Saturday's trip to Falkirk had the feeling of something big.

Pressure, I suppose, is always dialled up a little coming out of the howling normal fitba' vacuum that is international week.

Add to that the growing wait for a league victory this season, the quality of performances thus far for limited reward, and the renewal of top-flight competition with Falkirk for the first time in 15 years - the stage was very much set.

Philosophically, at least in the eyes of Chris Sutton and other pundits of equivalent attention to the other 10 teams in the Premiership, this felt like a clash of ideas. Good (honest, passing football) versus bad (boys who tackle quite hard and run about too much).

Falkirk's style is effective and has already earned them a win at Pittodrie, as well as plenty of podcast inches about "doing it the right way, uh huh". Similar to Motherwell's development under Jens Berthel Askou, it'll be fascinating to see how this plays out over a full top-flight season.

Stephen Robinson knows what plays out a top-flight season in Scotland. While I resent the accusation his St Mirren side are hammer-throwing anti-football anarchists and destroyers, I'm very comfortable in us using that reputation as the edge that often earns points against teams of lesser fortitude.

Saturday's rain-soaked battle at the foot (neck?) of the Kelpies unfolded as such. Falkirk played some impressively patient football while St Mirren took their time to have influence on proceedings, but, crucially, held their nerve defensively.

As the second half gathered pace and urgency, there was only one winner and it was the cannier, more urgent, harder-chasing and more resolute Saints who had enough.

Hopefully, for St Mirren's sake, this is an indication of what to expect over the next seven games of this first round of league fixtures.

Having had most of their top-table (and Rangers) tests early, Robinson's gritty and relentless Buddies should now pick up the points that their preparation and application levels deserve.

St Mirren fan's voice: 'Cannier' Buddies triumph in clash of ideas