Danny Mullen says Saints are relishing Sunday's trip to Ibrox to face Rangers in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The forward helped the Buddies get the season off to a perfect start with a double against Dundee to secure all three points on opening day. 

And while Mullen accepts Sunday's affair is going to be a different test, it's one he feels the players are excited for.

Speaking to stmirren.com after Saturday's match, Mullen said: "Getting the two goals rounded off a good day and it's just a great feeling all round.

We'll look forward to a big occasion at Ibrox.

"It'll be a different type of game but one we'll all look forward to and a game that we feel we can do well if we turn up.

"Going to stadiums like that is what you want to be doing as a professional footballer week-in, week-out."

Saturday's win over Dundee saw Mullen score a brace on his Premiership debut to seal a 2-1 win for the Buddies. 

While the striker was quick to admit it was good for the team, he was also pleased to have made a good impression at a level he feels capable of playing at.  

It's a great feeling to get both goals and most importantly the three points.

"To a man I thought we were excellent. We dug in when we needed to and we got the three points.

"It helps show I can do it at this level and I've always said I can do it at this level.

"As a team we aren't here to just make up the numbers, we're here to be an established Premiership team and I think on that performance it shows we can do that."

Saints chairman Gordon Scott raised the Championship flag before Saturday's match.

Mullen says that that, along with the atmosphere created by supporters, contributed to a fine day at the Simple Digital Arena. 

The fans have been great since I joined here in January," he said. 

"To get the recognition of last season with the flag was a good start to the day and we rounded it off excellently with the three points."

A gallery of pictures from the Westmarch Suite as St Mirren from Saturday following St Mirren's 2-1 win over Dundee in the opening match of the Ladbrokes Premiership. 

Thanks to our match sponsors Bianco E Nero for their continued support. 

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

St Mirren Football Club would like to sincerely apologise to any supporters affected by issues at turnstiles before yesterday's match against Dundee. 

The match kicking off five minutes early, something we were not aware would happen, appeared to further add to the issues suffered.

We understand that there was a large degree of disappointment and frustration with those who were affected and can assure we don't take this lightly. 

The club will conduct a full investigation into why this happened and will address any issues to ensure a situation like this does not occur again. 

St Mirren secured all three points on our return to the Premiership thanks to a Danny Mullen brace.

The striker scored in both halves to give Saints a winning start to the 2018/19 campaign. 

It was a frantic match that could have gone either way, but in the end all three points remained in Paisley in Alan Stubbs' first league match as Buddies gaffer. 

Saints got off to a quick start with Cole Kpekawa heading over from a corner kick with just two minutes on the clock. 

Two minutes later the Buddies were awarded a free kick in a promising position on the right hand side when Paul McGinn was bundled to the ground. Kyle Magennis sent a tempting ball across but there were no takers in black and white. 

The opening exchanges were back and forth, evidenced by two quick chances for the visitors soon after. Jean Mendy found himself in plenty of space inside the Saints box but headed straight at Craig Samson. Then, just a minute later, ex-Saint Paul McGowan set Sofien Moussa free, though the striker dragged the effort by the post. 

It was The Buddies who would draw first blood with Danny Mullen netting St Mirren's first Premiership goal of the season. Good persistence from Cammy Smith saw the forward manage to force the ball out wide to Paul McGinn. The right back's first time cross was pinpoint finding the head of Mullen who flicked beyond Dundee goalkeeper Jack Hamilton to send the Paisley crowd wild.

The joy would be short-lived though with the visitors finding themselves level three minutes later. Saints failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Elton Ngwatala around 25 yards from goal. The French midfielder struck it with an incredible amount of venom to find the bottom right corner to make it 1-1.

Saints had two good chances in the space of a minute around the 25 minute mark. Matty Willock may well feel he could have done better with a header from close range going over the bar, before Smith saw a fizzing effort fly just by the right post.  

Paul McGinn almost caught out Hamilton at his near post on 35 minutes with a powerful strike that the goalkeeper had to push wide. 

Both sides would go close as the game eked towards the interval. Dundee captain Josh Meekings was on the end of a Mandianga ball but sent a looping header just over with Craig Samson at full stretch. It was Saints turn just before the break with the ball falling to Smith on the edge of the area. The forward turned and lashed an effort which Hamilton parried past the post. 

Half Time: St Mirren 1-1 Dundee

Dundee started the second half brightly and would have been disappointed they didn't do better with an opportunity on 48 minutes. Jesse Curran sent the ball across the box where it looked prime for Mendy to smash towards goal, but the striker fluffed his lines as he failed to get an effort away. 

The Dark Blues were given a glorious opportunity to take the lead just a few minutes before the hour mark. A miscommunication between Kpekawa and Samson saw Mendy racing through one-on-one with the Saints keeper. Samson attempted to claw the ball away as the striker attempted to round him but clipped the leg of the Frenchman. Referee Alan Muir didn't hesitate with his decision, awarding Dundee a penalty and giving Samson a yellow card. Moussa stepped up but Samson, as he has done so often in St Mirren jersey, pushed away the spot kick to keep the scores level. 

The goalkeeper was forced into action again on 62 minutes when an attempted Willock clearance ricocheted into the path of Mendy. Samson did well to block with his feet from close range and Saints got the ball clear. 

With just over seven minutes remaining, Mullen was in the right place at the right time to grab the winner for Saints. It was a moment that opposition goalkeeper Hamilton will want to forget. Good pressing from substitute Ryan Flynn saw the goalie slip on the ball, allowing Flynn to race towards the empty net. From a tight angle he sent the ball across the six yard box for Mullen to slam home. 

Full Time: St Mirren 2-1 Dundee 

St Mirren: Samson, P.McGinn, Kpekawa, Baird, Coulson, McGinn, Willock, Magennis (Kellermann 90), Smith (McShane 86), Mullen, Stewart (Flynn 77)
Subs Not Used: Rogers, Heaton, King, Cooke

Dundee: Hamilton, Kerr, Caulker, Meekings, Curran, McGowan (Wighton 87), Ngwatala, Madianga, Spence, Mendy, Moussa
Subs Not Used: Parish, Ralph, Kusunga, Nabi, Henvey, Moore

Referee: Alan Muir
Assistant Referee: Paul O'Neill
Assistant Referee: Michael Banks
Fourth Official: Steven Kirkland

Attendance: 5,470

Match Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography.

St Mirren manager Alan Stubbs gives his thoughts on today's 2-1 win over Dundee.

The Buddies got the season off to the perfect start with Danny Mullen's brace giving Saints all three points on opening day.

St Mirren raise the Championship flag tomorrow as the Ladbrokes Premiership season gets underway at long last. 

The Buddies host Dundee at the Simple Digital Arena this afternoon with Alan Stubbs taking charge of his first Premiership match as Saints manager. 

St Mirren are unbeaten so far this season having won one and drawn three in the Betfred Cup stages. 

Saints' campaign began with a 0-0 draw at Rugby Park on Friday 13th July. The Buddies impressed but couldn't find the breakthrough goal to gain all three points. A bonus point was earned after a penalty shoot-out victory. 

Next up was a home match against Lowland League side The Spartans. Saints were stunned as the Edinburgh side scored either side of half-time to take a shock 2-0 lead. But substitutes Stephen McGinn and Danny Mullen got St Mirren level. The game went to penalties with Saints picking up a bonus point again. 

The Buddies drew for a third game in a row when they were held to a 0-0 draw at Hampden by Queen's Park. And for a third game in a row, Saints picked up a bonus point following penalties.

Alan Stubbs got his first win as St Mirren manager last Saturday as Saints emphatically defeated Dumbarton 6-0. Cammy Smith scored a double, while Hayden Coulson grabbed his first goal for the Buddies. Ross Stewart, Stephen McGinn and Jim Kellermann rounded off the victory that was enough to see Saints qualify from Group H and set up a last 16 tie against Aberdeen. 

Dundee also qualified for the next round of the Betfred Cup after three wins and a loss in Group D. The Dark Blues defeated Stirling Albion 4-0, Peterhead 2-0 and Brechin City 2-0 to gain nine points. Neil McCann's side finished second in the group after a 1-0 loss to Dunfermline allowed the Championship side to go through as group winners.

This is the first meeting of two in competitive action since Saints defeated Dundee at Dens Park in the Scottish Cup in January 2017. Rooted at the bottom of the Championship, the Buddies stunned Dundee with goals from John Sutton and Jack Baird giving us a well deserved 2-0 win. 

The last Premiership meeting came back in January 2015 at the Simple Digital Arena. Kenny McLean put Saints in front, but second half goals from Gary Irvine and Iain Davidson saw the Dark Blues pick up all three points. 

Saints will still be without Gary MacKenzie, Adam Eckersley and Jordan Kirkpatrick due to injury, but other than that Alan Stubbs has a full squad to pick from.

It'll be a big occasion for The Buddies being back in the top league for the first time since 2015 and raising the Championship flag. There will be the hope of getting the season off to a flyer with all three points, but Dundee will have their own ideas and it'll be a tough test for both sides at a busy Simple Digital Arena. 

ACTIVITIES 

It's set to be a fun-filled day at the Simple Digital Arena as we raise the Championship flag before kick-off. Check out all the goings on here. 

St Mirren supporters are encouraged to arrive at the Simple Digital Arena in plenty of time this afternoon as we raise the Championship flag before today's match.

It's set to be a fun filled day at the Simple Digital Arena with a range of activities taking place before kick-off.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of 'flag day'. 

10:00: Ticket Office opens

The St Mirren ticket office will open at 10am and remain open until 3pm.

1:45: Family Stand

Paisley Panda with support from SMiSA and the SMFC Fans' Council present a range of activities to improve the matchday experience for families and all younger Buddies.

Although all the activities will be taking place behind the Family Stand they are available to all fans regardless of what stand you are sitting in for the match.

Some of the activities lined up for this afternoon are as follows:

* Music from Jordan Stewart.

* Face painting.

* Balloon modeller who has a special Panda design.

* Paisley Panda giving out free sweets courtesy of Black and White Army.

2:45: Display and flag unfurling

There will be a large display in the West Stand organised by the singing section in W7. Supporters are encouraged to be in their seats before the team takes to the field. 

Each seat in the West Stand will have a piece of material on it and we'd ask that supporters in the West Stand raise their material as the team enters the pitch.

After the team enters the park at approximately 2:50pm the flag unfurling will take place. 

Saints chairman Gordon Scott will be doing the honours as we remember last season's title win. 

3:00: Kick-off

The Premiership season gets underway as Saints take on Dundee. 

Please note that the Stadium, Ticket Office and Club Shop will all be closed this coming Monday (6th August). 

Anyone wishing to buy tickets will still be able to do so online. 

The Stadium, Ticket Office and Club Shop will all be open as usual on Tuesday.

St Mirren's first away match of the Ladbrokes Premiership season has been rescheduled from Saturday 11th August to Sunday 12th August due to Rangers' involvement in the UEFA Europa League. 

The Buddies travel to Ibrox a week on Sunday for the 3pm kick-off.

Sunday 12th August 2018
Rangers v St Mirren
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Ibrox Stadium

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

This issue, for the Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Dundee, is a 48 pager with a £3 cover price.

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Danny Mullen.
The Boss - St Mirren manager Alan Stubbs looks ahead to the match against The Dark Blues and delivers his pre-match message for the fans.
Last Time Out – A gallery of pictures from the recent BetFred Cup match against Dumbarton.
The Opposition – Brian Corry has a look over Neil McCann's Dundee side.
Matchday Announcements - Bulletin Board of info, dates and events in the world of St Mirren.
Decade of Football at Greenhill Road - As the stadium comes up on its tenth anniversary we look back at memorable games and events at our new home - we start with the 4-0 victory against Celtic on 24th March 2010.
St Mirren Greats – David Cochran looks back on the St Mirren career of Alexander 'Sandy' Wylie.
Year of Young People 2018 - Street Stuff kids get involved in the Year of Young People 2018.
Action Shot & Q&A (Centre Pages) – Club Captain Stephen McGinn. Stephen also shoots back answers for our quick-fire questionnaire.
Kit Sponsors 2018/19 – Check in to see who is sponsoring your favourite player's shirt for the season.
Premiership Round-Up - A rundown on St Mirren's opponents in this season's Ladbrokes Premiership.
SMiSA – The latest news from the St Mirren Supporters Trust.
Paisley Panda's Fun Corner – Some puzzles to keep the youngsters entertained during the half-time break.
Football, Bloody Hell – Alan Gallacher looks back at the changes in personnel since last season and ahead to St Mirren's return to the Premiership.
Marketing Matters – Campbell Kennedy updates on the latest events and happenings at the club's Commercial Department.
Fans Corner - Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info and dates for fans to keep in their diary. And Fan's Music Pick!
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 Saturday’s match.

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