If there was a way to distill Stephen Robinson's highest points at St Mirren into a single set of match stats, it would be a comfortable and ruthless 3-1 win over a side with 65% of possession.

Yet, in autumn 2026, it is the Buddies that have all the possession and a new Robinson side that have kept all the points.

There is little sense in picking apart a Brad Lyons stunner from distance that clips in off the bar, save to say that it would be nice for the Saints defence to have closed him down and nicer still if Lyons had banged in a couple of those while he wore black and white.

In pure performance terms, which I concede have less impact on the league table than pure points terms, this was something of a step towards the right direction once again....at times.

In large spells, Craig McLeish's side controlled what they wanted to control and showed the bravery in moving the ball around that late summer had promised.

They took the game to Aberdeen, had more of the ball, more of the ball in Aberdeen territory, won their duels, went long when they had to and so on.

However, as has been reflected on more than once in recent weeks, when you hand three goals to your opposition, you can't just look good in prolonged spells - you have to take your chances.

Long spells of looking good be damned, a two-goal collapse in the second half is tough to shift as the following morning's headline.

I would consider myself as at the more optimistic end of the spectrum, and I'm comfortable in looking at this troubling mid-October form as the formative early months in what needs to be a long-term plan.

I like that we're trying to play ambitious, front-foot football and recognise we'll only arrive at that aspired-to higher level of performance if we ride out the growing pains.

That time, though, must be bargained for in the court of public perception. After five league losses on the bounce, irrespective of context, the terms of that bargain are reasonably clear in my eyes.

Stop conceding early, stop conceding in quick succession. That's the foundation for whatever comes next, and it's mandatory.

That doesn't have to mean a compromise on principles, on building from the back, inverting the full-backs or sending third man runners.

It must mean we're ensuring our backline can protect what is left in behind while doing so. It must mean we stop giving away cheap penalties. It must mean we're willing to drop the experienced name when the younger and quicker option fits the opponent, or that we bring added experience back into the side when that is the trait which counts.

We have shown we can win, keep and use the ball. We have shown we can take the game both to the sides we should be beating and the sides who expect us to do no such thing.

If we can stop handing out head starts and free hits, we might just show we can rack up points too.