St Mirren produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the League Cup group stage, recovering from three goals down at the hour mark to beat East Kilbride 4-3 thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Malik Dijksteel.
For the League Cup holders, it was a result that looked impossible for long stretches. East Kilbride, the League 1 visitors, had put Craig McLeish’s side in complete control before St Mirren dragged themselves back into the match through Eseosa Sule, Ryan Carr and Killian Phillips, with Dijksteel delivering the decisive late blow.
St Mirren refused to accept defeat
The key detail is simple: St Mirren were three goals behind at the hour mark and still found a way to win. That says as much about their resilience as it does about East Kilbride’s collapse under pressure.
Once the first comeback goal went in, the game changed. St Mirren suddenly had momentum, belief and the edge that comes from being the side chasing rather than protecting a lead. By the time Dijksteel struck in stoppage-time, the holders had turned a damaging afternoon into a result that keeps them alive on nine points.
What the result means for the group
St Mirren now finish on nine points and their group outcome will be decided by the final-day meeting with Dunfermline Athletic. That keeps the pressure on, but it also means the comeback could prove decisive in the wider picture.
Elsewhere in the group stage, Dundee United beat Spartans 4-0 and moved on to nine points with a plus-seven goal difference, while Falkirk drew 1-1 with Alloa Athletic before losing 4-2 in the bonus point penalty shootout. Dundee also drew 1-1 in regular time before going down 7-6 in the bonus point shoot-out against Ross County.
There were also wins for Kilmarnock against Hamilton Academical, which kept them unbeaten at the start of the season, and for Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who beat St Johnstone 1-0. But on a night when St Mirren stared at defeat and still found a way through, Dijksteel’s late winner was the moment that will stand out.
