Manager Jim Goodwin was thankful to the travelling support as more than 400 Saints fans made the trip to Dingwall to support the team in our cinch Premiership win over Ross County.
I hope they understand how much the players and staff appreciate it.
"We're well aware of the expense they go to and I'm thankful today we could make that worthwhile."
St Mirren won their third cinch Premiership match in a row after coming out on top by the odd goal in five in Dingwall.
Goals from Eamonn Brophy, Marcus Fraser and Scott Tanser had the Buddies comfortably ahead in the first-half despite Blair Spittal scoring for the home side. Alex Iacovitti pulled a goal back for the hosts, but despite plenty of pressure from Ross County, Jim Goodwin's men were able to hold on for all the points. It's the first time the Saints have won three top-flight matches in a row since 2008 and extended the current unbeaten run to six matches.
Jim Goodwin named the same starting eleven as he did for the wins over Livingston and Aberdeen before the international break and the Buddies looked eager to keep that run going with Brophy going close to scoring the opener on 13 minutes. The striker was slipped in by Connor Ronan and made his way into the box before sending his strike inches wide of the right-hand post.
A little over a minute later the forward would put Saints ahead with a stunning strike. It came after a wonderful through ball from Ethan Erhahon to pick out Brophy who was making a run into the box. He took a touch with his right foot to steady himself before smashing high into the net with his left foot to open the scoring.
Jak Alnwick was forced into a top save when he tipped Ross Callachan's effort over the bar just after the half-hour mark as the home side looked for a leveller. But St Mirren were still on top and scored a second goal on 34 minutes. Tanser's corner from the right was floated all the way to the far post where it met the unmarked Fraser who headed home against his former club.
Marcus Fraser puts St Mirren 2-0 ahead (Image: Ken MacPherson)
The hosts quickly pulled a goal back to reduce the deficit. Spittal's free-kick - two minutes after Fraser's goal - deflected off Alan Power in the St Mirren wall taking it over the outstretched Alnwick.
Saints would regain their two-goal advantage almost immediately when Tanser would take advantage of a mix-up in the Staggies defence. County captain Jack Baldwin left a ball over the top hoping goalkeeper Maynard-Brewer would collect. Tanser was alert to it and got in ahead to lift over the Ross County keeper to give the Buddies a 3-1 lead going into the interval.
Jim Goodwin's side came at County early in the second-half with wave after wave of attack in the opening exchanges of the second 45. Brophy went close twice within a minute as he looked for his second of the afternoon, while Ronan and Power both had opportunities.
Saints couldn't add a fourth and the home side started to get a foothold in the game as they looked for a way back into the match. Harry Clarke cracked post for the home side on 55 minutes before heading into the arms of Alnwick four minutes later.
County's pressure told on 66 minutes when Iacovitti rose above the Saints defence to head home a Clarke cross from the right.
The hosts would push hard for an equaliser with substitute Joseph Hungbo going closest with 10 minutes to go when he hit the post from close-range, but the Buddies were able to hold on to ensure the long journey back to Paisley would be made with all the points.
Full-Time: Ross County 2-3 St Mirren
St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, Shaughnessy (c), McCarthy, Millar, Power, Erhahon (Flynn 68), Tanser (Tait 73), McGrath (Main 73), Ronan, Brophy
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Dunne, McAllister, Dennis
Ross County: Maynard-Brewer, Clarke, Iacovitti, Baldwin, Burroughs (B.Paton 56), Cancola (Hungbo 71), H.Paton, Callachan, Spittal, Charles-Cook, A.Samuel (White 56)
Subs Not Used: Laidlaw, D.Samuel, Watson, Tillson
Referee: David Munro
Assistant Referee: Sean Carr
Assistant Referee: Andrew McWilliam
Fourth Official: Graham Grainger
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."
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 |
| Adult | £10 |
| Child/Seniors** | £5 |
| Accessible Adult | £5 |
| Accessible Child/Senior | £5 |
*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."
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 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.
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:
| Adult | £25 |
| Concession* | £10 |
| U18s | £5 |
* - 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.
| Mon 11th Oct | 10:00 to 14:00 |
| Tue 12th Oct | 10:00 to 14:00 |
| Wed 13th Oct | 10:00 to 14:00 |
| Thu 14th Oct | 10:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00 |
| Fri 15th Oct | 10:00 to 14:00 |
| Sat 16th Oct | CLOSED |
| Sun 17th Oct | CLOSED |
St Mirren Ticket Office Tel: (0141) 840-6130.
St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com
| 31/03/2025 | 10:00-14:00 |
| 01/04/2025 | 10:00-14:00 |
| 02/04/2025 | 10:00-14:00 |
| 03/04/2025 | 10:00-14:00 |
| 04/04/2025 | 10:00-14:00 |
| 05/04/2025 | CLOSED |
| 06/04/2025 | CLOSED |
| Call | 0141 840 6130 |
