Jim Goodwin was thrilled with his side's performance away to Motherwell, but was stunned that Saints didn't leave Fir Park with all three points.

I can't believe I'm standing here and we've not won the game. All-in-all I'm absolutely delighted with the performance."

St Mirren came from two goals down to take a point at Fir Park in the cinch Premiership.

Two quickfire goals from Tony Watt at the start of the second-half looked to have given Motherwell the win. But Eamonn Brophy scored twice in four minutes to ensure Saints would leave Lanarkshire with a point. It was the least the Buddies deserved after a dominant display throughout the 90 minutes. 

The match looked like it could may not have even gone ahead when a pitch inspection was called for a little over an hour before kick-off due to persistent rain. But referee Bobby Madden was satisfied that the pitch was in a safe, playable condition and the match went ahead. 

Jim Goodwin made three changes to the side that lost narrowly to Rangers on Sunday. Ethan Erhahon and Jamie McGrath missed out due to injury, while Matt Millar dropped to the bench. In came Ryan Flynn, Kyle McAllister and Curtis Main.

The team paid its respects to Walter Smith during a minute silence before kick-off (Image: Ian Cairns)

Saints were well on top in the first-half. Ex-Motherwell forward Main volleyed into the arms of 'Well goalkeeper Liam Kelly who gathered at the second attempt early on while the striker was then the recipient of a terrific Scott Tanser cross but sent the header wide inside the opening 20 minutes. 

It was a first-half that lacked in any real clear-cut opportunities. Brophy rattled just wide on 38 minutes and with only seconds of the first 45 remaining Saints came a whisker away from scoring the opener when Connor Ronan curled inches wide of the far post from 20 yards.

Jim Goodwin would have been hoping for a similar first-half performance in the second 45 but within the first seven minutes Saints found themselves 2-0 down. The first, on 48 minutes, saw Watt outmuscle Tanser to meet a Goss cross and head beyond Jak Alnwick. Three minutes later the Motherwell forward was fouled in the box by the Saints goalkeeper and Bobby Madden pointed to the penalty spot. Watt rolled home from 12 yards to double Motherwell's advantage. 

Saints came close to pulling a goal back almost immediately with Kelly getting a slight touch on Brophy's dink to divert. 

Ronan played a beautifully weighted pass which spotted the run of Brophy who had raced clear of the Motherwell defence. The forward nipped in ahead of Kelly and slotted home from a tight angle to reduce the deficit. 

Eamonn Brophy slots home from a tight angle to pull one back for Saints (Image: Ian Cairns)

Four minutes later the Saints would find themselves back on level terms. Brophy won a penalty after being fouled by the trailing leg of Sondre Solholm. The forward had his spot-kick saved by Kelly, but the referee awarded a re-take. Brophy stepped up again and finished with aplomb to equalise.

Had it not been for Kelly, Saints would have been heading back to Paisley with all three points. The Motherwell stopper made two incredible saves in the final minute of normal time to deny Richard Tait and Brophy. And in the dying seconds substitute Greg Kiltie should have scored a dramatic winner when he was found unmarked in the Motherwell box, but he headed straight into the arms of Kelly from close-range.

Full-Time: Motherwell 2-2 St Mirren

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, Shaughnessy (c), McCarthy, Tanser, Power, Ronan, Flynn (Kiltie 71), McAllister (Tait 89), Main (Dennis 83), Brophy
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Dunne, Millar, Erwin

Motherwell: Kelly, O'Donnell, Solholm, Ojala (Mugabi 27), McGinley, Goss, Slattery (Carroll 83), Grimshaw, Shields, Woolery (O'Hara 65), Watt
Subs Not Used: Fox, Carroll, Maguire, Van Veen, Roberts

Referee: Bobby Madden
Assistant Referee: Dougie Potter
Assistant Referee: Kevin McElhinney
Fourth Official: Euan Anderson

Attendance: 4,576 (786 St Mirren supporters) 

Jamie McGrath is set to miss St Mirren's next two matches, but could return to the fold for our trip to St Johnstone at the start of November.

The Irish midfielder was stretchered off in Saints' narrow loss against Rangers on Sunday and it was feared he could face a significant spell on the sidelines. 

However, following a scan yesterday, Jim Goodwin confirmed that it looks better than was first thought. 

The manager told the press this afternoon: "We're pleased to say it's not as bad as first feared.

He's had his scan and it seems to have settled down a lot.

"It was a bang on the hip and there seems to have been a bit of a bleed in and around the muscles around the hip and that's what has caused the pain.

"I don't think it will be a long-term thing. I would like to think that Jamie will be back training the Monday after the Dundee game."

The Saints boss also gave an update on Ethan Erhahon and Scott Tanser - both of whom had to be substituted due to hamstring issues on Sunday.

Ethan looks set to miss tomorrow night's match against Motherwell, while Scott will face a late fitness test. 

We don't think Ethan will be available tomorrow night and Scott will have a fitness test in the morning."

St Mirren Football Club wishes to pay its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Walter Smith, and to Rangers Football Club, following the sad news of his passing at the age of 73.

After turning out for Dundee United and Dumbarton during his playing days, Walter embarked upon a coaching career that saw him manage Rangers, Everton and Scotland as well as assistant manager spells at Dundee United and Manchester United. During his time in charge of the Scotland National Team, Scotland's world ranking improved by seventy places. 

Walter was a deeply respected icon within Scottish football and is truly a sad loss to our game.

St Mirren Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick paid tribute to Walter, saying: "I'm so sad to hear of the passing of Walter Smith today.

Walter is a great loss, not only to his family and friends, and the Rangers family, but to everyone in Scottish football.

"Walter was a fantastic person, and one of the most humble human beings I ever had the pleasure of meeting."

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin said: "His wife, kids and grandkids will all be hurting right now, no doubt, but I’m sure they’ll be very proud to have had Mr Smith in their family.

He’s been one of the most successful Scottish managers of all time. I had the pleasure of being in his company on a couple of occasions and I knew that I was in the presence of real greatness.

"He was a great ambassador for the Scottish game and no doubt he’ll be sadly missed by everybody."

St Mirren are back to it this midweek as the Saints head to Lanarkshire to face Motherwell in the cinch Premiership.

The Buddies six-match unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday as Jim Goodwin's men were edged out 2-1 by Rangers at the SMiSA Stadium.

Motherwell go into Wednesday night having lost their last three matches. The Steelmen lost 2-1 away to Dundee United on Saturday after 2-0 losses to both Celtic and Hearts. 

Heading into Wednesday night's match, Graham Alexander's side sit one point ahead of Saints in the cinch Premiership.

Match Details

Motherwell v St Mirren
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Wednesday 27th October 2021
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Venue: Fir Park

Ticket Info

Tickets for our trip to Fir Park are sold out at the St Mirren Ticket Office but can still be purchased online.

Motherwell have confirmed that tickets will be available for away supporters at Fir Park on matchday. Vaccine certification is not required.

The match is also available on PPV at a cost of £12 for anyone who can't make the match. However, due to UEFA broadcasting restrictions this service is not available in England. 

Previous

Motherwell were the victors when the side's last met in April - defeating Saints 1-0 at Fir Park.

However, the Buddies were victorious in the other visit to Fir Park last season. Jamie McGrath scored the only goal when the Buddies won 1-0 in December.

Two meetings between the two at the SMiSA Stadium ended in draws - 1-1 in January and 0-0 in February.

Jamie McGrath scores the winner on a visit to Fir Park last season.

Manager's Thoughts

Motherwell have had a decent start to the season.

"They are a very well organised, hard-working, physical team so we're going to have to pick an 11 that is going to be able to compete with the aggression that Motherwell bring. 

"I think if we play to a similar standard again on Wednesday then I think we will give ourselves a good chance of taking something from the game."

The officials

Bobby Madden is the referee on Wednesday night. He is assisted by Dougie Potter and Kevin McElhinney. Euan Anderson is the fourth official.  

Jim Goodwin lamented the goals Saints lost in today's narrow defeat against Rangers in the cinch Premiership.

We were coming into the game high on confidence and we wanted to keep that unbeaten run going. Right now it's just frustration at the cheapness of the two goals we've conceded today."

St Mirren's six match unbeaten run came to an end as the Buddies were edged out by Rangers at the SMiSA Stadium.

Connor Ronan's incredible 30-yard strike had given Saints an early lead, but two goals in a minute just before the interval saw the visitors take the points. 

Jim Goodwin named the same starting eleven for the fourth game in a row as Saints looked to maintain their good run of form that had saw them win their last three and go six unbeaten. 

The Buddies came flying out the traps and got off to the perfect start when Ronan rattled home to open the scoring on four minutes. The Irishman drove forward after shrugging off John Lundstram and unleashed an absolute rocket which flew into the top corner away from the despairing outstretched arm of Jon McLaughlin. 

Connor Ronan celebrates after opening the scoring for Saints (Image: Allan Picken)

Saints were brave in possession in the opening exchanges and were worthy of their early lead. But Rangers started to grow into the game after a slow start. Connor Goldson twice met corners from James Tavernier only to head into the arms of Jak Alnwick both times. 

Ianis Hagi was proving a threat for the visitors with the Romanian seeing an effort save by Alnwick on 32 minutes before flashing a strike just wide five minutes later. It was Hagi who would prove instrumental in the Rangers equaliser when he drew a foul inside the box to win Rangers a penalty. Kemar Roofe stepped up and slotted home from 12 yards despite Alnwick diving the right way. And within a minute Rangers were ahead. 

Despite their excellent start, Saints couldn't replicate that in the second 45 and never really troubled McLaughlin in the Rangers goal. Indeed, Rangers didn't particularly look like adding a third in a second-half that passed without much incident. The Buddies did have to deal with an injury to Jamie McGrath who had to be stretchered off in the closing minutes, however, there is no update yet on how severe the injury may be. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-2 Rangers

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, Shaughnessy (c), McCarthy, Millar (Main 76), Power, Erhahon (Flynn 45), Tanser (Tait 46), McGrath, Ronan, Brophy
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Dunne, McAllister, Dennis

Rangers: McLaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Barisic, Lundstram, Davis, Aribo, Hagi (Arfield 78), Roofe (Patterson 86), Morelos (Sakala 69)
Subs Not Used: McCrorie, Bassey, Kamara, Bacuna

Referee: Steven McLean
Assistant Referee: Graeme Stewart
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan
Fourth Official: Alan Muir

Attendance: 6,100

St Mirren Football Club are proudly continuing their support for the education charity, Show Racism the Red Card. Our club have supported the charity’s messages of tolerance and inclusion within football for many years. Now more than ever, the importance of this cannot be overstated.

'Show Racism the Red Card' is more than a slogan. The charity provides schools, sports clubs, other youth settings and workplaces across Scotland with anti-racist educational workshops and resources, with the help of footballers as inspiring role models.

In addition to helping the charity’s work in Scotland, it sends a powerful message of support for those who continue to face racism in society, and that discrimination in all its forms will never be tolerated in Scottish football.

Saints captain Joe Shaughnessy said: "When you target someone for their skin colour, nationality, religion or culture - it's racist, and it's not welcome in our game."

St Mirren are back at the SMiSA Stadium this weekend for the first time in almost a month as Saints play host to Rangers in the cinch Premiership.

Jim Goodwin's side take on the Ibrox club on Sunday off the back a six-match unbeaten run that has seen the Buddies pick up three wins from their last three. 

Saints returned from the international break with a 3-2 win away to Ross County. Eamonn Brophy, Marcus Fraser and Scott Tanser all scored as the Buddies followed up on wins over Livingston and Aberdeen in recent weeks.

Rangers sit atop the cinch Premiership - a point ahead of Hearts. Steven Gerrard's men were held to a 1-1 draw by the Gorgie side at Ibrox last Saturday. Like Saints, Rangers have won three and drawn two of their last five league matches. 

Match Details

St Mirren v Rangers
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Sunday 24th October 2021
Kick-off: 12pm
Venue: The SMiSA Stadium

Ticket Info

General sale tickets are available to home fans. However, as has been in case in previous matches against Celtic and Rangers, you must be pre-registered on the ticket platform to purchase. No tickets are available for away supporters. 

St Mirren PPV is not available on Sunday as the match is being shown live on Sky Sports, but season ticket holders who can't make the match as well as international subscribers to St Mirren TV can still watch live on St Mirren TV.

Previous

Saints became the first domestic side to beat Rangers last season when Jim Goodwin's side defeated the Ibrox side in dramatic fashion in the League Cup. 

Jamie McGrath scored a double after Connor Goldson had given Rangers the lead. It looked like the game was heading to extra-time when Steven Davis scored a late equaliser, but Conor McCarthy popped up deep in injury-time to slam home the winner. 

Conor McCarthy celebrates after scoring an injury-time winner against Rangers (Image: Allan Picken)

Rangers were victorious in all three league matches last season - winning 3-0 at Ibrox twice and 2-0 at the SMiSA Stadium.

St Mirren's last league win over Rangers was on Christmas Day 2011 when goals from Aaron Mooy and Paul McGowan saw the Saints win 2-1 at the SMiSA Stadium.

The officials

Steven McLean is the referee on Sunday. Graeme Stewart and John McCrossan are the linesmen and Alan Muir is the fourth official.  

St Mirren Football Club is pleased to confirm that season ticket holders in sections M4 and M6 will be able to take their own seats for the first time this season as a large section of the red zone is removed.

Reduced Red Zone

However, a small section of the red zone will remain at the SMiSA Stadium for this weekend’s cinch Premiership match against Rangers, and for all future matches, to comply with ongoing requirements.

A recent update from the Joint Response Group allowed clubs to make their own decision based on individual risk assessments. After careful consideration taking many factors into account, the club had hoped to scrap the entire red zone at the SMiSA Stadium.

However, should any club wish to continue with 2m physical distancing measures on match days, this must be accommodated by the home clubs as per the existing protocols.

Rangers have informed the club that they require a section for physical distancing at Sunday’s match. This will affect a small section of supporters in M5 who the club has contacted via email to confirm. While we appreciate this is frustrating for those affected, we are bound by current rules to provide this area.

Tickets for Sunday

St Mirren host Rangers on Sunday as we look to maintain our good form with three wins from our last three and six undefeated.

Tony Fitzpatrick Family Stand season ticket holders who buy tickets in the Main or West Stands 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 will be open from 10am to 2pm through to Friday, with additional late-night opening on Thursday from 5pm to 8pm. On match day the ticket office will be open from 9.30am until kick off at 12pm.

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

General sale tickets are available in person at the St Mirren ticket office or online. However, as has been in case in previous matches against Celtic and Rangers, you must be pre-registered on the ticket platform to purchase.

We ask that if you plan to purchase your ticket at either ticket office on Sunday before the match that you allow plenty of time to ensure that you don’t miss kick off. Tickets will be available to purchase online in the lead up to the game, so we encourage this as an alternative to buying in person.

West Stand Ticket Kiosk

We are pleased to announce that for the first time this season, the West Stand Ticket Hub will be open pre-match so any supporter wishing to buy a ticket for the West Stand on match day should purchase there and not the Main Stand Ticket Office. Please note West Stand ticket sales will be card only, no cash payments.

Season Tickets

Those who haven’t received their new season tickets can now uplift them at the St Mirren ticket office during ticket office hours. We anticipate the ticket office being extremely busy on match day and would ask that supporters pick them up by close of play on Friday.

Bar code readers

We are aware some supporters had issues with the new turnstile readers at recent matches. Further testing has taken place over the past few weeks and several of the readers have been reconfigured to ease access issues.

Vaccine Passports

Proof of vaccination will not be required at Sunday's match.

We thank you for your continued patience throughout this period and look forward to seeing you on Sunday. #COYS #BeInThatNumber