St Mirren have had one of the most succesful seasons in their history after beating Celtic in December’s Premier Sports Cup final.
It was the club’s second League Cup triumph and the summit of their four-year era under Stephen Robinson which also included three top-six finishes.
But the Premiership has been a struggle for them all season. St Mirren were 10th when Robinson left for Aberdeen in March and interim manager Craig McLeish struggled to stop the rot.
A run of four defeats in a row without scoring came just as Kilmarnock hit form under Neil McCann, which consigned St Mirren to 11th place and the play-off.
They ended the regular season having scored 10 fewer goals than even Livingston below them, with their productivity up top ultimately costing them as well as a host of injuries.
Partick Thistle have naturally had a more enjoyable season to get themselves into this position.
They pushed eventual winners St Johnstone until the final few games in the Championship title race, eventually finishing 11 points adrift of Saints but 15 clear of third-place Arbroath.
That earned Mark Wilson’s side a place in the play-off semi-final, where they defeated Scottish Cup finalists Dunfermline 3-2 on aggregate after a second-leg home win.