvement. The club struggled badly for goals throughout the league season, and inconsistency nearly cost them their top-flight status. Recruitment during the summer will now become extremely important if they want to avoid another relegation battle next year.
But after such a chaotic season, stability might be exactly what the club needs.
McLeish already knows the dressing room, understands the pressure around the club, and has now guided the team through its toughest moment of the year. Whether that will be enough to convince the board remains to be seen.
For now, though, he has given St Mirren fans something priceless another season in the Premiership.
