St Mirren manager Oran Kearney reflects on a disappointing afternoon for the Buddies as we suffer last-gasp loss.

St Mirren's last home game of 2018 ended in heartbreak as St Johnstone grabbed all three points in the last minute.

After a forgettable first half, things livened up after the break with the Buddies threatening through Paul McGinn and Cammy Smith. However, the better chances fell to the Perth Saints with Buddies goalie Dean Lynnes doing well to deny Richard Foster.

When Chris Kane wasted a great chance to score for Tommy Wright's men it looked as if the points would be shared, but in the final few seconds Tony Watt popped up to score the only goal and give his side a late Christmas present.

Smith was back in the side at the expense of the injured Cody Cooke with Adam Hammill returning in place of Ryan Edwards. The Saintees had lost narrowly at home to Rangers on Sunday and made just one change, Danny Swanson coming into midfield in place of Ross Callachan.

The opening exchanges suggested we were in for a Christmas cracker as Hammill fizzed an early free-kick across goal before Watt headed wide at the other end. Another Hammill free-kick produced another chance as it was only knocked out as far as Smith, but his volley was easily held by Zander Clark. The visitors were then denied a penalty for Stephen McGinn's challenge on Murray Davidson, their frustration compounded by Davidson having to go off injured and Callachan replacing him after just 15 minutes.

After that the first half fizzled out, a few St Johnstone crosses causing problems in the home defence before the danger was eventually cleared. Just before the break, Hammill was involved in a charge forward but when he got his shot away it was well wide – the winger appealing in vain for a corner.

Simeon Jackson was just unable to get onto Lee Hodson's through ball thanks to the efforts of Joe Shaghnessy early in the second half before the Saintees passed up a good chance to take the lead. After regaining possession, Alfie Jones tried to hack the ball clear from the byline but instead kicked it straight to Callachan at the edge of the box, only for him to drill his shot wide. The midfielder went down rather easily inside the box a few minutes later, ref Kevin Clancy booking him for his dive.

The game was beginning to open up a bit more, Hodson lofting the ball into Clark's grasp with what seemed to between a shot and a cross from the on-loan Rangers man. Watt had another penalty appeal turned down before doing well to get the better of Anton Ferdinand only for his shot to be deflected across goal and behind.

It took the Buddies more than an hour to force a corner but it was almost worth the wait, Ethan Erhahon taking it short to Hammill whose cross was stabbed goalwards by Jones before being cleared. Paul McGinn and Smith both saw shots blocked as the Paisley Saints continued to push for the opener. However, Dean Lyness was the busier of the keepers as he tipped over Richard Foster's shot before comfortably saving Callachan's header.

The visitors were finishing the game more strongly and twice came close to going in front. Lyness did well to get something on Scott Tanser's fierce cross but the ball flew straight at Erhahon, bouncing off the youngster before thankfully going past the post. There was then another huge let-off when Jason Kerr knocked a free-kick down for sub Kane but he somehow shot wide from close range when it looked easier to score.

It was a warning and it was one that wasn't heeded as the Saintees snatched the winner with little more than 60 seconds left. David Wotherspoon found Tanser with a quick throw and his pinpoint cross was headed home by Watt to give the visitors all three points. It was harsh on Oran Kearney's side, who probably didn't do enough to win the game but definitely didn't deserve to end up with nothing.

St Mirren: Lyness, P.McGinn, Ferdinand, Baird, Jones, Erhahon, Hodson, S.McGinn, Smith (Flynn 75), Hammill, Jackson (Breadner 84)
Subs Not Used: Rogers, Kirkpatrick, McShane, Edwards, Jamieson

St Johnstone: Clark, Foster, Tanser, Shaughnessy, Kerr, Alston, Swanson (Wotherspoon 69), Craig, Davidson (Callachan 16), Kennedy (Kane 78), Watt
Subs Not Used: Hurst, Gordon, Anderson, McMillan

Referee: Kevin Clancy
Assistant Referee: Douglas Ross
Assistant Referee: Joseph Lawson
Fourth Official: David Dickinson

Attendance: 4,891

Our match day programme, published in partnership with Curtis Sport, will be available from the Club Shop ahead of Wednesday’s game.

This issue, for the Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against St Johnstone, is a 52 pager with a £3 cover price.

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Adam Hammill.
The Gaffer - Oran Kearney looks back on recent matches and looks ahead to the match against the Perth Saints.
Last Time Out – A look back at the recent Premiership match against Aberdeen.
The Opposition – Brian Corry casts an eye over Tommy Wright's St Johnstone side.
Matchday Announcements - Bulletin Board of info, dates and events in the world of St Mirren.
Decade of Football at Greenhill Road - A look back at a high-scoring 'Battle of the Saints' match-up on 19th October 2013.
St Mirren Greats – David Cochran looks back on the St Mirren career of Steve Clarke.
Matchday Gallery - Pictures from the post match presentations in the corporate suite after the recent home match against Aberdeen.
Action Shot & Q&A (Centre Pages) – Midfielder Ryan Edwards. Ryan also takes part in our quick-fire questionnaire.
Player Kit Sponsors 2018/19 – Check in to see who is sponsoring your favourite player's shirt for the season.
Fans Corner - Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info and dates for fans to keep in their diary - and Fan's Music Pick!
Premiership Round-Up - A rundown on weeks 17 and 18 of the Ladbrokes Premiership season.
Street Stuff - News on Street Stuff's events over the remainder of the Festive Season.
Paisley Panda's Fun Corner – Some puzzles to keep the youngsters entertained during the half-time break.
Football Bloody Hell – The second part of Alan Gallacher's quiz that looks back on 2018.
Marketing Matters – Campbell Kennedy updates on the latest events and happenings at the club's Commercial Department.
FlashBack - A pictorial look back at the match between Saints and St Johnstone on 2nd February 2013.
St Mirren Fixtures & Results 2018/19 – A handy reference page of all the fixtures and results for this season.
Team Lines – The two squads and match officials for Wednesday’s match.

To buy this issue or to place your programme subscription for the 2018/19 season click HERE.

If you live outside the UK & Ireland, St Mirren TV is your way to watch Paisley’s Premiership club live in action each and every home match day.

This service, which is delivered by media students from the University of the West of Scotland, will cover all of St Mirren’s home games.

As usual the St Mirren TV team will be presenting all the action from the Simple Digital Arena when St Johnstone are the visitors for Wednesday afternoon's Ladbrokes Premiership fixture.

If you want to tune in here is the info you will need:

St Mirren vs St Johnstone
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Wednesday 26th December 2018
Kick-off: 2:00pm GMT

To access this match day service:

1 Day Pass – €6.99 EUR
Season Pass – €69.99 EUR

To view Terms & Conditions and get started with St Mirren TV please click HERE.

For technical support with St Mirren TV please e-mail tvsupport@stmirren.com

At our most recent safety briefing we were disappointed to hear the local police express concern about the behaviour of a few of our supporters both in and around the stadium and whilst travelling to and from away games.

Over many years the behaviour of our fans both home and away has been impeccable and as we have said before this has had a very positive impact with a light touch policing strategy being used at the vast majority of our home fixtures.

This saves us a substantial amount of money which in turn allows us to increase the available playing budget, but it also helps build on our wish to encourage families to attend, knowing they will have a safe and enjoyable time when visiting the stadium.

Whilst we have managed to retain the trust of the police for now, it is important that all supporters realise that their good behaviour is vital in ensuring that this remains the case and that there is no need to see additional police deployed at our games.

The police have wide ranging powers to ensure good behaviour at football matches including the ability to enforce banning orders on individuals who are arrested and charged with offences occurring before, during or after a football match. This also includes travelling to and from games both home and away.

It is in nobodies interest to see those powers tested.

The support is the very lifeblood of our club and we can all do our bit to ensure the good reputation we have all worked hard to build is not tarnished by the actions of a very few.

One other issue that has been mentioned by the stewards is a growing trend of supporters running down the stairs at stadium.

It goes without saying that this is dangerous as the stairs are steep and without hand rails. The surface of the stairs themselves are concrete and totally unforgiving.

Should any slips, trips or falls occur there is a significant risk of serious injury and this danger is magnified when a number of supporters become involved.

Passion at the match is always welcome but we have a duty to protect our supporters health and safety and nobody wants to see a fellow fan seriously injured so please bear this in mind and stay within your row when celebrating Saints goals!

Your co-operation is, as always, much appreciated.

Paisley Panda is pleased to confirm that ‘First Scorer’ will be back for the game on Wednesday against St Johnstone.

‘First Scorer’ lets fans predict in advance of the game who they think will score St Mirren's first goal in Wednesday’s match against the Saintees.

From all of those who guessed correctly, a winner will be picked at random and they will win a box of a dozen doughnuts which will be delivered to their seat right after the goal is scored!

To enter all you have to do ahead of the game is post your prediction of the first St Mirren scorer on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #Saints1stgoal. The lucky winner will then be contacted to confirm which stand they will be in with the row and seat number so that the prize can be delivered to them.

We are giving fans the opportunity to vote for the man of the match and also put two lucky fans in with the chance of winning a £10 voucher for the Club Shop.

Every home game we’ll throw open the voting on the 60 minute mark for 20 minutes where votes can be cast on Facebook and Twitter. All you have to do is use the hashtag #SMFCMOM followed by the name of the player you are voting for, eg ‘#SMFCMOM SMITH’.

With 10 minutes of the game remaining all the votes will be counted then the Stadium Announcer will confirm the winning player over the tannoy system.

From all the fans who nominate the winning player one will be picked at random from the Facebook account and another from the Twitter account and they will each be awarded a £10 voucher for the Club Shop. The winners will be notified through the account they posted from.

So get yourself ready on the hour mark of Wednesday’s game against St Johnstone and get voting with #SMFCMOM.

Paisley Panda will host the ever-popular match day competition ‘Bung a Baw’ during the half-time break of Wednesday’s match against St Johnstone.

To take part in ‘Bung a Baw’ fans need to purchase a small foam ball which is numbered and they will then have a chance to throw their ball towards our club mascot Paisley Panda in front of the Family Stand. Each person will have 60 seconds to do this and the winner will be the person who has thrown the ball closest to the feet of the Panda. The winner will be confirmed over the PA system.

The competition is sponsored by Glen-Bun Bakery who are supplying a full tray of yummy cakes as the prize for the contest winner.

Each ball will cost £1 to buy. The balls will be available from sellers inside the Family Stand in the 30 minutes leading up to kick-off and then again in the first 5 minutes of half-time before the competition starts (subject to availability). Each ball is numbered and participants will also get a ticket with the corresponding number which they will use to claim the prize if they win.

‘Bung a Baw’ continues to be very popular so Paisley Panda advises that you get in early tomorrow to purchase your ball to take part.

As well as taking care of ‘Bung a Baw’, Paisley Panda will be giving away sweets to the kids in and around the stadium courtesy of the Black and White Army website.

Paisley Panda has also teamed up with the St Mirren Club Shop so you will be able to buy hats and scarves for the game from the 'Bung a Baw' stands.

St Mirren vs St Johnstone
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Wednesday 26th December 2018
Kick-off: 2:00pm

The match day officials for Wednesday’s Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Tommy Wright's Saintees side are as follows:

Referee: Kevin Clancy.
Assistant Referee: Douglas Ross.
Assistant Referee: Joseph Lawson.
Fourth Official: David Dickinson.

If you are thinking about coming to The Simple Digital Arena for the first time on Wednesday please click HERE for all the info you will need to make sure your match day experience runs as smoothly as possible.

Match Details

The game kicks-off at 2:00pm.

Season Tickets ARE valid for this game.

Match is all ticket – tickets will be on sale (subject to availability) UNTIL KICK OFF.

On the match day St Mirren fans can purchase their tickets (subject to availability) at the St Mirren Ticket Office from 10:00am to kick-off time (2:00pm).

We also have a Ticket Booth sited at the West Stand beside turnstiles T11-14 on a match day.  The Ticket Booth is only for the purchase of tickets (subject to availability) for the West Stand, and also the pick-up point for pre-ordered tickets for the West Stand.  The Ticket Booth will be open from 1:00pm to 2:00pm (kick-off).

The St Johnstone fans can purchase their tickets (subject to availability) from the window at the away end of the ground (North Stand) from 1:00pm to kick-off time (2:00pm).

Tickets can also be purchased from the Online Ticket Shop.

The St Mirren Ticket Office (Main Stand) opening hours in the build up to this match are as follows:

Wed, 26th Dec: 10:00am to 2:00pm (kick-off).

The Ticket Booth (West Stand) opening hours in the build up to this match are as follows:

Wed, 26th Dec: 1:00pm to 2:00pm (kick-off)

Ticket Office Phone No: (0141) 840-6130.
St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com.

Please note that the Club Shop is also open the same hours as the Ticket Office.

Matchday Club Policies (click links for more info)

Unacceptable Conduct

Supporters Code of Conduct

Ticket Information

Visitor Information

St Mirren FC Community Trust in conjunction with SPFL Trust and Salvation Army are delighted to announce they will be hosting a 'Festive Friends' event within the Simple Digital Arena on Christmas Day.

Festive Friends is a wonderful community program created to accommodate elderly people, and those in need, who will be isolated and alone on Christmas Day.

The event has been very positively received by other partner organisations within Renfrewshire such as RAMH, Active Communities, Shelter, ROAR, Renfrewshire Foodbank and Star Project who are all keen to nominate men & women they feel will greatly benefit from experiencing the day.

Our good friends at the Salvation Army have kindly offered to partner on the day and provide the wonderful hearty festive meal for all of our special guests and the great team at SPFL Trust have agreed to award funding towards some of the costings.

This very fun-filled Christmas Day will commence at 12noon where all of our senior Buddies will be shown into the 1877 Supporters Club.

We will have live music, games & entertainment, some special legends dropping by to share funny stories and great memories of St Mirren’s history, the provision of a delicious three course Christmas dinner from the Salvation army and a visit from Father Christmas and the elves to provide a small festive gift.

The Salvation Army and all of St Mirren FC Women’s Team have kindly offered to volunteer on the day as we will require helpers in the lounge and more importantly volunteer drivers to ensure the safe pick up and drop home of our Festive Friends.

St Mirren FC Community Trust wish to invite all of the fans, local community, business partners and friends to nominate individuals they wish to attend the event and nominations are now open, simply email gayle.brannigan@stmirren.com to enter.

To add to the magic and ensure the success of the day we will require small Christmas gifts to be donated and also additional funds to be raised. The more funds we raise and the more gifts we receive the more nominations we can accept.

Should you wish to donate a gift please email gayle.brannigan@stmirren.com and to make a Festive Friends financial donation please use our JustGiving page.

Thank you for all of your support.

Oran Kearney gives his thoughts on St Mirren's 1-0 win over Motherwell at Fir Park.

St Mirren picked up their first away win since April as Simeon Jackson's second half goal gave the Buddies an important 1-0 victory at Fir Park.

Oran Kearney made two changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Aberdeen last weekend.

Paul McGinn returned from injury in place of Cameron MacPherson, while Cody Cooke made his first league start for Saints with Adam Hammill dropping to the bench. 

There wasn't much to write home about in an even first half where neither side created much.

A neat bit of play just after the half hour mark saw Stephen McGinn whip a tremendous ball out to the right to meet his brother Paul. Paul charged forward before sending a low cross into the arms of Mark Gillespie in the Motherwell goal.  

The best chance of the first 45 came two minutes later when Richard Tait's ball into the box met Curtis Main. The tall Englishman got on the end of it but sent a tame header into the welcoming arms of Dean Lyness. 

Saints started the second half brightly with Lee Hodson sending the ball wide to Ethan Erhahon who ploughed into acres of space on the left. The Motherwell defence failed to deal with his low ball into the box allowing it to fall to Simeon Jackson. But the striker failed to connect properly allowing it to trickle into the arms of Gillespie. 

Just 60 seconds later the home side had a good opportunity when Richard Tait picked out Danny Johnson inside the area. The striker took it first time but slammed over.

Oran Kearney made a couple of changes for the Buddies, with Cammy Smith and Adam Hammill entering the fray just before the hour mark.

Those changes coincided with Saints having their best spell of the game without really creating anything.

But they would soon be rewarded for their play on 68 minutes when Simeon Jackson opened the scoring.

Cammy Smith raced clear after a long ball forward and found himself one-on-one with Gillespie. The keeper saved Smith's effort but it fell kindly for Jackson who rolled into the empty net from just a few yards out.

Motherwell came at Saints as they looked for an equaliser - Lyness making good saves to deny Main and Turnbull either side of a Paul McGinn chance for St Mirren. 

There was time for late drama for both sides with Hammill almost grabbing Saints a second with just minutes to go. Then, with the game in the dying embers, Lyness made a top save to block a Motherwell header at the near post to help the Buddies on to all three points.

Full Time: Motherwell 0-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Lyness, P.McGinn, Ferdinand, Jones, Baird, Erhahon, Hodson, McGinn, Edwards (Smith 58), Cooke (Hammill 56), Jackson (Flynn 88)
Subs Not Used: Rogers, Breadner, McShane, Kirkpatrick

Motherwell: Gillespie, Tait (Bowman 81), McHugh, Aldred, Campbell (Sammon 81), Main, Grimshaw, Dunne, Mbulu (Bigirimana 61), Johnson, Turnbull
Subs Not Used: Ferguson, Taylor-Sinclair, Frear, Rodriguez-Gorrin

Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: Alan Mulvaney
Assistant Referee: Andrew McWilliam
Fourth Official: Kevin Glancy

Attendance: 4,540 (678 St Mirren fans)

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography