Stephen Robinson says St Mirren display was ‘unacceptable’ after Falkirk loss

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson admitted current performance levels are unacceptable after slumping to a third straight league defeat with a 2-0 loss at home to Falkirk.

Finn Yeats’ stunning lob put Falkirk in front early in the second half and Calvin Miller’s chipped finish shortly after the hour mark doubled the visitors’ advantage.

The Buddies sit 10th in the William Hill Premiership, with injuries to Liam Donnelly, Killian Phillips and Shamal George adding to their misery.

And Robinson did not hold back in his assessment of his side’s display.

He said: “The performance was totally unacceptable. Last week against Motherwell, I remained nice and calm because it was a one-off, we believed. But we got the same level of performance today.

“The decision-making was incredibly poor for the two goals and really poor throughout so that’s inexplicable in the decisions we made as a group.

“The performance levels over the last two games have really dropped.

“I can explain it with injuries. If you lose Alex Gogic, Keanu Baccus, Mark O’Hara, Jonah Ayunga, then lose Killian Phillips at half-time with a dislocated shoulder, as well as Liam Donnelly and Shamal George – I defy any team in the league to cope with those injuries.

“But these boys knock on my door every day. They’re the ones with the miserable faces who don’t play. They get paid well in relative terms to our club and it’s time to step up and get us out of trouble.

“I don’t recognise the energy and the play and the quality from the cup final only a few weeks ago in the last two performances.

“You’re in a relegation battle as long as you’re in the bottom six and that hasn’t gone away. We need to pick up performances and results.”

Falkirk manager John McGlynn insisted his side will not get carried away despite strengthening their position in the top six.

The Bairns saw out the game comfortably to secure back-to-back victories and move five points clear of seventh-placed Dundee United.

McGlynn admitted expectations are now raised following his side’s strong start to the season but he is adamant they are not thinking about European football at this stage.

He said: “When we won the championship last year, I said staying in this league would be equal to anything we’ve ever done before because it’s such a challenge. So to find ourselves where we are, of course you raise expectations.

“But I don’t think there are too many European places up for grabs. You’re talking about the two Edinburgh teams and the two Glasgow teams.

“There’s not enough empty space. It’s quite difficult to break in there but we’re going to do our absolute best, that’s what we’ve done up until now.

“We’re comfortable where we are. We’ll keep our feet on the ground and we’ll keep striving. To come to Paisley and go away with a 2-0 win – I’m over the moon.”