ABERDEEN 0 ST MIRREN 2 Tuesday 12 May 2026 SPFL Premiership Pittodrie Attendance: 15,638 Referee: David Dickinson
The Pittodrie season came to a low key ending as the Dons fell to a first defeat in five games, St. Mirren getting the win they desperately needed, only to find it still wasn’t enough to save them from the play-offs. After a poor first 45, Aberdeen had good chances in the second, but failed to take them. With Dimitar Mitov and Stuart Armstrong ruled out as they underwent operations ahead of next season, Stephen Robinson made one other change to the side that beat Dundee United, with Jack Milne on the bench. Into the starting XI came Per Kristian Bratveit, Nicky Devlin, who skippered the team, and Ante Palaversa. A further change was required after the warm-up, Mitchel Frame coming in for Emmanuel Gyamfi. After their 3-0 defeat at home to Kilmarnock, St. Mirren made two changes, Gogic and King replacing McMenamin and Idowu. Amid a pretty low key opening, Toyosi Olusanya was the first to get the crowd engaged, a neat touch almost getting him in behind the St Mirren defence in the sixth minute, Sinclair sprinting off his line to smother the ball.
The Buddies should have been in front a couple of minutes later. Mandron outmuscled Liam Morrison on the left and cut inside before picking out the run of Phillips. With just Bratveit to beat from just inside the area, he pulled his drive wide of the far post. Fraser was the first player to be booked, a high boot in a tackle on Dennis Geiger incurring the wrath of the referee after 16 minutes. There was very much an end of term feeling about Pittodrie, Olusanya the one man threatening to create something out of nothing for the home side, consistently looking to run in behind. The Dons created a real opportunity in the 38th minute, Devlin on the overlap, collecting a pass from Olusanya before threading the ball through the six-yard box, but there were no takers in a red shirt. When St Mirren did likewise in the 42nd minute, there was a striker on hand to score. A free-kick on the right was played into Devaney’s run down the right side of the area. He drilled the ball across goal and coming in at the back post, King had a tap-in to give his side the lead. HALF-TIME: ABERDEEN 0 ST MIRREN 1 Jack Milne and Lyall Cameron replaced Morrison and Aremu at the break. There was more purpose from Aberdeen immediately, Olusanya driving the ball through the box, Devlin picking it up and crossing for Kevin Nisbet to head over. Olusanya was then sent on the run behind the defence, only for Gogic to take it off his toe as he prepared to shoot, poking it just wide of his own goal – all of that in the first 59 seconds. It was much better from Aberdeen in the early moments, pushing the Buddies back into their own half and producing some decent passing football, putting the St Mirren defence under pressure.
A Cameron cross on 56 found Molloy but he didn’t get enough on his header and it just glanced across goal. Frame had a pop at goal on 59, a tight angle after he collected a pass from Nisbet, Sinclair getting his body behind it to save. Two minutes later there was a glorious chance for Nisbet. Olusanya was too strong for Gogic, bushing him aside before rolling the ball into the path of Nisbet, 15 yards out.
He clipped it first time, but the ball flew just over the bar and into the Red Shed. Nisbet, who appeared to have picked up an injury, made way for Topi Keskinen after 68 minutes, Dylan Lobban replacing Devlin at the same time, Mats Knoester taking over as skipper.
Devaney was booked after 74 minutes for a rugby tackle on Geiger. Geiger then talked himself into a booking five minutes later after fouling Phillips. He was immediately replaced by Graeme Shinnie. From the free-kick, Gogic dinked the ball over the wall, Bratveit getting a touch onto it to push the ball onto the bar. Aberdeen half cleared but the visitors kept the ball alive, Phillips able to turn a low cross from Mandron into the net from six yards out. Shinnie was a fraction away from getting the Dons back into it on 89, a right footed shot from 25 yards taking a deflection that looped the ball over Sinclair but onto the bar and away.
FULL-TIME: ABERDEEN 0 ST MIRREN 2 Aberdeen: Bratveit, Devlin (Lobban 68), Knoester, Morrison (Milne 46), Molloy, Frame, Geiger (Shinnie 79), Palaversa, Aremu (Cameron 46), Olusanya, Nisbet (Keskinen 68). Subs not used: Suman, Bwomono, Bilalovic, Kjartansson. Booked: Geiger St. Mirren: Sinclair, Donnelly, Gogic, Freckleton, O’Hara, King, Devaney, Campbell, Fraser, Mandron, Phillips (Douglas 90+2). Subs not used: Calvin, Duff, Falconer, Idowu, Richardson, Tamosevicius, Tanser, Young. Goal: King (42), Phillips (80) Booked: Fraser, Devaney
