Stephen Robinson on why St Mirren needed no motivation to reach Premier Sports Cup Final
The Northern Irish gaffer felt his team were disrespected ahead of their last-four clash with Motherwell at the weekend.
Stephen Robinson says his pre-match pep talk was done for him after leading St Mirren to the Premier Sports Cup Final.
The Northern Irish gaffer felt his players were disrespected by suggestions that it was a clash of styles between Motherwell’s silky football and Saints’ direct approach in the semi-final on Saturday night.
The Buddies triumphed 4-1 at Hampden and
“I’m delighted for a group of boys who give absolutely everything and for a group of staff who get no recognition.
“The players have been written off and had very poor things said about them which I think is disrespectful. We used that as a real motivation.
“I’ve been in the game a long time. The rules haven’t changed. You are on that pitch to win football games. We play really entertaining football and it could have been six or seven.
“I didn’t need to do much motivation. All the talk around the game was about silky Motherwell and the big, physical St Mirren. I just showed them the comments and the disrespect of not recognising how talented they are as well.
“The credit has to go to the players. They carried out the game plan. They managed the occasion and they will certainly enjoy the next couple of days. They have proved people wrong.”
Meanwhile, the Steelmen weren’t happy with a free-kick before the corner which led to Mikael Mandron’s opening goal. Alex Gogic took the set-piece quickly with the ball still rolling.
“It was obviously a big mistake,” said boss Jens Berthel Askou afterwards. “I don’t know how many officials were at the game but they need to see it.”
What The Buddies Players Said...
Mark O'Hara
“The end result is sweet. Moments like this are what you play football for and we want to go one more. I think people had Motherwell as favourites so it’s great to get the 4-1 result. It probably looks more comfortable than it was.
“We had that quality at the top end of the pitch and things went our way. Since I came to the club, the togetherness has been a big part of our success and it’s there for everyone to see. It’s nice to share a moment like this.”
Alex Gogic
“The whole team was brilliant. We knew Motherwell would have the ball and we had to ride the waves which I think we did fantastically well. On the break, the boys up front did their jobs and got the goals.
“Since I have been here, the fans have been amazing and every year it just keeps getting better and better. The only thing missing in the last three years has been getting to a final. It’s just incredible.”
Mikael Mandron
“That felt amazing. This is why you play football – for nights like these. I always dream about scoring goals. I always visualise myself doing well. It feels great when it happens.
“The boys are all tight, we love each other and we push each other. When we are doing well, we support each other. That is up there with the best games of my career, for sure. But winning the final would surpass it.”
Richard King
“It’s a wonderful feeling and nice to score. I dedicate that goal to the people back home. A lot of people lost their lives with the hurricane so it was a special feeling for me to score and win.
“My family are okay because they are away from where most of the damage is. I just couldn’t watch the images – it’s heartbreaking. Everyone is getting together trying to fix it and hopefully we can make the country better.”
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