It was a cold December evening at the SMiSA Stadium in Paisley, but the action on the pitch was anything but frosty as St Mirren and Kilmarnock played out a pulsating 0-0 draw in front of a lively crowd of 7,531. The Scottish Premiership clash, held on December 27, 2025, saw both teams battling for critical points as the league campaign approached its year-end crescendo.
For Kilmarnock, this result extended their winless run in the league to 12 matches, a streak dating back nearly three months to their last victory—ironically, also against St Mirren on October 4. Yet, despite the lack of goals and the ongoing drought, interim manager Kris Doolan found plenty to be pleased about. "Delighted, in the context of the game, the way things have been going for the club," Doolan told reporters after the match. "Any team that comes to St Mirren will find it difficult. We knew that. We knew we had to defend well, but I also wanted to see the team play. I spoke to [the players] in the build-up to the game, I want to see us be confident, play forward, create chances. That's how you get wins, but I would have taken a point. I think everybody would take a point here. St Mirren, they're a top side and they've showed that all season."
And a point is exactly what Kilmarnock earned, thanks in large part to a resolute defensive display and the heroics of on-loan Celtic goalkeeper Tobi Oluwayemi. The young shot-stopper was by far the busier of the two keepers, producing a string of crucial saves, including a standout moment in the 61st minute when he denied Dan Nlundulu from six yards out with a brilliant reaction stop using his left boot. Oluwayemi also kept out efforts from Conor McMenamin as St Mirren laid siege to the Kilmarnock goal in the second half.
St Mirren, for their part, were left to rue missed opportunities and a lack of clinical edge in front of goal. The hosts dominated possession, racking up 47 balls into the box and 11 corners, but simply could not find a way past the determined Kilmarnock rearguard. Manager Stephen Robinson summed up the mood in the home camp: "Frustration [is the main emotion]. We had so much of the ball. Our final decision was the reason we don't take all three points. We deserved to win the game, I thought we had a lot of ownership of the game. Killie offered a threat on the counter-attack. They've got some good players at the top end of the pitch, but the overriding emotion is probably frustration with that amount of the ball, that amount of chances, that amount of crosses."
Despite the home side's dominance, Kilmarnock showed flashes of attacking intent themselves, particularly through the partnership of Tyreece John-Jules and Bruce Anderson. Anderson came close with a late header that drifted just wide and forced a first-half save from St Mirren keeper Shamal George, who also did well to palm away a powerful Lewis Mayo drive from distance.
The first half was scrappy, with few clear-cut chances, but the festive atmosphere in the stands never wavered. As the match wore on, St Mirren grew stronger, especially after tactical adjustments saw Jayden Richardson introduced at right wingback and Conor McMenamin moved centrally to increase creativity. Substitute Mika Mandron also added fresh legs in attack, but it was that golden opportunity for Nlundulu that truly stood out—and Oluwayemi was equal to the task.
Kilmarnock's defensive performance was a marked improvement after weeks of criticism. The clean sheet was their first since the win over St Mirren nearly three months prior, and Doolan was quick to highlight the collective effort. "It's a clean sheet. It's the first clean sheet since October, since we last played St Mirren, so huge positives to take. The fans can go away happy with what they've seen today and the players can be happy with the support they got. Lots [to like]. Again, we looked a threat, we looked on the front foot. I asked the team not to just defend on the front foot, but play attacking-wise on the front foot. It doesn't change for me. I want to see teams attack and score goals. We're just lacking that wee bit of final cutting edge, but it comes with confidence, it comes with understanding. All the players are with us, they're backing the ideas that we're putting across and slowly but surely we'll start to see those results hopefully start to get churned out."
The draw, however, did little to ease Kilmarnock's precarious position in the league table. They slipped to 11th place, just four points above bottom side Livingston, having played one more match. The Ayrshire club's supporters, who had shown their frustration in the previous week's defeat to Falkirk, were this time full of appreciation for the team's effort and resilience. Doolan remarked on the importance of that connection: "I think that's massive to see the connection between the players and the fans at the end. That's what we need. The players want to give them everything and the fans want to see that effort. The players appreciated that fans dig into their pockets at this time of year. It was just a brilliant feeling."
For St Mirren, the draw meant missing out on a fourth consecutive Premiership victory—a feat they haven't achieved in over two years. Still, the Buddies remained ninth in the table, but with games in hand and the comfort of a third straight clean sheet in the league. Robinson tried to strike a positive note despite the disappointment: "But it keeps us five games unbeaten now in all competitions. Another clean sheet, so there's a lot of positives in that. We're frustrated, though. We did have a couple of good chances and their keeper certainly had a good save in the second half."
Both teams now turn their attention to the final matches of 2025, scheduled for Tuesday, December 30. St Mirren face a daunting trip to Ibrox to play Rangers, while Kilmarnock travel to Dundee, desperate to end their winless run and start the new year with renewed hope.
As the festive fixtures pile up and the pressure mounts, one thing is clear: Kilmarnock may still be searching for that elusive win, but under Kris Doolan, they've rediscovered some much-needed grit and unity. Whether that will be enough to turn their season around remains to be seen, but for now, the clean sheet and the hard-fought point in Paisley offer a glimmer of optimism for the Ayrshire faithful.
