Players and fans didn't know the importance of St Mirren v Hearts - Jim Goodwin on crucial relegation clash

If Hearts had won their final league match before the shutdown they would have ensured St Mirren finished bottom

St Mirren boss Jim Goodwin has admitted that no one really knew the magnitude of the relegation battle between the Buddies and Hearts prior to the suspension of Scottish football.

The match in Paisley in the middle of March was the final Scottish Premiership match played before the coronavirus pandemic forced the game into a shutdown.

If Hearts had emerged victorious, they would have escaped bottom place and would not be looking at the prospect of a season, at least, in the Championship following the termination of the 2019/20 campaign.

Jim Goodwin led his St Mirren side to a crucial win over Hearts in March. Picture: SNS

The 1-0 loss to St Mirren left the Edinburgh side bottom of the table, four points from safety, with eight games remaining.

Goodwin, who is reportedly keen to sign Craig Gordon, labelled Jonathan Obika’s second half goal as probably the “most important… by any St Mirren player in recent times”.

“I don’t think any of the players, beaks or supporters really knew the importance of winning that game,” he told Sky Sports.

“Apart from the fact Hearts were relegation rivals that’s the way we went into the game, we didn’t have any input as to how it was going to pan out.”

Looking back on the fixture having seen how the situation has developed in the intervening months, Goodwin reckons that the game wouldn’t have been played if the Government knew what they do now.

However, it would still have left Hearts bottom on the points-per-game basis.

“Hindsight is a great thing,” he said. “I see all the talk about Cheltenham and other sports. Should they have gone ahead, should they not have gone ahead.

“I think looking back on it it’s very easy to say it shouldn’t have happened because of the social distancing and the severity of the pandemic we’re going through.

“Probably, if the Government could go back to that time Cheltenham wouldn’t have happened, our game wouldn’t have been played.”

Hearts could possibly find out their future this afternoon as clubs make SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster aware of their stance on league reconstruction.

Chair Ann Budge has proposed a 14-team top flight.