Jim Goodwin will have almost a full complement of players to choose from when his side travel to Ross County tomorrow afternoon.

The Buddies return from the international break on a five match unbeaten run and have won their last two league matches - defeating Livingston and Aberdeen. 

While some may have felt that came at the wrong time for Saints, the manager believes it helped in terms of getting players rest. 

We were going into the international break off the back of a couple of good victories so it's probably not the kind of thing you want when you are on a good run of form. But it actually wasn't a bad thing for us as he did have one or two players carrying slight knocks. 

"The lads have had a good week training and are looking forward to a trip to Dingwall."

Saints could welcome Charles Dunne back into the squad tomorrow for the first time since August while Greg Kiltie is making good progress in his return from injury.

Charles Dunne is back in amongst things and Greg Kiltie joined back in with the group as well, albeit the weekend will probably come too soon for Greg.

"We had one or two other lads who had slight issues after the Livingston game. Ethan Erhahon took a knock, Curtis Main took a knock as well so we were trying to protect one or two as best as we could over the international break. But we’ve got the majority of the squad now back together which is fantastic.

"The only one at the moment who is injured is young Peter Urminsky. The rest of the team are available.

"It gives me a hell of a selection headache for the weekend in terms of who travels and who doesn’t. As most managers out there would tell you that’s the kind of headaches you want to have and long may that continue."

Charles Dunne could return to the squad for the first time since August

Jim Goodwin looked ahead to St Mirren’s return from the international break after speaking to the press this afternoon.

Saints are back in action this weekend when they travel to Dingwall on Saturday to face Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium in the cinch Premiership. 

The Buddies went into the break in good form - winning their last two league matches as well as extending their unbeaten run to five.

On the contrary, Ross County are still searching for their first league win of the season. But while the Saints gaffer says his team is in a good place, they won't underestimate Malky Mackay's side. 

We were going into the international break in relatively good form off the back of a few victories," the manager said.

"Psychologically, the players are in a really good place and there's a lot of confidence within the group. Hopefully we can carry that on at the weekend. 

"To go and try to win three games back-to-back in this league would be a great achievement for the group and that's where our mindset is at.

"I've watched two or three of the Ross County games over the last five or six days and from the footage I've seen they've been a bit unfortunate on one or two occasions not to have got that first win already. We've been there so we know what it's like. We certainly won't underestimate them. 

"We'll give Ross County all the respect they deserve. We know that they've got some good players that can cause us problems, but if we can apply ourselves in the same manner as we have done in recent weeks then we give ourselves a good chance of carrying the run on."

The gaffer also reflected on Jamie McGrath’s international form with the 25-year-old adding two more Republic of Ireland caps over the past week in wins over Azerbaijan and Qatar.

The manager confirmed that the club have made a contract offer to try and keep McGrath with the Irishman out of contract at the end of the season. 

I watched the first hour of the Ireland game against Qatar and Jamie was excellent again.

"We're all extremely proud of what Jamie has achieved in the last 12-18 months. The fact he's now getting the recognition from Stephen Kenny and the FAI is fantastic for him and it's great inspiration for some of the younger players within our group as well.

Jamie McGrath on international duty with the Republic of Ireland (Image: FAIreland)

"We've made an incredible offer to Jamie, we need to make that clear. We've made him an offer we've never made a player in the history of the club.

"But we're not stupid. We know he's going to have numerous other offers and no doubt someone might come in and blow us out of the water.

"We want Jamie to know exactly what we think of him and reward him with a great contract. Whether he takes it or not, it's up to him but our supporters need to know we're not giving up hope just yet."

Watch the manager's press conference in full on St Mirren TV.   

St Mirren return from the international break with a trip to Dingwall to face Ross County in cinch Premiership action.

Jim Goodwin's men will be looking to keep up their recent good form with the Buddies unbeaten in their last five league matches as well as having picked up two wins from two. 

Saints defeated Livingston (1-0) and Aberdeen (3-2) before the break to move up to seventh place in the cinch Premiership on 10 points.

Ross County go into Saturday's match still searching for their first league win of the season. County have drawn three of their eight league matches to sit in 11th place on three points. 

The Staggies have been edged out in their last two league matches - losing 1-0 to Dundee United at Tannadice and 2-1 away to Motherwell.

Match Details

Ross County v St Mirren
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Saturday 16th October 2021
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: Global Energy Stadium

Ticket Info

Tickets for Saturday's trip to Dingwall are on-sale at the St Mirren Ticket Office. Click the link here for details. 

The St Mirren Ticket Office is open on Thursday night between 5-8pm for those wishing to buy tickets. Please note the sale of Ross County tickets will finish at 12:30pm on Friday. However, tickets will be available to away supporters at the Global Energy Stadium on match day from 1pm. 

PPV is available to those who can't make the match at a cost of £15. A PPV pass can be purchased at this link. Due to UEFA restrictions, the match is not available to buy in England.

Previous

Saints were unbeaten in four against Ross County last season - winning three and drawing one against the Highland side. 

Jim Goodwin's men were victorious in both their trips to the Global Energy Stadium in 2020/21. Lee Erwin, Ilkay Durmus and Jamie McGrath netted in a 3-1 win in Dingwall back in April - the last time the sides met. Marcus Fraser and Kristian Dennis scored on the other visit when Saints won 2-0 on Boxing Day 2020. 

Ross County's last win against the Buddies was August 2019 when, ironically, Marcus Fraser scored a last-minute winner for the Staggies in a 2-1 win at the Global Energy Stadium.

Jamie McGrath scores from the penalty spot in our 3-1 win at Dingwall in April.

The officials

David Munro is the referee on Saturday and he is assisted by Sean Carr and Andrew McWilliam. Graham Grainger is the fourth official.  

Would you be interested in being a director of St Mirren? SMiSA is looking for the right person to be one of our representatives on the club board.

Currently, SMiSA appoint four of the eight directors on the club board, with those positions currently filled by John Needham (club chair), David Riley, Gordon Scott and Alan Wardrop.

However, David let SMiSA know a while ago that - due to changes in his personal and work circumstances - he planned to stand down from the club board at the end of the year. David has represented SMiSA on the club board since 2018, having been our sole rep at that time.

He has played a key role for SMiSA and the club since then – having been one of the sub-group that helped negotiate the deal that delivered fan ownership five years ahead of schedule – and all on the SMiSA board will miss the major contribution he has made.

David will stay in post until we have appointed his successor, who SMiSA hope to have in place for the club’s AGM, likely to be in December. This means they are now looking for expressions of interest in the role.

The successful candidate will be expected to act as the link between the club and SMiSA boards, ensure member views are considered in club decisions, and have the skills and experience to make a positive contribution to the running of the football club.

New SMiSA appointments to the club board are subject to the formal recruitment process they put in place last year, through which John Needham was appointed.

That will see the SMiSA board invite applications, shortlist and interview those who best fit the job description, and select a preferred candidate, who the members will be asked to approve. Ideally they will already be a SMiSA member, but we will consider all applications.

Anyone interested should contact applications@smisa.net and they will send you an application pack. The closing date for applications is Thursday 28 October. 

The SMiSA Stadium will host the Scotland Women's National Team when they take on Olympic finalists Sweden in October.

Scotland vs Sweden
Venue: The SMiSA Stadium, Paisley
Date: Tuesday 26th October 2021
Kick-off: 7:05pm

Tickets are now on-sale for the friendly match at the St Mirren Ticket Office and online. 

The ticket prices as follows:

*SSC Members free tickets can only be claimed in person at the St Mirren Ticket Office.
**Over-65/Under-16

With the international break here, Saints captain Joe Shaughnessy spoke with St Mirren TV as reflects on the Buddies' start to the season. 

Saints sit in seventh place in the cinch Premiership after eight match with Jim Goodwin's side unbeaten in their last five matches.

Watch Joe's interview exclusively here on St Mirren TV. 

The decision-making process and outcome regarding the use of the Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand for Rangers and Celtic matches is currently ongoing. However, for the upcoming game against Rangers on Sunday 24th October the Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand and the North stand have been allocated to the away support. We understand there is frustration along with unanswered questions surrounding the use of the stand for away fans. Please be rest assured that discussions have been taking place at club and board level and with SMiSA members. We are trying to work to a reasonable solution that accommodates everyone, but at this time these conversations are ongoing.

John Needham, Chair of the Board said: "I share the strength of feeling on this issue and have discussed options with my fellow Directors which would avoid the need for any of our fans to move from their seats for matches in future. The major hurdle is replacing the income generated which is in the region of £120K for the three guaranteed fixtures each season. However, my initial thinking has been well received and I am working on refining the proposals before consulting you, the fans, on whether you would support my idea."

Ticket Sale Arrangements

Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand season ticket holders have until 2pm on Friday 15th October to move their seats to either the Main or West Stand for our cinch Premiership match against Rangers.

Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand season ticket holders who buy tickets before 2pm on Friday 22nd October will get them at the reduced price of £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. 

Please note these cannot be purchased online. They can only be purchased by visiting the ticket office or over the phone. The ticket office is open from 10am to 2pm Monday through Friday with late opening on Thursday from 5pm to 8pm.

Any Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand season ticket holder who miss the deadline will have to pay the full price of £27 for adults and £17 for concessions. 

General Sale for St Mirren v Rangers

General sale tickets will go on-sale from Monday 18th October and will be available in person at the St Mirren Ticket Office or online, however, you have been pre-registered on the ticket platform to purchase. 

Match Details

St Mirren vs Rangers
cinch Premiership
Venue: The SMiSA Stadium
Date: Sunday 24th October
Kick-off: 12pm

*Children with under 12 season tickets will be moved free of charge with a paying adult/concession season ticket holder.
**Wheelchair users free of charge.

 Please note these cannot be purchased online. They can only be purchased by visiting the ticket office or over the phone

Tickets for St Mirren's cinch Premiership match away to Ross County are now on-sale at the St Mirren Ticket Office.

Saints will travel to Dingwall following the international break looking to maintain their recent good league form.

Ross County vs St Mirren
cinch Premiership
Venue: Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall
Date: Saturday 16th October 2021
Kick-off: 3pm

The ticket prices as follows:

* - Over 65, 18-21 year-olds, wheelchair & ambulant - PA ticket is free of charge. 

Tickets will also be on-sale at the Global Energy Stadium on match day. 

Please note that tickets have been printed with an incorrect kick-off time, however, they will still be valid. 

The Ticket Office hours for the remainder of the week are as follows:

The St Mirren Ticket Office is open on Thursday night between 5-8pm for those wishing to buy tickets.

Please note the sale of Ross County tickets will finish at 12:30pm on Friday. However, tickets will be available to away supporters at the Global Energy Stadium on match day from 1pm. 

St Mirren Ticket Office Tel: (0141) 840-6130.

St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce a new sponsorship agreement with our principal sponsors Digby Brown Solicitors.

Digby Brown Solicitors, who became the club’s principal sponsor in June, have agreed a deal that will see them sponsor the St Mirren Women’s and Youth Development squads.

Our women and youth development squads will now have the Digby Brown Solicitors logo featured on all their home and away kits for the 2021/22 season.

St Mirren Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick said: "We are happy to announce this new sponsorship deal with Digby Brown Solicitors.

Whether it is the first-team, women’s team or youth development squads, we are all St Mirren and to have all these levels sponsored and supported by the same organisation helps show that.

"When Digby Brown Solicitors first came on board as our principal sponsors, we discussed how their company values, and in particular, their care for the local community aligned with ourselves as a club.

"This new deal shows Digby Brown’s commitment to the club and the local community and we thank them for their support."

Kirsten Smith, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for Digby Brown Solicitors, said: "Improving and enhancing lives for all – no matter what the playing field – matters to Digby Brown.

We are therefore overjoyed to sponsor St Mirren’s women’s and youth development squads.

"Such individuals help break down barriers whether in sport, the community or simply in public perceptions and, alongside the club, we are proud to play a part in helping make that possible.

"It’s about more than just ensuring they have the right kit – it’s about giving them the recognition they deserve."

Digby Brown Solicitors is Scotland’s most recognised legal brand specialising in personal injury and employment law.

The firm has been recognised on numerous occasions as Scottish Law Firm of the Year however Community Contribution is the award they are best known for – winning it for the last seven years in a row.

Women's team manager Kate Cooper and captain Karen McCabe.

Head of St Mirren Youth Academy Allan McManus and U18s player Mark Donaldson.

Jamie McGrath has once again been called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for their upcoming matches against Azerbaijan and Qatar. 

The 25-year-old made his first start for his national side in last month's FIFA World Cup qualifying match away to Portugal where he assisted John Egan for Ireland's goal in a narrow 2-1 loss.

McGrath then made his first home start a few days later when Ireland drew 1-1 with Serbia at the Aviva Stadium.

Everyone at St Mirren is delighted for Jamie on his well-deserved recognition and wish him all the best in his time away with Ireland.