Storm Babet disrupted football in England and Scotland on Saturday as adverse weather conditions swept the UK.

Ross County’s home match against St Mirren in the cinch Premiership was the latest fixture to be postponed north of the border.

And in England, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold was involved in an accident after a 40ft electricity pylon smashed onto a car in front of the England international, according to The Sun.

The high voltage power line was pulled up by 70mph winds and landed in front of Alexander-Arnold’s black Range Rover near Knutsford, Cheshire, the newspaper reported.

Alexander-Arnold reportedly slammed on the brakes before colliding with a BMW X5. Cheshire police said nobody was injured in the incident.

The footballer’s agent was contacted by the PA news agency, but declined to comment on the story.

The storm showed no signs of abating as downpours continued to batter the UK on Saturday, with three people dead and another red “danger to life” warning in place.

After conversations with the SPFL and Police Scotland, the decision was taken to call the St Mirren game off on Saturday morning with supporters’ safety in mind.

A club statement said a new date and kick-off time would be rearranged in due course.

County’s match at the Global Energy Stadium became the first fixture to be called off on Saturday but several others were already postponed on Friday, including Aberdeen’s home game against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to St Johnstone.

Other Saturday fixtures to have fallen include Mansfield’s home clash with Forest Green in Sky Bet League Two, and Altrincham’s match against Dorking in the Vanarama National League.

Chesterfield’s home fixture against Gateshead has also been called off “on the recommendation of various external partner agencies”.

The Scottish Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers – in the worst-hit area of Angus – was called off, as was Greenock’s match against Inverness.

Cove Rangers against Montrose in League One was also postponed along with two games in League Two – Elgin versus Forfar and Stenhousemuir against Peterhead.

Saturday’s race card at Market Rasen was also postponed due to standing water on areas of the track.

An inspection was held on Friday but the race course confirmed after 50mm of rainfall in the area that the decision was made to abandon the meeting.

Rotherham’s Championship game with Ipswich, scheduled to be played on Friday night, was also postponed due to the stormy conditions.

The area was hit with torrential rain which caused the River Don, which runs behind the AESSEAL New York Stadium, to burst its banks which left areas around the stadium flooded.

Ross County’s home match against St Mirren in the cinch Premiership is the latest fixture to be postponed due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Babet.

The storm shows no signs of abating as downpours continued to batter the UK on Saturday, with three people dead and another red “danger to life” warning in place.

After conversations with the SPFL and Police Scotland, the decision was taken to call the St Mirren game off on Saturday morning with supporters’ safety in mind.

A club statement said a new date and kick-off time will be rearranged in due course.

County’s match at the Global Energy Stadium became the first fixture to be called off on Saturday but several others were already postponed on Friday, including Aberdeen’s home game against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to St Johnstone.

Other Saturday fixtures to have fallen include Mansfield’s home clash with Forest Green in Sky Bet League Two, and Altrincham’s match against Dorking in the Vanarama National League.

The Scottish Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers, in the worst-hit area of Angus, has been called off as has Greenock’s match against Inverness.

Cove Rangers against Montrose in League One has also been postponed along with two games in League Two – Elgin versus Forfar and Stenhousemuir against Peterhead.

Rotherham’s Championship game with Ipswich, scheduled to be played on Friday night, was also postponed due to the conditions.

The area was hit with torrential rain which caused the River Don, which runs behind the AESSEAL New York Stadium, to burst its banks which left areas around the stadium flooded.

Rangers gave themselves some much-needed respite with a 3-0 cinch Premiership win over 10-man St Mirren in Paisley.

Former Gers midfielder Steven Davis began his spell as caretaker manager with an embarrassing 2-1 Europa League defeat against Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night and there was a sense of foreboding about the trip to the SMiSA stadium.

Some Rangers fans unravelled banners early in the game which read ‘heartless passionless leaderless; not fit to wear our colours’ before skipper James Tavernier scored from the spot in the 29th minute after Saints’ Ryan Strain was handed a red card by referee Nick Walsh for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Attacker Abdallah Sima added a second in the 70th minute for his seventh goal of the season before Tavernier smashed in a third in the 90th minute as the Light Blues leapfrogged Stephen Robinson’s side into second place, seven points behind leaders Celtic but the prospects of a genuine title race is another thing altogether.

Rangers will appoint a new boss during the international break and the Ibrox club clearly need fresh ideas, strategy and motivation going forward.

The only radical change Davis made to the team was to give a first senior start to 17-year-old attacker Zak Lovelace – he would go off injured in the first half – with John Souttar, Jose Cifuentes and Kemar Roofe also coming into a fragile Ibrox outfit.

Defender Richard Taylor and striker Toyosi Olusanya were reinstated into the Buddies side who clearly fancied their chances but there was little between the teams in the opening exchanges.

In the 21st minute St Mirren defender Scott Tanser, who signed a new deal until 2026 on Saturday, found himself alone at the back post from a Conor McMenamin free-kick but blasted his shot over the bar.

Rangers, however, would soon take the lead.

Lovelace found space on the right and blasted the ball across goal with Strain appearing to knock it away from in-rushing Sima with his hand.

After a long VAR check, referee Walsh checked his pitch-side monitor, sent off the St Mirren player and awarded a penalty to the visitors which Tavernier converted to the ire of the home supporters.

In the 34th minute Goldson met a Borna Barisic corner with his head but Buddies keeper Zach Hemming acrobatically tipped the effort over the bar and the home side ultimately escaped.

In the 41st minute Lovelace limped off the field and was eventually taken away from the sidelines on a stretcher, after being replaced by Ross McCausland.

In added time, the 20-year-old knocked a Barisic pass down to Nico Raskin inside the St Mirren box but the midfielder’s goal-bound drive was blocked by Hemming for a corner, which came to nothing.

There was no immediate improvement from Rangers in the second half and striker Cyriel Dessers replaced the anonymous Roofe on the hour-mark, while Saints soon brought on Mikael Mandron, Alex Greive and Caolan Boyd-Munce.

Rangers doubled their lead in the 70th minute with an unusually swift break, Tavernier sending Raskin scampering through the middle with a first time pass and he squared for Sima, on loan from Brighton, to beat Hemming from close range.

St Mirren were on their way to the first league defeat of the season.

Dessers ran clean through in the 86th minute only to have his unconvincing drive saved by Hemming but there was time for Tavernier to thrash in a second from the edge of the box, after his first effort was blocked, a fine goal out of keeping with the most of the game.

Scott Tanser revealed it took only hours to agree a two-year contract extension that keeps him at St Mirren until the summer of 2026.

The 28-year-old wing-back joined Saints in June 2021 and has made 85 appearances for Stephen Robinson’s outfit.

Tanser, whose original deal was due to expire at the end of the season, told stmirren.com of how the new contract was quickly concluded.

He said: “It was very easy. When I say it was done within hours I’m not exaggerating. I had a chat with the manager and Jim Gillespie (vice chairman) in the morning and the deal was done by the afternoon. I’m happy here.

“The team is good, the staff are good and the whole club is together as a whole. It’s been amazing and the club has been amazing for me as well so extending my deal is great for me and my family.

“I’m really enjoying it and playing well so hopefully that continues.”

Robinson described Tanser’s new contract as “very good business” for the Paisley club.

Ahead of the visit of Rangers on Sunday, he said: “I think Scott has arguably been the best left-back in the league this season.

“It’s important that we do our business early and we recognise when people are doing well. I’m delighted that Scott has committed himself to the club for another two seasons.

“The amount of confidence he’s playing with when fans have really got behind him is a lesson for all of us. Sometimes people need an arm round them.

“His ability is undeniable. He’s a brilliant athlete and he’s been terrific for us this season.

“The board appreciate that we are trying to keep building and we’re not making 10-plus signings each season. That’s the way we are trying to do our business.

“I believe it’s very good business and hopefully there’s more to come in the coming weeks.”

Connor Goldson says Rangers have to target nothing less than victory at St Mirren on Sunday.

The Ibrox club and their fans are still reeling from the 2-1 Europa League defeat to Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night.

An embarrassing loss to the Cypriot champions came days after boss Michael Beale departed following a dismal defeat to Aberdeen at Ibrox which left the Light Blues trailing cinch Premiership leaders Celtic by seven points after only seven fixtures.

Former Gers midfielder Steven Davis took over the hot seat on an interim basis and will be in charge again for the trip to Paisley to play second-place Saints, who are unbeaten in the league this season.

Goldson acknowledged the significance of the game and knows three points is the only option for the Govan side, who have lost three of their seven league games and failed to qualify for the Champions League after losing in the play-offs to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.

The 30-year-old defender said: “Every game of football is important to us.

“We have to win. It is the demands of Rangers football club and we need to go there and win the game of football.

“We have to recover as quickly as possible and go to St Mirren and win the game.”

There was no improvement in Davis’ first game in charge of Rangers and Goldson looked back at Beale’s departure as he assessed the way forward for the Ibrox side.

He said: “It is one of those things (Beale leaving). It is our fault. We are not performing on the football pitch.

“The manager has obviously taken the blame for that and  lost his job.

“Davo (Davis) comes in, we all have so much respect for him but we haven’t done the job again.

“We as individuals, as a team, need to sit down and look at ourselves, first – are you doing everything you can to make this club better?

“You don’t pick up results at this football club, it is a tough place to play.

“If you do pick up results, then it is best place to play so we need to turn it around very quickly.

“We speak all the time. But there is enough speaking going on. We need to get on that pitch and start performing better as a team.”

Meanwhile, it has been widely reported that the Ibrox club will hold final interviews for the vacant managerial post next week but former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard will not be involved.

Former Rangers player and current Yokohama F Marinos boss Kevin Muscat, AZ Alkmaar manager Pascal Jansen, former Monaco boss Phillipe Clement and former Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner, are among others who have been linked with the job.

Manager Nick Montgomery praised the character of his players after Hibernian came from behind to defeat St Mirren 4-2 and land a Viaplay Cup semi-final tie against Aberdeen.

Two late goals from Martin Boyle settled a compelling quarter-final that flowed from end to end.

The Paisley side had taken the lead through Scott Tanser, fell behind to quickfire second-half strikes from Elie Youan and Dylan Vente before Keanu Baccus made it 2-2.

Boyle’s double continued Montgomery’s positive start to life at Easter Road and he now has his first working trip to Hampden to look forward to.

He said: “It’s all about getting through to a semi-final at Hampden so I’m really proud of everyone involved.

“I was at Scotland versus England a couple of weeks ago and thought the atmosphere was amazing – apart from the boos!

“But I never went there as a player or coach, so I’m really looking forward to that.

“The boys thoroughly deserved it, so I’m really proud of their effort.

“I thought it was a really good game of football, a good cup tie under the lights.

“I saw great character from the boys and I thought we deserved to win the game.

“We created more than enough chances to win two games. But fair play to St Mirren, they came as the form team in the league.

“They’ve had a fantastic start to the season but we saw that as an opportunity to put an end to that run. I’m really proud of the boys’ effort because it has been a big couple of weeks.

“I thought that performance epitomised everything in terms of team spirit. And in the second half we played some great stuff.”

St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson felt it was a chance missed for his team, who lost for the first time in 11 games.

He said: “It’s an opportunity missed. We were superb in the first half. We had total control of the game and it should have been 2-0.

“But then it was as if we went ‘that was really good, let’s not do that again’ for the first 15 minutes of the second half. Ultimately, we conceded goals that we don’t concede.

“If you lose four goals you’re going to lose football matches. But I can’t be too hard on the players because they showed good fighting spirit and quality.

“Individual errors and bad decision making have cost us. We didn’t deserve to go through but we won’t feel sorry for ourselves. We will reset and come out fighting again on Saturday.”

Martin Boyle’s late double settled a thriller against St Mirren and sent Hibs into the Viaplay Cup semi-finals following a 4-2 victory.

The visitors had gone in at half-time ahead thanks to Scott Tanser’s fine effort.

Goals from Elie Youan and Dylan Vente then gave Hibs the advantage, only for Keanu Baccus to level things at 2-2.

With 10 minutes left to play, Boyle smashed home what proved to be the winner before adding a late fourth to extend Nick Montgomery’s undefeated start as Hibs manager.

Montgomery made two changes to the side that defeated St Johnstone at the weekend as in came Christian Doidge and Youan, with Adam Le Fondre and Jair Tavares dropping out.

St Mirren also made two alterations after their win over Hearts. There were places for Caolan Boyd-Munce and Mikael Mandron, who replaced Baccus and Connor McMenamin.

It was the visitors who had the first chance but Greg Kiltie’s goalbound header lacked the power to trouble David Marshall.

Former Hibs midfielder Alex Gogic then had a stab goalwards from Boyd-Munce’s deep free-kick that was also saved.

Saints were on top at this point and Ryan Strain’s searching ball picked out Toyosi Olusanya but his lobbed effort over Marshall drifted off target.

Boyle then came within inches of getting onto the end of Joe Newell’s enticing ball from the Hibs right flank.

St Mirren moved in front two minutes before half-time when Strain’s back-post cross was headed backwards by Mandron and Tanser thrashed in a half-volley from the edge of the box.

Hibs had a good chance from a similar position early in the second half but this time Rocky Bushiri dragged his effort well wide.

The home side, though, did draw level after 52 minutes when Boyle’s corner was nodded towards goal by Will Fish for Youan to touch in from close range.

Two minutes later, Hibs were in front. Lewis Miller’s cross picked out Vente in space and the striker was able to turn before firing his shot beyond Zach Hemming.

Saints nearly fell further behind when Boyle was allowed to dribble in on goal before forcing Hemming into a smart stop.

But they worked their way level after 76 minutes. Mark O’Hara picked out Baccus and the Australia international was allowed to run in on goal before finishing well in the far corner.

Hibs, though, went back in front four minutes later. Gogic stretched to try to cut out a cross but could only divert it to Boyle, who scored via the underside of the bar.

The forward missed a sitter to extend Hibs’ lead but made no mistake in time added on to seal the win.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson praised his “outstanding” side as he focused on the positives after a late blow against Aberdeen cost them top spot in the cinch Premiership.

Saints fought back to lead 2-1 thanks to Greg Kiltie’s penalty and a strike from substitute Alex Greive and were moments away from a seventh straight win.

But a VAR review led to a penalty for handball against Alex Gogic and Bojan Miovski levelled 10 minutes into stoppage-time.

St Mirren had recovered from a late blow in the first half when Jonny Hayes’ free-kick nestled in the far corner in Aberdeen’s first attack of note in the 42nd minute.

And Robinson wants his players to quickly brush off the last-gasp setback.

Robinson said: “I thought we dominated the game from start to finish. We created all of the chances and luck didn’t go our way with certain things.

“All I can ask for is that level of quality and I got that. Some of the football we played and the quality of the chances we created were a credit to that group of players. I would rather talk about them than about decisions or things that went against us.

“That’s all I can ask of those boys who are very, very talented and I’m very proud of them.

“They feel that they should have another two points but ultimately we don’t.

“If we play like that, as we have done for the last seven games, we’ll be fine. We controlled the game and passed the ball really well and opened up an Aberdeen side which has spent a lot of money.

“They are a very good side, make no mistake about that. They are doing very well and doing very well in Europe but we made them look average because of our performance. They are a good side but our quality was outstanding.

“All I can say to the boys is to keep going as we are heading in the right direction.”

There was further drama after Miovski hit the net as the striker’s penalty was subjected to a VAR check for a “double touch”.

Robinson, whose side had two goals disallowed for offside, said: “You’re always going to have that throughout games and these things happen sometimes. It didn’t go our way. It would be wrong for me to make a comment as it wouldn’t be an educated comment as I’ve not seen it from any great angle.”

Aberdeen were a shadow of the side that drew 2-2 with Swedish champions BK Hacken in Gothenburg on Thursday.

Manager Barry Robson said: “First and foremost credit to St Mirren. I thought they were excellent.

“We looked a yard off it all over the pitch. But, when you can’t win it then you don’t lose it. I thought we hung in there and fought right until the end.

“It was hard to go from the high of Hacken to playing the form team in Scotland. They had won their first six games this season and we have been on the road for a long time.

“I think the fans helped us in the end. We needed to get something out of the game and thanks to them we did.  We probably got a few VAR decisions as well.”

Meanwhile, Robson claimed he was “hugely” confident that Miovski would still be at the club next week amid reports Southampton are preparing a bid for the North Macedonia striker.

Bojan Miovski denied St Mirren top spot in the cinch Premiership with a penalty equaliser for Aberdeen 10 minutes into stoppage-time in Paisley.

St Mirren looked to have sealed a thoroughly-deserved seventh consecutive victory after Greg Kiltie’s penalty and a goal from substitute Alex Greive turned the game on its head in the second half.

Jonny Hayes had put Aberdeen ahead in the 42nd minute totally against the run of play before the Dons had even mustered a shot at goal – the wing-back’s free-kick delivery from wide ended up in the net.

Aberdeen did not look a shadow of the side that fought back from two goals down in their Europa League play-off first leg against Swedish champions BK Hacken in Gothenburg on Thursday and only had one, off-target, effort at goal outside of their two goals.

But they somehow escaped Paisley with another 2-2 draw.

Just as the 7,492 crowd were preparing to celebrate, Alex Gogic was penalised for handball following a VAR review after charging down Leighton Clarkson’s shot on the edge of the box.

There was another VAR check after Miovski dispatched the penalty as Saints goalkeeper Zach Hemming claimed the North Macedonian striker had touched the ball twice after slipping while taking the spot-kick.

But the goal was given as St Mirren saw a seventh consecutive win slip away, forcing them to settle for second place behind Celtic on goal difference.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson handed a start to striker Toyosi Olusanya while Aberdeen made two changes following their draw in Sweden as Hayes and Angus MacDonald came in.

The hosts pinned the Dons back from the start, pressed them high up the park and created several chances from crosses.

Kiltie, Richard Taylor and Ryan Strain all forced good saves from headers and Keanu Baccus had a goal disallowed for offside after Strain’s shot had been blocked.

Strain’s cross just evaded two team-mates and Olusanya should have made more of Conor McMenamin’s delivery.

Aberdeen were rarely out of their own half until the few minutes immediately before their opener, which came after Taylor’s challenge from behind on Luis Lopes.

Hayes’ fee-kick went beyond everyone and nestled in the far corner with St Mirren goalkeeper Hemming motionless.

Robinson was soon booked after venting his anger over John Beaton’s free-kick award.

Aberdeen failed to build on their unlikely lead after half-time and St Mirren were quickly back on the attack.

McMenamin had an effort saved and Kiltie saw a goal ruled out for an earlier offside against Olusanya after Roos spilled a volley from Keanu Baccus. Olusanya soon raced clean through on goal but was denied by Roos.

St Mirren finally got their break when Beaton penalised MacDonald for handball after Strain’s cutback and Kiltie sent Roos the wrong way from the spot in the 59th minute.

Aberdeen brought on James McGarry and former St Mirren midfielder Jamie McGrath for their league debuts and Finland defender Richard Jensen for his first appearance for the club.

But it was the St Mirren substitutes that made a crucial impact in the 76th minute as Mikael Mandron played Greive through and the New Zealand international drilled home.

An equaliser looked unlikely until the late drama and Miovski celebrated again after the VAR check, missiles flying towards him after continuing them in front of the home support.

Aberdeen manager Barry Robson is confident his squad can show the energy needed against St Mirren on Sunday following their European exploits.

The Dons came from two goals down late on to seal a 2-2 Europa League play-off first-leg draw against Swedish champions BK Hacken in Gothenburg on Thursday night.

They are now looking for a first cinch Premiership win of the season when they travel to Paisley on Sunday.

“In my experience of doing it a lot of years under Derek (McInnes), and I did it a lot of years as a player with international and European football, so I know the demands of it,” former Dundee United, Celtic, Aberdeen and Scotland midfielder Robson said.

“But if you’ve got a good mentality it helps you a lot. We know St Mirren will be really fresh, which is great for them, but we know we have a fit team, we have a young team, we have an an energetic team.

“So we will be able to bring that again at the weekend, I have no fears on that.

“And it comes back to the squad that we are trying to build, that we have built. We have got players that can come in and affect the game and bring speed to it.”

Robson, who made Finland defender Richard Jensen his 11th summer signing on Wednesday, added: “It’s a squad effort, it always is and always will be, especially in this day and age with the speed of the games.

“Different types of games are going to need different types of players. We have tried to build a squad that can cover all bases.”

Robson has been keen to keep his players grounded after their late fightback in Sweden.

“It’s half-time and I’m not getting carried away,” he said.

“I wanted the players to go over to applaud the fans after the game because they had spent a lot of money and time to go over there and help them, and the fans did help them.

“But I tried to get in pretty quickly and right after the game my mind was on St Mirren.”

Caolan Boyd-Munce hit a spectacular first goal for St Mirren to send the Buddies past Motherwell and into the Viaplay Cup quarter-finals.

The former Northern Ireland Under-21 international replaced injured captain Mark O’Hara ahead of the previous weekend’s win over Dundee, which sent St Mirren top of the cinch Premiership overnight.

And the 23-year-old again helped alleviate the absence of O’Hara as he proved the difference in a 1-0 victory in Paisley.

Boyd-Munce lit up a scrappy start to the game in the ninth minute. Ryan Strain made some progress as he cut in from the right before the ball broke for the former Middlesbrough and Birmingham midfielder, who fired a first-time effort into the top corner from 20 yards.

Motherwell improved after a poor first half but did not do enough to prevent only their third defeat in six months under manager Stuart Kettlewell.

The visitors, with Davor Zdravkovski making his first start in midfield, were sloppy in possession for spells in the first half and struggled to get men forward to support their strikers as they played into a strong wind.

Keanu Baccus twice threatened for St Mirren after Motherwell lost possession well inside their own half.

The visitors’ first real threat came early in the second half when Theo Bair took in Stephen O’Donnell’s pass with his back to goal and fired a shot which Zach Hemming tipped over at full stretch.

Kettlewell brought on Lennon Miller and Mika Biereth before the midway point in the second half as the game became more open.

Good work from former Motherwell striker Mikael Mandron sent Conor McMenamin clean through but he delayed his shot and Dan Casey got back to block the effort.

Motherwell somehow got a three-on-two break moments later, but Callum Slattery’s pass did not allow Biereth the best angle to shoot and the Dane’s driven ball across the face of goal just evaded Conor Wilkinson.

Kettlewell switched tactics in the 76th minute as forwards Joe Efford and Mark Ferrie replaced wing-back O’Donnell and Wilkinson.

Former Well manager Stephen Robinson responded by putting on ex-Fir Park defender Charles Dunne and St Mirren saw out the final stages without serious threat.

Motherwell defender Shane Blaney had an opportunity to show his prowess from a 25-yard free-kick but the Irishman fired well over and Olutoyosi Olusanya had two great chances to make it 2-0 in stoppage time. The substitute was denied by Liam Kelly and then hit the post on the breakaway.

Stephen Robinson believes there is more to come from his St Mirren side after they moved top of the cinch Premiership with a 2-1 victory over Dundee.

The Buddies have won their opening two fixtures of the season and find themselves three points clear at the summit of the league table following a well-deserved success at the SMISA Stadium.

Joe Shaughnessy’s own goal and Mikael Mandron’s header had the hosts in control at half-time, though Josh Mulligan netted to set up a nervy conclusion.

Having thrown away a 2-0 lead against Hibernian in their last fixture before clinching a late victory, there was clear tension when Dundee clawed a goal back and Robinson is looking for more composure from his team.

“Result wise it has been very good. In both games we’ve went 2-0 up, lot’s of good quality – in the first half we should have been up by more,” he said.

“We need a little bit more composure in managing the game, it became a little bit frantic and panicky but we still created chances.

“We were resolute and showed real determination to hang on. We’ve managed to pick up results while we’re improving and I think we’ll continue to improve.”

St Mirren recorded their first ever top-six finish in the Premiership last season and Robinson’s side have continued their excellent form into the new campaign.

The Saints gaffer believes team spirit has been key to their success and insists everyone is striving to make the club better.

“The boys that came in took their chances today. I just think it’s the characters we’ve got in the squad, there’s a never-say-die attitude,” he added.

“When times are hard and you’re struggling you need to be able to look around and know you can trust the people next to you – I feel like the squad do that, they trust the staff and the people that we are trying to make the club better bit by bit within our means.”

Dundee boss Tony Docherty says his side must learn quickly after falling to their first defeat since promotion to the Premiership.

Zach Robinson missed a penalty during what was a well below-par showing from the Dark Blues in the first half.

They would put in a much improved display after the restart, but it was to be a case of too little too late.

“I felt we didn’t start the game well and St Mirren were by far the better team in the first half,” Docherty said.

“In the second half we changed the shape and we were really unlucky not to get a point and maybe even go on and win it if we’d got that second goal.

“I’ve got experience of this league, it’s punishing and if you don’t take your opportunities then it’ll come back and bite you – that happened today.

“We need to learn quick. In both games we’ve played, we’ve probably merited more points than we’ve taken.

“There’s a lot of boys it’s their first time playing in the Premier League, the positive to take is we’ve shown we are good enough.”

St Mirren moved top of the cinch Premiership with a 2-1 victory over Dundee.

After dominating for the first hour, Josh Mulligan’s goal set up a nervous ending for the Buddies, though they would hold firm to keep up their winning start to the new campaign.

Following defeat, Dundee dropped to eighth spot in the table and are still looking for their first win since returning to the top-flight.

The first chance of the match fell to the hosts, with Scott Tanser heading over Ryan Strain’s cross.

But St Mirren opened the scoring after seven minutes when Joe Shaughnessy diverted Conor McMenamin’s cross beyond Trevor Carson and into his own net.

McMenamin almost doubled the hosts’ lead when he crashed a header beyond the Dundee keeper, only to be denied by the crossbar.

Dundee were handed a brilliant opportunity to level matters 10 minutes before half-time when Mikael Mandron was adjudged to have held back Lee Ashcroft inside the area.

Colin Steven went to the monitor before pointing to the spot, though Zach Robinson would see his penalty kept out by the legs of Zach Hemming.

It took a good stop by Carson to prevent Strain’s cross from creeping under the bar on the stroke of half-time before Saints struck again.

Caolan Boyd-Munce’s corner found Mandron, who made no mistake in dispatching his header into the bottom corner.

Greg Kiltie headed narrowly over shortly after the restart as the home side continued to control proceedings.

The visitors pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute when Mulligan glanced Scott Tiffoney’s cross past Hemming.

Suddenly, the momentum had swung the way of the visitors and Luke McGowan passed up a glorious opportunity to level when he fired at the legs of the St Mirren keeper after bursting clear on goal.

It took an excellent goal-line clearance by Shaughnessy to keep out Alex Grieve’s low effort, and the referee consulted VAR again to confirm the ball did not cross the line.

Seven minutes of added time brought additional hope for Dundee, though they would fail to threaten the home goal – ensuring it was St Mirren who took all three points.

Stephen Robinson hopes to make St Mirren fans believe again this season as he prepares for the cinch Premiership opener against Hibernian at Easter Road on Sunday.

Last season the Northern Irishman guided the Buddies to a top-six finish for the first time since 1985.

Robinson admits that he has to temper optimism with realism but is relishing another challenge in the league, after qualifying through the group stages of the ViaPlay Cup.

“For fans, everybody is excited for the season, everyone can dream and it is our goal to make them believe that we can achieve,” said Robinson.

“We did that last year. Can we do the same again and maybe even take it a little bit further?

“That has to be the aim and certainly we have the talent within the squad to do that.

“Obviously the ViaPlay Cup has already started and we set out to get to the next stages and we did that but obviously we feel that this is the real one, Hibs at Easter Road, a big crowd and we are really looking forward to it.

“We are really well prepared and look forward to the season getting under way.”

Robinson revealed defender Charles Dunne, initially thought to be missing the start of the league season with a calf injury, will train on Saturday and be assessed.

He said: “Charles Dunne will train on Saturday so he may be able to be involved in the game.

“Without putting too much pressure on him he has stepped up his rehab a lot quicker so credit to Gerry Docherty, the physio.

“We will see how he reacts at training and see about his availability.”

Robinson revealed that new signings Stav Nahmani and James Bolton are doubtful due to knocks.

Asked about adding further to his squad, he said: “Probably not before Sunday. In an ideal world we would like to strengthen in two areas of the pitch.

“Things don’t always go to plan. We had a verbal agreement with a player but he has done that well with his parent club that it is looking unlikely now. These things happen in football and you move on to the next one.

“We are looking to add to the squad, that is something that will be ongoing over the next couple of weeks.”

St Mirren’s Premiership rivals Dundee announced on Wednesday that they had paid an undisclosed fee to land 35-year-old Northern Ireland goalkeeper Trevor Carson from the Buddies, for whom he made 40 appearances last term.

Robinson said: “There is no problem between me and Trevor. Trevor made it clear that he wanted to leave the club. We wish him nothing but good luck.

“I believe we have a very good goalkeeper in Zach Hemming. He conceded one goal in the ViaPlay Cup and he is going to be a big asset to this football club.”

Mark O’Hara spoke of the “huge honour” of being named St Mirren’s club captain ahead of the new season.

The 2022-23 Buddies player of the year takes up the armband on a permanent basis after filling in on a number of occasions last season.

The 27-year-old midfielder will be supported by defender Marcus Fraser who has been named vice-captain.

O’Hara told stmirren.com: “It’s a huge honour. I’ve loved every minute I’ve been at the club and the club means a lot to me and my family. It’s a privilege to be the captain.

“It’s an experienced dressing room with a lot of big characters and a lot of us push in the same direction.

“There’s a lot of boys you can go to for advice and help in the team and I think that’s why we’ve been successful. Hopefully we can continue that.”

Manager Stephen Robinson praised O’Hara’s leadership, saying: “Mark is a great leader and a great ambassador for St Mirren Football Club and proud to wear the armband.

“He was captain for large spells last year when Joe Shaughnessy wasn’t in the team.

“He’s the perfect example to every player. He goes about his business very quietly, he has an assuredness about him and he has the respect of every player at the club.”

On Fraser taking on the role of vice-captain, the manager added: “Marcus brings a wealth of experience and is another guy who is very well respected in the dressing room and with the coaching staff.

“There are four or five boys who lead the dressing room and I think Mark and Marcus are fantastic at that.”