The cancellation of football during this terrible crisis seems like a small thing when an increasing number of people are dying daily from coronavirus.

But while this is undoubtedly true, our sport’s ongoing absence is a massive financial challenge to all football clubs, and St Mirren are no exception.

Your board has had to consider what action to take, and quickly, to protect our long-term future and very existence – and we had two immediate aims.

Firstly, our responsibility as an employer to players, management, and staff. We don’t want our people to have to worry about their income at a time of many other family concerns.

Secondly protecting the clubs ability to live within our means and keeping us debt-free, a position we are currently in due to the prudence and commitment of successive boards.

The challenge is that nobody knows when football will resume and when St Mirren will again have an income from that source. As things stand we don’t even know if this season will be completed or when next season will begin.

Taking all of this into account, and to make sure none of our staff is left financially worse off, we have decided to make immediate use of the UK Government’s Job Retention Scheme.

This will include all our playing and non-playing staff, with the exception of a core group who are required for the continued running of the club.

The Job Retention Scheme pays our staff who are furloughed 80% of their gross salary up to a maximum of £2500, but we are committed to ensuring we will make up any difference to their usual pay level. This applies to all members of staff.

Your board will continue to monitor what is a very fluid emergency situation within Scotland & the UK and will keep you updated as matters progress.

Season tickets

While we appreciate that many of our supporters will not be in a position to commit to buying a season ticket at this time we have had numerous calls and emails from people asking how they can help financially.

Rather than asking people to donate money to the club we felt that the best way to allow fans to help would be to put season tickets on sale earlier than usual.

As of Monday 13th April, they will be on sale online and by phone. More information will follow during the course of this week.

Street Stuff

Community Engagement

We are still engaging with young people in the community via the following social media sites:

Facebook page: StreetStuff

Twitter: @SMFCStreetStuff

Instagram: @smfcstreetstuff

YouTube: streetstuff1877

Tik Tok: @streetstuff_1877

Weekly schedule

A weekly activity schedule is posted on Street Stuff social media sites 

We have set up gaming accounts in a way that the young people can make contact and engage in online activities as well as have friendly conversation with our staff.

Schools

Our Street Stuff staff are involved in the delivery of activities at pre-five centres, primary & secondary schools during Easter school holidays to allow essential workers with children to work.

Supporters can still get in touch with the club via email.

General Enquiries – info@stmirren.com 

Ticket Office – tickets@stmirren.com 

Fans who wish to purchase anything from the club shop can still do so online.

All orders will be processed and posted as quickly as possible, however, as you will all be aware the guidelines for what can be delivered changes on a daily basis. If you have any queries please email the shop on shop@stmirrendirect.co.uk.

The commercial department will remain open and supporters and sponsors wishing to make contact are advised to do so by email commercial@stmirren.com. 

St Mirren Charitable Foundation update.

• All of our educational content for groups like Buds In Bootcamp & FFIT are now delivered via social media and WhatsApp in short filmed segments. We are also now asking all groups to download zoom and will commence educational seminars via this method from next week.
• All of our workouts are now being filmed and placed on our You Tube channel for Buds & FFIT as well as WhatsApp and our other social media platforms.
• We are delivering daily challenges, competitions, football coaching sessions, educational projects and general engagement content daily for children via You Tube, WhatsApp and all of our social media platforms.
• We have 10 WhatsApp groups where we are providing positive, motivational content with daily tips and advice on mental wellbeing and nutrition.
• We are 'Checking in' directly on a one to one basis with all of our group participants twice weekly.
• We are securing new food partners on a daily basis from Tesco, Morrisons & Asda to Manorview Leisure and Starbucks, we will continue to recruit more.
• We are collecting food from our food partners and distributing via our community partners Star Project, Renfrewshire Foodbank and Salvation Army.
• We are now collecting donations of food parcels and essential items from outside of local residents’ homes, these food items are then taken to Star Project and Renfrewshire Foodbank.
• We are recruiting and managing volunteer drivers to work on behalf of our partners at Star Project and Renfrewshire Foodbank in delivering essential food parcels throughout the community. You can contact us through the usual channels.

Instagram – smfc_charitablefoundation

Twitter - @SMFC_CF

Facebook – St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation

Contact - gayle.brannigan@stmirren.com 

The board would like to thank all Street Stuff and St Mirren Charitable Foundation staff, club staff and players and our many volunteers for going above and beyond the call of duty in doing everything they can to support our local community. Many of these people have put themselves in harms way for the greater good. You have our utmost respect and thanks.

Our message to every member of the St Mirren family is stay at home, stay safe and let’s all hope we are back watching our team play in the not too distant future.

On 26th January 1924, Saints faced third Division Beith in the first round of the Scottish Cup. In a tight match, Saints eventually emerged 3-2 winners.

However, the story of the day was the performance of the Beith centre forward who scored their second goal. So impressed were the Saints management, that they signed him two days later! His name was Davie McCrae. He was to become the greatest goal-scorer in the club’s history.

Born in Bridge of Weir in 1900, McCrae started his career with Kilmacolm Amateurs, joining Beith in October 1923. He only played in nine competitive matches for the Ayrshire side, including that cup match at Love Street, but scored eight goals.

He made his Saints’ debut against Hibernian on 2nd April 1924. His first goal came three days later in a 2-1 defeat to Partick Thistle. The following week he took his first steps along the way to becoming a Saints’ legend when he scored in a 1-0 defeat of Celtic at Parkhead.

He scored another goal against Ayr United the following week, taking his total to three goals in his first five games.

McCrae’s second season saw him score 33 times in 40 games, quickly establishing himself as the club’s main striker. Highlight of the season was scoring all four in a 4-1 win over Motherwell on 22nd November.

At the start of season 1925/26, Davie was in great form, scoring 13 times in the opening 12 matches, including ten consecutive games between 29th August and 24th October. He went on to score 24 league goals.

On 10th April 1926, he lined up at Hampden Park as Saints faced Celtic in the final of the Scottish Cup. It took just three minutes for Davie to score the opening goal. Jimmy Howieson added a second later in the game as Saints won the Cup for the first time in their history.

After the match, each player was presented with a bottle of whisky. Davie declared that he would not open his until the cup returned to Paisley. It was to be a long wait!

Over the next two seasons Davie continued in great scoring form, netting 70 goals in 79 appearances, including five goals in a 6-1 Scottish Cup win over Clyde on 21st January 1928. This form continued into season 1928/29 when he scored five times in the first four league matches. He finished the season with 29 goals.

At the end of the season Davie was selected to join the first-ever Scotland National team to tour out-with the UK during May and June 1929. He made his debut against Norway on 26th May in a 7-3 win. He also went on to play in a 1-1 draw with Germany on 1st June.

After his international adventure, Davie was back in the Saints’ side for the start of the next season and was soon back amongst the goals scoring 42 times over the next two years.

A serious knee injury, sustained in a match against Morton on 12th September 1931 was to keep him out for long periods of the season. He had started the first nine matches of the campaign, scoring a hat-trick against Ayr United on 9th September. However, his injury was to keep him out of the top team for several months. He made a comeback in the reserve side, scoring seven times in an 8-5 win over Dundee on 28th November 1931, but unfortunately, suffered a setback and it was to be February before he appeared in the top team again. Davie ended the season having made just 19 appearances, scoring nine times.

He was, however, fit enough to take part in the South-Western Counties Cup competition during April 1932. Saints defeated Kilmarnock 2-0 in the semi-final before hammering Ayr United 7-1 in the final, Davie claiming another hat-trick.

Free from injury, season 1932/33 saw Davie return to form netting 29 times including six in a 7-1 win over Cowdenbeath on 12th November. The following month Saints recorded a second 7-1 win, this time over Airdrie, with Davie scoring three times, one of three trebles he scored during the season as he regained the top scorer position.

Season 1933/34 was Davie’s last in Paisley. He scored 11 times in 20 matches, including four in the Scottish Cup as Saints reached the final. He wasn’t selected for the final, which Saints lost 5-0 to Rangers.

He left the club in August 1934, moving south to join New Brighton.

In his time at Love Street, Davie played in 352 matches and scored a club record 251 competitive goals including 222 league goals. An interesting fact about Davie’s totals is that he actually failed to score in more than half of his matches in the stripes!

His goals breakdown includes scoring six in one match, five in one match, four on two occasions. He scored ten hat-tricks, 44 doubles and registered single goals in 114 games.

Jump forward 25 years and Davie was at Hampden again, watching Saints as they defeated Aberdeen to win the 1959 Scottish Cup. After the match, he joined captain Davie Lapsley in a ceremonial opening of the whisky he had been given back in 1926. Two Saints legends, sharing a celebratory drink to honour two of the greatest days in the club’s history.

This article first appeared in the St Mirren matchday programme on 29th July 2017 for the match against Airdrieonians.

As our Official Energy Partner, The Energy Check were able to identify savings totalling £143,494 through improved energy procurement, intelligent solutions, new technologies and behavioural changes.

We are now looking forward to putting a detailed plan in place to implement important energy efficiency measures, scoring us a significant annual saving!

Often, the best solutions are the simplest. Behavioural changes and energy efficiency best practice can make a significant difference when adopted across an organisation.

Should you be interested in finding out what The Energy Check could save your business, please contact Ryan.Callaghan@theenergycheck.co.uk and he will be happy to help.

Check out The Energy Check's case study on St Mirren below.

St Mirren Football Club has been the pride of Paisley for the best part of 150 years.

Since 2009, the Buddies’ home has been the Simple Digital Arena where fans can be found cheering their team on each week. On the pitch, the club has seen success in recent years, gaining promotion back to the Scottish Premiership in 2018.

As Official Energy Partners with St Mirren, The Energy Check’s role has been to ensure that the club’s targets on the pitch are matched by ambitious energy efficiency goals off it – both at their 8000-seater stadium and training facility.

Through improved energy procurement, intelligent solutions, new technologies and behavioural changes, total potential savings of £143,494 were identified.

A number of opportunities to conserve energy and lower emissions were identified at both the stadium and training ground. These included:

Lighting

Replacing older lighting with energy efficient LED lights was identified as an important way to improve both the quality of light and reduce energy consumption. This will help to save the club money and reduce carbon emissions in the long-term.

Heating

It was identified that heating systems could be optimised by:

• Upgrading to a more efficient gas boiler
• Introducing intelligent electric radiators at the training academy
• Making changes to heating temperatures and timers
• Partially replacing existing heating systems with biomass boilers/heat pumps
• Introducing smart meters to ensure efficient energy usage and accurate billing.

Solar photovoltaics

The roofs of the stadium were identified as being ideal for solar arrays with plenty of space available to install panels.

This would help to meet the high electricity demand of the stadium.

Training and behavioural

Often, the best solutions are the simplest. Behavioural changes and energy efficiency best practice can make a significant difference when adopted across an organisation. This includes turning room lights off when exiting, being sure to shut down computers, unplugging energy-sapping equipment and dialling down heating systems when appropriate. In total, savings of 5 – 10% was thought to be achievable in lighting electricity consumption alone.

By putting in place a plan to implement important energy efficiency measures, The Energy Check are confident that St Mirren will be able to score a significant annual saving. Just as importantly, the club will be working to improve its green credentials and reduce its carbon footprint.

Prices have been reduced for the 2019/20 St Mirren home and away shirts! 

Adult shirts have been reduced to just £25, while kids shirts are down to just £20. Limited stock is available to order online.

Due to the stadium being closed as part of Government guidelines in the ongoing fight against coronavirus, orders could take a few weeks to process. 

This month marks the 20th anniversary of St Mirren being crowned Millennium Champions.

A 3-0 win over Raith Rovers at Love Street on April 29 2000 saw the Buddies win the then First Division title and seal a return to the top flight for the first time since 1992. 

The Millennium Championship winning side still holds a close place in the hearts of St Mirren fans as they won the title playing an exciting brand of football - scoring 75 goals and finishing five points ahead of second place Dunfermline.

Saints had been written off by all and sundry before a ball was kicked with the Buddies being many bookmakers' second favourites to be relegated. But a win over then SPL champions Rangers in a pre-season friendly at Love Street gave the side confidence that it could be a year to remember heading into the season. 

Junior Mendes, Head of Sports Science at the club, was a player for the Buddies during that memorable season and spoke to stmirren.com about the feeling at the club at the start of that season.

Nobody in the changing room had really spoken about predictions of us finishing bottom," he said.

"We beat Rangers in pre-season and all the lads looked really strong, really fit and we felt that something was going to happen that season.

"We maybe didn’t envisage what actually happened but we felt something good would happen.

"We had a really good pre-season and as soon as we started winning games things were really jovial and it was a nice atmosphere to be in."

Despite a fine start to the league that saw six goals put past Raith, five goals put past Airdrieonians and wins against Inverness, Clydebank and Morton, many believed that the St Mirren bubble would burst. 

But Junior didn't buy that talk and believed performances spoke for themselves. 

When we started building up a head of steam folk were talking about the bubble bursting and I wasn’t really sure why people were talking about that because it wasn’t like we were backs against the wall in games. 

"When we went top of the league that’s all we were focused on and we just wanted to keep our noses out in front ahead of Dunfermline.

"I think because they were a real worthy adversary at the time that kind of pushed us. In any kind of rivalry you need that competition and we definitely had that in Dunfermline as they kept us on our toes."

Dunfermline pushed the Buddies all the way, but with just three matches of the season remaining, Saints picked up a massive win away to Ayr United to inch ever closer to the title.

Junior netted in that 2-1 win at Somerset Park and it's a match that remains a favourite away day for many supporters especially given Paul McKnight's 90th minute winner moved the Buddies to within touching distance of claiming the title. 

These teams we were playing against back then had thrown quite a bit of money into their squads," Junior said.

"Going down to Somerset Park to play Ayr was a tough one. They came to Love Street and won so to go to Somerset Park with its tight pitch and get that win was brilliant.

"These teams kept us on our toes and they were tough games to play in.

"For me to get that first goal was really important and then Paul McKnight steps up and does what he does there and it was a great day knowing we’d get promoted and be champions if we won the game against Raith the next week.

"I don’t know about anybody else but me personally I was really quite nervous because I knew if we didn’t get a win against Raith we’d have to go to Inverness to get a result and we were hopeless up at Inverness historically.

"We didn’t want to leave it for then and I was nervous."

But Junior needn't have worried as Saints defeated Raith Rovers 3-0 at Love Street a week later to clinch the title and a return to Scotland's top division.

It was the culmination of a year's hard work and reminded the 43 year-old of what the beautiful game meant to him.

I’d been at St Mirren for maybe three and a half years or something and it was just great to see all the faces of supporters and people you had been working with all that time.

"From Stewart Gilmour all the way down to the kitman and Tam the groundsman just seeing everyone come together was really nice.

"That season kind of gave me belief in my ability. The seasons before that I felt I was just learning my trade really but that season made me feel like I might do okay in the game.

"The couple of seasons beforehand you put a lot of work in that folk don’t see but that season it all came together and you get that tangible reward at the end of it. It just reaffirms your love for the game and why you fell in love with it."

It was a dressing room of big characters and none more so than captain Tommy Turner.

Junior recalled when Tommy had first joined the club and made his presence felt early on.

It was a really good dressing room," he said. "Even in the previous seasons I had always really enjoyed it.

"Tommy Turner was a really big character and I remember when he just joined. I think it was one of his first games was at Stark’s Park where we faced Raith.

"I always remember I didn’t even really know him yet and I lost the ball and he came down on me like a ton of bricks. That’s not really normal for someone new to just come in and start hammering people and I remember thinking after that that our relationship was going to be interesting.

"But Tommy is the sort of person that off the pitch is such a nice guy and after that game we never had a problem. I really liked Tommy, he was a great character.

"I don’t keep in touch with many of the guys back then frequently but we’ll speak once in a while through various social media platforms. That’s one of the great things about social media. There are some bad things involved with it but that’s one of the really good things about it."

After retiring as a player, Junior returned to the club in October 2018 as the club's Head of Sports Science. 

He gave an insight into what his role at the club involves.

In any organisation I think you need to be multi-disciplined.

"I try to make sure the players keep fit physically and mentally and give them the best opportunity to do well on a Saturday.

"Nutrition is really important as well as recovery strategies, hydration strategies and strength sessions too.

"We monitor their performance during the week as well so we know that they aren't doing too much that would mean they won’t be as good on a Saturday so there’s quite a bit involved in the role.

"Supporters will also see me on a match day doing the warm-ups and half-time warm-ups for the lads on the bench as well. It’s really busy but really enjoyable."

With the coronavirus crisis ongoing Junior says all is well with him and his family in what is a surreal situation.

The players have all been given individual training programmes to make sure their fitness is topped up and he keeps in close contact with them through WhatsApp.

Everything’s good, everybody is good. We’ve never had anything like this before and it’s all really quite strange. I’m a bit older and it reminds me of the storylines you’d see from films in the 80s.

"We’ve given the players programmes to do on a weekly basis as we don’t know when the players are going to be back and I’ve been progressing them each week. So the players should be able to deal with it no problem and be at a good level whenever they return.

"We’re in group chat where we send the programmes and the lads send in their runs as well and keeps everyone else motivated. The lads are working hard but I’m kind of glad I’m not playing anymore."

Saints striker Jon Obika took part in a Q&A with supporters on social media this afternoon. 

Find his answers to some of the questions put to him below. 

Q (@dj_nicol): Jon or Jonathan? Also - favourite goal for Saints?

A: Jon and my first goal against St Johnstone

Q (@healy1877): What do you put down to your recent excellent run of form? Also would you like to extend your stay at the club? Lastly, how easy was it to settle in Scotland?

A: Different training drills to do with timing and visualising my position to gain space in the box. Yes, I'd like to. It was difficult to settle as I didn't have a pre-season, but now I'm up to speed I'm enjoying it. 

Q: (@PDE_Sport): Do you ever sing your own song around the house? (and be honest!)

A: Lol, a few times in the shower!

Q: (@saintmurn): Do you feel you've had to change your game a lot since coming up to Scotland? Have you always been seen as a target man or is this a new part of your game you've had to adjust to?

A: I've definitely had to adjust my game as you come up against more defensive formations. I've been a target man or second striker through my career - I enjoy both!

Q: (@cassidy_alan): Do you remember the first song you had to sing in hospitality after a Saints game?

A: I think I sang Happy Birthday in a Barry White tone.

Q: (@PTFblog): Would you rather fight two Junior Morias-sized Gary MacKenzies or one Gary MacKenzie-sized Junior Morias? 

A: Neither! 

Q: (@dorman8smfc): Who do you get in with best in the squad? 

A: Junior Morias

Q: (@cwhyte25): Favourite thing about living in Scotland?

A: The different accents. 

Q: (@kyleblue2401): Who is the funniest in the dressing room? 

A: The duo of Danny Mullen and Cammy MacPherson lol

Q: (@glenvale2004): Our players are ages 15 and 16. What advice would you give to a 15/16 year-old?

A: Don't stop practicing, that's where your confidence comes from.

Q: (@FinnGibson7): Who's the best player you've ever played with?

A: May have been one or two games but more so in training I'd say Gareth Bale or Luka Modric.

Q: (@Gally87): Sophie asks....I play striker for my team and for my school, what advice would you give me to play the same position as you?

A: Enjoy being in position to score goals, make it a habit.

Q: (@AliDeFoy): Who has most influenced your football career and if you could work with any manager dead or alive who would you choose? 

A: My performance coach Jag Shoker and my academy manager at Tottenham John McDermott. If I could work with any manager it would be Sir Alex Ferguson. 

Q: (@RobHall46): How did he score that overhead kick? I must've missed that rehab session somehow

A: You taught me that one on the training ground!

Q: (Garry Williamson) Jon has shown great mental strength during a slower start than he might have liked but is now showing very good form (for which he deserves enormous respect!) What tips could he offer fans they might he able to use in these testing times to strengthen and enhance their own mental health?

A: Try and draw the positive things this period is making us realise. Time is important to everyone, use and share our time wisely.

Q: (Peter Mullan) What are he and the team doing to keep themselves fit. Can they keep themselves at the level of "readiness" they were reaching when the season was halted?

A: We've been given a programme by Junior Mendes which we follow to keep us ready for the restart. Match fitness will always be needed but it'll not take long to get up to speed.

Q: (Derek Heathwood) Jim Goodwin was a tough player but comes across as measured and balanced - what’s he really like in the dressing room? 

A: Very calm and composed, information is always clear. 

Q: (Alistair Orr) The last game against hearts was one of the most spirited performance I've seen in a long time. What do you do to get really hyped up before games?

A: Apart from music, remembering why I wanted to play football (family). 

We continue to share everybody’s frustration that nothing much has changed since last Tuesday in terms of information as to when, and in what form, we will be able to start playing football again. The view at this time from UEFA is that they want all leagues to continue to a conclusion which is one of the main reasons why there has been no decision made on the outcome of this seasons SPFL. We are hoping for more clarity on this situation by the end of this week.

Our view to date on season ticket sales for 2020/21 has been to wait until we had a clearer view of what the future looked like. Hopefully, by the end of this week we will be in a better position to make a decision as to when we should put tickets on sale.

We would like to assure all our supporters that, as a board, we are in constant communication by text and by regular video conferences to ensure we are reacting immediately to any changes in legislation and Government guidelines. We will make sure that we do everything within our power to make sure our club continues to be in a strong position throughout this situation and when we eventually get free from this lockdown.

Street Stuff continue to offer support to the local community in the form of:

• Linking in with Children’s Services to provide activities in schools for emergency services staff.
• Coming up with ideas to get young people involved in online/social media activities.
• Looking at ways we can potentially link in with other youth services to provide activities where possible.

Supporters can still get in touch with us via email.

General Enquiries – info@stmirren.com 

Ticket Office – tickets@stmirren.com 

Fans who wish to purchase anything from the club shop can still do so online. All orders will be processed and posted as quickly as possible, however, as you will all be aware the guidelines for what can be delivered changes on a daily basis. If you have any queries please email the shop on shop@stmirrendirect.co.uk. 

The commercial department will remain open and supporters and sponsors wishing to make contact are advised to do so by email commercial@stmirren.com. 

St Mirren Charitable Foundation

We have been working alongside community partners providing volunteers and last week we took delivery of essential perishable goods donated by Starbucks which we distributed to many worthwhile causes.

The fans have been great coming forward as volunteer drivers and we would ask that they make sure they are following all of our social media feeds below for updates and retweet/share/tag as many relevant parties as possible to raise awareness, it does help.

The players and staff provided messages of support for our wonderful NHS staff. Watch the video here.

Instagram – smfc_charitablefoundation

Twitter - @SMFC_CF

Facebook – St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation

Contact - gayle.brannigan@stmirren.com 

Our team of coaches have been doing a great job with all of the online educational seminars and home workouts for Buds in Boot Camp & FFIT and we are putting most of the workouts on YouTube so that all of the community can get access to them. The fans have been very supportive and vocal on everything we are doing especially with the kids challenges, competitions and tasks and we would welcome any additional ideas they may have on how we can engage and entertain them.

Thank you for all your emails and calls offering support to the club in these difficult times. It is much appreciated and keeps moral strong in these difficult times. Stay safe!

At the start of season 1975/76, Alex Ferguson was beginning to build a team of promising young players who he felt could take Saints back to the top flight. To add some style to the midfield he signed Billy Stark from Anniesland Waverley. Born in Glasgow in 1956, Billy started his football life at school and in the Boys' Brigade, before signing for Anniesland.

He made his first appearance in the stripes against Selkirk in a friendly on 26th July 1975. His competitive debut came on 20th August when he lined up against Montrose in a League Cup match. Despite being just 18-years-old, the manager pitched him straight into the top team squad and he soon became a regular in the starting XI.

Billy’s first goal came in a 2-2 draw with Morton on 6th September and he would go on to score six times in 24 matches over the season as he established himself in the Saints’ midfield. The highlight of this first season was a match against Airdrie at Broomfield on 21st February 1976. With the score tied at 1-1, Billy entered play as a 73rd minute substitute. Five minutes later he scored to put Saints into the lead, before clinching a 3-1 victory with his second goal in the final minute.

Season 1976/77 was one of the best in Saints’ history, as 'Fergie’s Furies' won the First Division in style. Billy played his part, scoring 11 times in 35 league matches. One of these goals was the opener in a 4-0 win over Dundee on 19th April 1977, which secured the title and promotion to the Premier Division. He also scored in a 4-1 Scottish Cup win over Dundee United who were, at the time, top of the Premier Division.

In the top flight, Billy continued to play well and over the following two seasons he clocked up over 80 appearances in all competitions, scoring 22 goals as he matured into an exceptionally talented midfield playmaker. 

Stark played in every league game of season 1979/80, scoring eight times, as Saints finished third in the Premier Division, their best ever finish to a league season. He also played a big part in Saints becoming the first (and only) Scottish club to win the Anglo-Scottish Cup. He scored three times in the early rounds as Hibernian, Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield United were defeated. The final paired Saints with Bristol City. The first leg at Ashton Gate was a high point in his career, as he scored both goals in a 2-0 win to set Saints up for the second leg. He didn’t score in the return leg, but contributed to a 3-1 victory on the night, for a 5-1 aggregate win.

Season 1980/81 was another fine season. Billy played in 39 matches scoring seven goals. He also made his debut in European competition as Saints faced Elfsborg of Sweden in the UEFA Cup. A 2-1 aggregate win took Saints through to the second round where he came face to face with Johnny Rep, Patrick Battiston and the legendary Michel Platini as St Etienne ended Saints adventure with a 2-0 aggregate win.

Billy scored 10 goals in 33 league matches in season 1981/82 but it was the cup competitions that made headlines for Saints with semi-final appearances in both the Scottish and League Cups. Billy played in every match, scoring twice in the League Cup, but it wasn’t enough as Saints failed to reach any of the finals.

The following year was to be Billy’s last in Paisley. He played a total of 42 matches, scoring 11 times. Again, it was the cups that made the headlines with a quarter-final appearance in the League Cup, Billy scoring four times in the competition, including one in the quarter-final 2nd leg, but Saints fell 3-2 to Hearts. The Scottish Cup was also memorable. Victories over Dundee United and Morton took Saints into a quarter-final tie with Airdrie. It took Billy just three minutes to open the scoring. Frank McAvennie and Ian Scanlon made it 3-0 before Billy added another two to complete a 5-0 win and claim his first senior hat-trick. Sadly, in the semi-final Rangers won 1-0 in a replay with a controversial 'goal'in the final minutes of extra-time.

In June 1983, former boss Alex Ferguson paid £70,000 to take Billy north to Aberdeen. In his eight seasons at Love Street he played in 345 matches and scored 84 times,placing him on the seventh rung of Saints all-time scoring charts.

This article first appeared in the St Mirren matchday programme on 18th July 2017 for the match against Livingston.

We've got 10 questions to test your St Mirren knowledge (answers below).

1. On this day last year St Mirren beat Dundee 2-1 in the Ladbrokes Premiership thanks to goals from Danny Mullen and Brad Lyons. Which player was named #SMFCMOM that afternoon?

2. How many goals did Danny Mullen score last season?

3. What was the scoreline when we defeated Dundee on the final day of the 2018/19 season?

4. Tomorrow marks two years since we drew 2-2 with Inverness at the Caledonian Stadium to move a point closer to promotion. Who scored a penalty for Saints that afternoon?

5. Who finished top scorer in our title winning season of 2005/06?

6. Who scored our first goal that season?

7. How many times have St Mirren won the title in the second tier of Scottish football?

8. St Mirren were the only Scottish Club to win the Anglo-Scottish Cup. What season did we win it?

9. Who did we beat in the semi-final of the Anglo-Scottish Cup the season we won it?

10. Which player scored a brace in the second leg of the Anglo-Scottish Cup final?

ANSWERS

1. Ryan Flynn

2. Seven

3. 3-2

4. Harry Davis

5. John Sutton

6. Alan Reid (v Forfar, Challenge Cup)

7. Five

8. 1979-80

9. Sheffield United

10. Doug Somner

We are aware of an incident this afternoon where a member of the public has entered the stadium and run on to the pitch.

We would like to make supporters aware of the dangers of entering the stadium illegally. Climbing the fence at the stadium could cause serious injury due to its height and the anti-climb spikes at the top.

The club also wishes to remind supporters of Government guidelines during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. People should stay at home and only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home). The single most important action we can all take in the fight against coronavirus is to stay at home in order to save lives and protect the NHS.

The individual involved has not followed Government guidelines and could have caused himself serious injury while illegally entering the stadium.

This type of situation will not be tolerated and CCTV footage has been passed on to the police.