St Mirren suffer home defeat to Northampton ahead of Arbroath Premier Sports Cup opener
dailyrecord.co.ukStephen Robinson's new look Saints suffered a demoralising 3-1 defeat in their final pre-season game before their Premier Sports Cup opener against Arbroath.On the back of two strong wins in Northern Ireland Stephen Robinson set his side up in an attacking 4-3-3 formation against English League Two side Northampton, with Saints fans getting their first glimpse of summer signing Toyosi Olusanya who started on the right wing.Ryan Flynn anchored the midfield alongside Mark O'Hara and Ethan Erhahon, with Charles Dunne partnering Declan Gallagher at centre back.After a sluggish start St Mirren shocked the game into life as Marcus Fraser picked out Alex Greive on the edge of the box with a pinpoint cross.The New Zealand international teed up Mark O'Hara who emphatically slammed into the bottom corner from 20 yards.The Buddies' lead lasted less than ten minutes after the home defence came unstuck from a simple corner.
Mitch Pinnock's delivery wasn't dealt with, Ben Fox eventually scrambling the ball in from close-range.Saints striker Alex Greive was looking lively in an unfamiliar role on the left wing, regularly cutting inside to cause the Northampton defence a headache as he linked up with his fellow forwards.Ryan Flynn and O'Hara dragged shots wide as the first half meandered to a close, with the intensity dropping dramatically after the visitors' equaliser.St Mirren keeper Trevor Carson was called into action just before the break, denying Fox his second of the match with an excellent stop from the midfielder's long range effort.The Buddies made two changes at the break, with Jay Henderson and Scott Tanser replacing Olusanya and Fraser respectively.Carson had to be at his best again to deny Northampton, who fielded an
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