St Mirren defender Alex Gogic has publicly criticized what he called "disgraceful" and "disgusting" abuse directed at teammate Ryan Mullen by the club's own supporters following a devastating 6-2 Scottish Cup semi-final loss to Celtic.
The incident unfolded during Sunday's match at Hampden Park, where Mullen—starting in place of the injured Shamal George—made a critical error just one minute into play. His attempted clearance was charged down by Celtic's Daizen Maeda, leading to an early opening goal for the opposition. To compound matters, Mullen sustained an injury during the play and was forced to leave the pitch after only 15 minutes, making way for 17-year-old debutant Grant Tamosevicius.
Gogic, a 32-year-old Cyprus international, took to social media to defend his teammate, stating: "I have seen some disgraceful tweets about Ryan Mullen after the game yesterday. Ryan is a top goalkeeper and gives everything on and off the pitch. By no means did he want to leave the pitch. Every player makes mistakes—it comes with the job, and I've made plenty myself."
He continued with a pointed rebuke of the fan behavior: "Unfortunately for Ryan yesterday, he was unable to play on despite trying. He does not deserve any of this negativity or the accusations he's getting. It's disgusting, and I'm so disappointed that the majority of it is coming from our own fans. As a club, we win together and lose together."
The match itself saw Celtic take a 2-0 lead into halftime before St Mirren fought back with two goals from Mikael Mandron to force extra time. However, Celtic dominated the additional period, scoring four times in just six minutes to secure their place in the final against Dunfermline Athletic.
Support for Mullen extended beyond Gogic. Partick Thistle forward Tony Watt, a former Celtic player, also spoke out on social media, questioning the backlash: "The boy for St Mirren makes a mistake—a natural thing when asked to play from the back—ends up getting injured, then proceeds to get abuse online? Are people genuinely okay? Add in the fact he's the second choice who won't be match fit. Mistakes happen."
St Mirren chairman John Needham praised Tamosevicius for his composure under pressure, noting the teenager "should be very proud of how he handled the occasion" and made "some key saves."
However, the injury to Mullen presents a significant challenge for the club. Interim manager Craig McLeish indicated that St Mirren may need to seek an emergency loan for a goalkeeper as they navigate the final five games of the Premiership season, sitting just two points above the relegation play-off spot. The club is awaiting scan results on Mullen's pulled muscle, with George also sidelined and Peter Urminsky out on loan, potentially leaving Tamosevicius as the only fit senior goalkeeper.