Jim Goodwin urges St Mirren to bounce back from Betfred Cup disappointment

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin has urged his players to get over their Hampden blow and push for the top six.

Saints have a swift chance to bounce back from Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Livingston in the Betfred Cup semi-finals.

The Paisley side can move within two points of sixth-placed Dundee United – with three games in hand – when they travel to Tannadice for a Scottish Premiership encounter on Wednesday.

Goodwin said: “As a club we want to go far in cup competitions all the time but the league is our bread and butter. That is the most important thing every season before a ball is kicked.

“We want to become a top-half team, and we are in and around that area of the table at the moment, but there’s a hell of a lot of football to be played.

“The guys need to pick themselves up because we have a huge game on Wednesday and the league campaign now is where all of our efforts and all of our focus go.”