Kurt Cobain famously screamed in rock band Nirvana’s hit single Smells Like Teen Spirit: “Here we are now, entertain us!”
St Mirren and Kilmarnock fans could have been forgiven for shouting the exact same thing on Monday afternoon at Rugby Park as the clubs played out a bore draw that certainly won’t go down as a classic in any sense of the word.
But while entertainment was most certainly at a premium in Ayrshire, the 10-man Buddies did show they’ve got plenty of team spirit after battling to another gritty point on the road.
When Ethan Erhahon decided to give Killie a nice head start by getting himself sent off within the opening 10 minutes, the Saints knew they were in for a slog of a shift.
The person I felt most sorry for as a result of the midfielder’s moment of madness was striker Eamonn Brophy, who found himself hooked after 15 minutes through no fault of his own.
With Jonah Ayunga sidelined through injury, the Wolf had finally been given his opportunity to start a game for the first time since October last year.
Not only that, it was against his former club. The perfect opportunity to prove to everyone what he’s still capable of.
But instead of getting that chance to shine, he was howling in disgust as he ended up the sacrificial lamb to allow midfielder Alex Gogic to come in and solidify the midfield once again.
Absolutely the right tactical call from Stephen Robinson, but it was hard not to feel for Brophy who had waited so patiently for his chance only to have the rug pulled from under his boots.
Gogic went on to show just how much he’s worth. The midfield general dominated the middle of the Rugby Park pitch, dragging his team up the pitch and pressing and harrying the hosts all afternoon.
There were gritty, determined performances all over the park from the Saints, who more than deserved their point come full-time.
If anything they could have nicked all three, and what a moment it would have been for Alex Greive if he’d managed to tuck away that extra-time chance having just returned from compassionate leave in New Zealand.
The Buddies have rallied around him after his father’s passing, and while it would have been a superb moment to mark his return with a winner I’m sure there’s still plenty more to come from the talented Kiwi this season.
Monday afternoon also gave the St Mirren faithful a chance to mark the sad passing of their former star striker Frank McGarvey.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that’s been blown away by the response to his death, which shows just how fondly he’s remembered from both his spells in Paisley and with Celtic.
I was extremely fortunate to interview Frank at the beginning of 2021 and it was plain to see just why he was so popular.
Witty and straight-talking, he had me in stitches at stories about his two spells in Paisley – particularly regarding Sir Alex Ferguson antics in the Love Street dressing room.
Reading back through those features this week, one of the quotes that sticks out for me that relates to the current Saints team is about team spirit.
He said: “When I look back at that St Mirren team back in the 1970s, all of our squad gave 100 per cent all of the time.
“I look at the modern game now and sometimes it looks like some players can’t even be bothered.
“I remember the chairman taking us to Barbados, French Guiana and Surinam for a tour for about two-and-a-half weeks.
“I’d hardly ever left the country before! It was absolutely magic. We played together against a few different teams and we gelled as a team ourselves.
“We worked so hard for each other and we brought that team ethic back with us. I tried to carry that on wherever I went and every successful team absolutely needs it.
“Players need to work hard for each other or they’ll never be successful on the pitch.”
When I look at this current St Mirren crop, I see a team that is willing to run for each other, to battle for each other and to sacrifice for each other.
Robinson deserves a lot of credit for the group-before-individual mentality he’s fostered in Paisley.
And wouldn’t it be a wonderful tribute to Frank if the Buddies finally made it back into the top six this season just a few months after he bid the world farewell.
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