Oran Kearney gives his reaction to St Mirren's 2-0 win over Hearts at the Simple Digital Arena this afternoon.

The manager discusses getting his first win as Saints boss, how he feels for the players, that Adam Hammill goal and also reserves praise for the fans.

St Mirren are back in action following the international break with Craig Levein's Hearts the visitors to the Simple Digital Arena.

FORM

Saints come in to today's match on the back of a 1-1 draw with Dundee at Dens Park two weeks ago. 

It was the second point the Buddies have picked up since Oran Kearney's appointment as manager in September.

Simeon Jackson gave St Mirren the lead on 20 minutes when he converted from the penalty spot. But Dundee levelled through Kenny Miller 14 minutes later.

Saints had chances to win the match late on but had to settle for a point that keeps us in 11th above Dundee. 

Today's visitors Hearts had been sitting pretty at the top of the league for a number of weeks, but three games without a win saw the Jam Tarts drop to second. 

A 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock at Tynecastle before the international break came off the back of a 5-0 loss to Celtic at Celtic Park and a 0-0 draw with Hibernian in the Edinburgh derby.

The Jambos' last win came just over a month ago when they defeated Dundee 3-0 at Dens Park.

PREVIOUS

The Buddies have already faced Hearts this season - losing 4-1 to the Jambos at Tynecastle in September. 

Steven Naismith gave the home side an early lead before good work from Cammy Smith brought about an own goal to get Saints level.

Olly Lee put Hearts back in front on the half hour mark and two quick-fire goals just before half-time saw Naismith complete his hat-trick.

This is the first match between the two at the Simple Digital Arena since a 1-1 draw on the final day of the 2013/14 season. Connor Newton gave Saints a first half lead, but Dale Carrick equalised for the visitors early in the second half.

St Mirren are unbeaten at home against Hearts in our last four matches. The 2012/13 season saw Saints win both home matches against the Jambos 2-0. The following season saw both matches end 1-1.

Hearts' last victory in Paisley was in a 2012 Scottish Cup replay where goals from Jamie Hamill and Rudi Skacel saw the Jam Tarts progress.

WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN

Saints could close the gap on 10th place Hamilton to two points with a win - providing Hamilton lose to Celtic in this afternoon's early kick-off. 

Should Hamilton take anything from today's match against Celtic, Hearts could return to the top of the league with a win over Saints.

TEAM NEWS

Ryan Edwards is unavailable for St Mirren tomorrow with Hearts his parent club. 

Danny Rogers and Dean Lyness will fight it out for the number one jersey following Craig Samson's retirement. 

Gary MacKenzie remains out. 

Hearts are still without Steven Naismith, Uche Ikpeazu, Christophe Berra and John Souttar.

St Mirren's home match against Hibernian on Saturday 26th January has been rescheduled after being selected for live coverage on Sky Sports.

The match will now take place on Sunday 27th January with a 1:30pm kick-off.

The full details for the rescheduled fixture are as follows:

St Mirren v Hibernian
Ladbrokes Premiership
Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Sunday 27th January 2019
Live on Sky Sports, 1:30pm kick-off

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 Heart of Midlothian, is a 52 pager with a £3 cover price.

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Kyle Magennis.
The Gaffer - Oran Kearney looks back at the recent games against Rangers and Dundee and ahead to the match against Hearts.
Last Time Out – A look back at the recent Premiership match away to Dundee.
The Opposition – Brian Corry has a look over Craig Levein's Hearts side.
Matchday Announcements - Bulletin Board of info, dates and events in the world of St Mirren.
St Mirren Greats – David Cochran looks back on the St Mirren career of cup winning captain, Willie Kelly.
Matchday Gallery - Pictures from the post match presentations in the corporate suite after the recent home match against Rangers.
Action Shot & Q&A (Centre Pages) – Defender Lee Hodson. Lee also gives answers to 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.
Premiership Round-Up - A rundown on weeks 11, 12 and 13 of the Ladbrokes Premiership season.
Street Stuff - News on Street Stuff's involvement in the GoFitba project.
Paisley Panda's Fun Corner – Some puzzles to keep the youngsters entertained during the half-time break.
Football Bloody Hell – Alan Gallacher looks at the issue of football players selecting nationality for international recognition.
Marketing Matters – Campbell Kennedy updates on the latest events and happenings at the club's Commercial Department.
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.

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 Hearts are the visitors for Saturday afternoon's Ladbrokes Premiership fixture.

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

St Mirren vs Hearts
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Saturday 24th November 2018
Kick-off: 3:00pm 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

St Mirren in the Community are delighted to confirm that the SMFC Fans Council Panda Club will be open to young Buddies on Saturday afternoon for the Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Hearts at the Simple Digital Arena.

The Panda Club will open at 1:00pm on Saturday. Parents please note that you should pick up your kids after the final whistle from the community office at 5:00pm.

Participants can look forward to pre-match football activities delivered by qualified St Mirren FC coaches inside the Airdome.

The Panda Club is open to boys and girls aged 5 to 12 years olds and costs £3 per child for the coaching session, the match ticket is provided FREE OF CHARGE.

For further information about the SMFC Fans Council Panda Club or to book your place at the next Panda Club match day please contact Ross Paterson by email at ross.paterson@stmirren.com. 

SMFC Fans Council Panda Club details for Saturday’s game are as follows:

St Mirren vs Hearts
Saturday 24th November 2018
1:00pm – 5:00pm

To find out more about the Panda Club click here

Come along to the Simple Digital Arena tomorrow afternoon and join in with the Matchday Experience which kicks-off at 1:45pm in and around the Family Stand.

Building on the successful initiatives that have seen St Mirren win the accolade of Most Family Friendly Ground in the Scottish Supporters Association Fan Awards, the Club's SLO and 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. Hearts fans are also more than welcome to join in the fun behind the family stand

Some of the activities lined up for tomorrow are as follows:

* Face painting.

* Balloon modelling.

* Live music with a busker!

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

* Meet Paisley Panda!

So come along early and get involved in the fun activities before getting ready to back the Buddies in the Ladbrokes Premiership match against Hearts. #BackTheBuds

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

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

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 Saturday’s game against Hearts and get voting with #SMFCMOM.

Paisley Panda will host the ever-popular match day competition ‘Bung a Baw’ at Saturday’s match against Hearts.

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.