Kate Cooper insists Saints skipper Karen McCabe’s dramatic late winner shows just how far her team have developed in the space of a year.
The Buddies were staring down the barrel of a home defeat when Airdrie took a one-goal lead into the half-time break on Sunday afternoon.
Despite the treacherous blustery conditions, St Mirren stuck to their guns and battled back to level when striker Kelly Ross blasted home an equaliser.
And defender McCabe completed the turnaround victory when she fired in a sensational winner from the edge of the box with just a minute to spare to secure all three points.
Saints head coach Cooper feels the way her players refused to give up right to the death proves their mentality has greatly strengthened compared to last season.
She told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “The weather conditions were tough throughout but we controlled the game well.
“They went ahead but I was delighted to see there was no panic from the players. We knew we could come back into the game and Kelly brought us level. It was a stunning finish from Karen so late on, low and powerful into the bottom corner. She stepped up when we needed her and I think she’s just about told the whole world about it now!
“It was her first goal from open play for us and everyone was delighted for her. She works ever so hard for this team.
“The way we refused to get sucked into a long ball game right to the final whistle was also a massive improvement for us.
“Often last season if we went a goal or two down our heads would drop and we would struggle to get back in the game and stick to our game plan. Now we fully believe we can get back into every game, even if we concede. The players were asking how long was left near the end because they were determined to score a winner, not just try to see the game out.
“That’s so important because you see so often, especially at the top of the table, the best teams often find a winner in the last 10 or 15 minutes of games.
“That’s a big change for us and shows how much this team has developed.”
The win against Airdrie lifted St Mirren to fifth in the SWF League One table, just five points behind Stenhousmuir and Westdyke who sit joint-third.
Up next for the Buddies is a tough trip this weekend to face in-form Falkirk, who currently sit second in the division.
Cooper is confident her players are up for the challenge, adding: “We know it’ll be tough against Falkirk. It’ll be a real marker and test for us to see how far we’ve come over the last few months.
“We’re excited for it.
“We need the squad to rise to that challenge and it probably is time for us to start delivering in these big games against the top teams. We’re defending and attacking as a team now and we’re really demonstrating that team spirit we’ve built.
“Hopefully we can keep delivering strong performances for the rest of the season and finish on a real high.”
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