Harambee Stars striker Jonah Ayunga was in action on Saturday evening as his side St. Mirren suffered a 2-0 defeat to Kilmarnock in the William Hill Premiership at Rugby Park.
It was a frustrating outing for the Buddies, who dominated large spells of possession but struggled to convert their chances into meaningful efforts on goal.
First-half strikes from David Watson and Marcus Dackers sealed the win for the hosts, condemning St. Mirren to only their second defeat of the season.
Harambee Stars striker Jonah Ayunga named in the starting lineup
St. Mirren manager Stephen Robinson named an unchanged lineup from the side that beat Dundee the previous weekend. Ayunga led the line once again, looking to build on his growing form since returning from a long-term injury.
The visitors started brightly and nearly took the lead early on when captain Alex Gogic met a corner from Declan John, but his header drifted wide. Moments later, Ayunga had a good opportunity when goalkeeper Shamal George’s long clearance fell kindly for him.
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The Kenyan forward showed great strength to hold off defenders and cut inside the box, but his effort was blocked by George Stanger before it could trouble the Kilmarnock keeper.
Despite St. Mirren’s promising start, Kilmarnock struck first in the 27th minute. Greg Kiltie won the ball in midfield and lofted a clever pass over the top for Bruce Anderson, whose shot was saved by George. However, David Watson reacted quickest to the rebound, firing home to give the home side the lead.
Nine minutes later, Kilmarnock doubled their advantage when Marcus Dackers found himself unmarked in the box to head in a fine cross from James Brown, leaving the visitors with a mountain to climb.
St. Mirren had a brief moment of hope when VAR checked for a potential handball in the box just before halftime, but the review ended with no penalty awarded.
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In an effort to turn things around, Robinson made a triple substitution at the break, bringing on Keanu Baccus, Conor McMenamin and Dan Nlundulu.
However, Kilmarnock continued to look more dangerous on the counter, with Dackers forcing another smart save from George.
Ayunga was later replaced by Evan Mooney in the 64th minute as the Buddies continued to press without finding the cutting edge in the final third. Substitute Djenairo Daniels could have added a third for the hosts late on but blazed his shot over from close range.
Despite enjoying more of the ball, St. Mirren couldn’t find a breakthrough and left Rugby Park empty-handed, with Kilmarnock deserving their 2-0 victory.
For Ayunga, it was another industrious display as he continues to regain full match sharpness. The Kenyan forward will be hoping to convert his hard work into goals in the coming weeks as St. Mirren look to bounce back in their next Premiership outing.
The loss sees St.Mirren drop to fifth on log ahead of their home match to Motherwell as they aim to return to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership.