THE blank scoreline belies the fact that this was a surprisingly entertaining spectacle laced with enterprising play and several moments of drama enhanced by two saves of genuine quality by St Mirren goalkeeper Mark Howard and each side striking the crossbar.
The only ingredient missing from the mix was a goal though Jim Hamilton, for St Mirren, and the Kilmarnock trio of Conor Sammon, Mehdi Taouil and Craig Bryson went close enough to warrant there being two or three at least.
Having finished 10th and
11th respectively last season, it seems reasonable to suggest that these two sides have the potential to improve on those SPL placings.
Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies certainly has much more depth to his squad now that he is free from the horrendous injury problems that blighted the club last season.
The addition of Sammon, the 21-year-old striker signed from Derry City, and Italian midfielder Manuel Pascali, formerly of Parma, has further strengthened Jefferies' hand.
Sammon has still to score for his new club, but Jefferies senses that it will not be long before he does so on the evidence of the Irishman's performance at Love Street, albeit the player has rough edges that require to be planed down.
"I thought we were very dangerous and had Conor enjoyed a rub of the green he could have had a couple of goals," opined Jefferies, who also expressed concern that Pascali may be targeted by referees because of his fearsome appearance after he collected a second caution in success matches.
"The goalkeeper denied him two or three times and he also showed a great bit of skill to flick the ball over Howard's head in the first half. The defender did well to clear the ball, but Conor was a handful for them.
"Overall, I was pleased with a lot of our play. We looked nice and solid and the fact we have competition for places was reflected in the players' efforts."
Counterpart Gus MacPherson's take on the match was not dissimilar to Jefferies' over-view although the St Mirren manager gave the impression that he felt his team were perhaps deserving of more.
MacPherson said: "There was a lot of good attacking play and chances, but whilst I was pleased with our performance, I am disappointed not to have won the match.
"The quality of our balls into the box in the first half could have been better, but we created chances against a good Kilmarnock team."
In addition to Hamilton and Taouil knocking on wood in the second half, Howard's stops from Bryson and Sammon bore the hallmark of class goalkeeping.
The full article contains 452 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
