Ayunga pounces, Curtis replies: a tense 1-1 in Paisley keeps both winless
The third game of the Scottish Premiership season brought the third straight 1-1 for Rangers, a familiar pattern that now doubles as a warning sign. St Mirren struck first through Jonah Ayunga, Rangers clawed back late via Findlay Curtis, and the points were split in a match that swung on tactical tweaks, missed chances, and two alert goalkeepers. The St Mirren vs Rangers meeting in Paisley had plenty of noise but not quite enough precision.
St Mirren’s opener on 32 minutes rewarded an aggressive first-half plan. A clever, threaded pass from Casam sliced through the lines and sent Ayunga racing clear. He shrugged off his marker, opened his body, and slotted calmly past Jack Butland. The move exposed Rangers’ spacing without the ball—too easy a lane through midfield, too simple a run in behind, and too little pressure on the pass. If you were looking for the game’s cleanest piece of attacking play, that was it.
Rangers never settled before the break. The midfield lacked bite and rhythm, with Joe Rothwell’s off-tempo afternoon emblematic of the problem. He often found himself caught between offering an outlet and protecting the space behind, and St Mirren were quick to play through the gap. The home side’s front players pressed with purpose, and when they couldn’t nick the ball, they dropped into a compact shape that forced Rangers wide and slowed their build-up.
Halftime brought a reset. Manager Russell Martin rolled the dice, introducing more attacking thrust and switching to a 3-4-3. The shape change did two things right away: it pushed the wing-backs higher to pin St Mirren’s full-backs, and it gave Rangers an extra body near the box to attack second balls. Mandron, working from the left, started to find joy isolating his defender, and one sweeping move ended with a tempting cross met by Cameron, who volleyed over from a promising spot.
From there, the game tilted. St Mirren still carried a threat, especially on quick breaks to Ayunga, but Rangers finally had territory and repeat attacks. The pressure told on 78 minutes when Curtis arrived to tuck away the equaliser from close range after sustained Rangers pressure had St Mirren retreating into their six-yard box. It was not pretty, but it was overdue.
The final stretch was open and nervy. Shamal George made a sharp low stop to keep St Mirren level, while Butland had to be alert at the other end when a loose ball squirmed through a crowd. Each side flirted with a winner without ever truly grabbing the game by the throat. When the whistle went, both dugouts wore the same look: frustration that felt much like relief.
Tactics, turning points, and what this says about both teams
St Mirren’s first-half plan deserves credit. They denied central progression, funneled Rangers into the flanks, and then sprang forward on early forward passes that targeted the space beside and behind Rangers’ centre-backs. Ayunga set the tone with his runs, but the key was the timing of that Casam pass: midfield broke Rangers’ line just as the defence was stepping, and there was no cover. That sequence repeated often enough to keep the Buddies comfortable.
Rangers’ adjustment to 3-4-3 changed the picture. With wing-backs higher, the visitors could create two-versus-one scenarios wide and stretch St Mirren’s back line horizontally. That expansion finally opened inside lanes for runners to attack cut-backs, which is how the equaliser arrived. The downside? Rangers were vulnerable to counters into the channels, and St Mirren nearly punished them more than once when the first press was broken.
Personnel mattered. Rothwell’s struggles left Rangers short of control in the first half, and that’s where the match drifted away from them. After the break, fresher legs and clearer roles helped. Mandron’s willingness to drive at his marker changed the tempo, while Curtis’ penalty-box instincts ensured Rangers’ improved pressure had an end product. For St Mirren, Ayunga led the line with purpose, and George’s late saves protected a point that could have been three on another day.
As for the wider picture, Rangers’ run of three straight 1-1 draws sketches an early-season identity they won’t want: resilient enough to fight back, but not sharp enough to put teams away. They had the better of the second half but took too long to find a coherent plan. St Mirren, meanwhile, have two points from three games (0-2-1). The structure is there, the transitions are dangerous, yet they’ve let leads slip in spots where more composure could have sealed wins.
Key moments that shaped the match:
- 32' — Ayunga fires St Mirren ahead after Casam’s incisive through ball.
- 45' — Rangers booed by sections of the away support as first-half lethargy lingers.
- HT — Tactical switch to a 3-4-3 brings higher wing-backs and more direct pressure.
- 63' — Cameron volleys over from a Mandron cross as Rangers’ threat grows.
- 78' — Curtis levels from close range after a spell of sustained attacking pressure.
- 88' — George saves low to preserve a point; St Mirren then break and test Butland.
The table makes for awkward reading. St Mirren sit on two points from three (0 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss). Rangers have three from three (0 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses). Both are unbeaten in a technical sense and yet winless in a way that matters a lot more. For the Buddies, this felt like proof they can hang with bigger-budget sides when the plan is clear. For Rangers, the theme remains the same: too slow to start, just quick enough to recover, still waiting for a statement win.
There’s plenty to work on. St Mirren will want to be cleaner with the final pass when counters open up; the pieces are there for more than one goal on days like this. Rangers need earlier control in midfield and better spacing in rest defence so one pass doesn’t take out a line. Ten minutes of urgency at the end can’t keep rescuing them forever.
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