St Mirren goalkeeper Ryan Mullen has vowed to come back stronger after his "devastating" Scottish Cup semi-final ended after 14 minutes with a mistake and a torn quad muscle.
Deputising for the injured Shamal George, Mullen's delay in clearing the ball gifted Celtic's Daizen Maeda a first-minute goal before he was forced off after 14 minutes.
St Mirren managed to battle back from 2-0 down to force extra-time with 17-year-old Grant Tamosevicius in goal before losing 6-2 in extra-time.
Mullen posted on social media platform X that he was left devastasted on what was the biggest game of his career.
"It was even harder to pluck up the courage to walk off the pitch, but ultimately the team must come first," he wrote.
"The mistake and the pain were both something I could handle, but putting the team at risk didn't sit right with me."
Mullen, 24, thanked his family, friends, and team-mates for their support and praised Tamosevicius's display.
"Surgery is next, and then a long road back," the goalkeeper added.
"I've been at rock bottom and worked my way up from there – this isn't that situation.
"It's a privilege and an honour to be where I'm at right now, and I know exactly what it takes to get back to where I see myself going."
