St Mirren: Will Craig McLeish stay as manager after rollercoaster season?

It was not a convincing performance against Thistle, hardly surprising given the situation at stake, and it was clear after the game that fans and players alike were relieved.

“We wanted to make sure the players were remembered as legends at this club after winning the League Cup,” McLeish said.

“We didn’t want our name to be a black mark.

“The first half was tense, tricky and full of mistakes. It wasn’t really tactical, we were just controlling our emotions. We did it better in the second half.”

McLeish won three of nine league games following Robinson’s departure but was unable to keep St Mirren out of the play-off spot as Kilmarnock shone after the split.

The change of approach initially brought an improvement in performances, but results began to decline and a run of four defeats without scoring cost them.

The 36-year-old reserve coach has not fully resolved the goal-scoring problems that have plagued the season.

Key defender Alex Gogic said McLeish could do more with more time and would be happy to have him stay.

“Yes, of course, whatever the club chooses,” said Gogic.

“If he gets a pre-season, he’ll probably be better than he is now. If the club decides to go its own way, we’ll all be behind it.”

Former Dundee United and Partick Thistle boss Ian McCall said McLeish did not harm St Mirren’s chances by guiding them to safety.

“I don’t think he has a chance of getting the job if St Mirren are relegated,” McCall said.

“What he did was handle himself really well and give himself a real shot at the job.

“The government here really took a great chance by appointing such a young lad. But he got through it really well. He spoke really well.

“He survived a dangerous moment when Kilmarnock won 3-0 here, but he came back from that really strong.

“This decline didn’t happen when Craig McLeish took over. Poor results after the Cup final when Stephen Robinson was there caused it. He certainly has a chance.”