St Mirren's home match against Dundee United on Saturday 30th December has been rescheduled after being selected for live coverage on BT Sport.

The match will now take place on Friday 29th December with a 7:45pm kick-off.

The full details for the rescheduled fixture are as follows:

St Mirren v Dundee United
Ladbrokes Championship 
Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Friday, 29th December 2017
Live on BT Sport, 7:45pm kick-off

St Mirren manager Jack Ross gives his thoughts on the Buddies 3-0 loss to Dunfermline in the Ladbrokes Championship.

It was a bad day for Saints who went down to nine men after red cards for Adam Eckersley and Gregor Buchanan. 

It was a day to forget for St Mirren as Dunfermline inflicted a first defeat in six for the Saints after running out 3-0 winners at East End Park.

First half goals from Declan McManus and David Hopkirk had Allan Johnston's men comfortable going into the break with captain Callum Morris wrapping the game up in the second half to send the Pars back to the top of the table. Saints misery was compounded in the final few minutes when Adam Eckersley and Gregor Buchanan both saw red.

However, it could have been a different game if St Mirren could have capitalised on a good start to the match. The Buddies almost got off to a flier with just two minutes on the clock when a clearance by Gregor Buchanan was played on by Cammy Smith to Gavin Reilly. The striker had out-muscled Callum Morris to break forward and race into the box, but he stuck his effort just beyond Sean Murdoch's far post.

Lewis Morgan, who was St Mirren's best player throughout, showed some fancy footwork to beat several Dunfermline players on his way to the box. He didn't catch the shot right and it looked to be skewing well wide when it was deflected back into his path. But on the second attempt he flashed the ball over the bar. 

The hosts had scored before the first 15 minutes in their previous four league matches in a row. It took them a little longer to do so, but not much when they drew first blood on 20 minutes. A ball across the field was headed on by Kallum Higginbotham. He found his target in Declan McManus, who broke through the St Mirren defence, hitting a shot into the ground with it bouncing beyond Craig Samson to put the Pars ahead.

Buoyed by that goal, the home side would take a firm grip on the match. McManus could have doubled Dunfermline's lead less than two minutes after his opener when he broke the offside trap and raced clear. But just as he made his way into the box Eckersley and Buchanan came across to close him out and deny him the chance to get a shot away.

The Pars passed up a glorious opportunity to make it 2-0 on 25 minutes when David Hopkirk sent a shot by the post. Ironically it had come from a good chance for Saints to get themselves back into the game when a fizzing low cross from Stelios was turned behind for a Saints corner by Callum Morris. Ian McShane worked the corner short where it ended up at the feet of captain Stephen McGinn. The skipper was robbed of the ball just outside the Dunfermline box by Higginbotham who charged forward before playing it across the box to Hopkirk in acres of space. The substitute had all the time in the world to pick his spot, but somehow managed to stick it wide when he looked destined to score. 

Higginbotham was the man that was making Dunfermline tick. From a corner he sent across a neat low driven ball into the path of Lee Ashcroft who flicked a foot at it with Samson doing well to turn it over the bar. 

Saints grew in stature after these warning signs to have their best spell in the match. Reilly managed to escape from his marker to make his way into the box before cutting the ball across the face of goal. Stelios tried in vain to get on the end of it, but it was turned behind for a corner by Ryan Williamson. The short corner was eventually flung in to the back post by Ian McShane with Saints skipper McGinn there to get a touch only for it to be blocked and cleared away. 

A strong finish to the half may have given Saints spirit to kick on in the second half, searching for a goal to get themselves level. But they were caught out just before the break with Dunfermline doubling their lead on 45 minutes. The ball was worked to Hopkirk on the edge of the box and he made it 2-0 to the Pars just before half time with a nice curling finish into the top corner. 

Half Time: Dunfermline 2-0 St Mirren

Jack Ross responded to the first half performance by making a half time substitute. John Sutton was on to replace Stelios and he was the first man to go close in the second half. The striker rose above the Dunfermline defence to head a Morgan corner over the bar.

Saints had strong appeals for a penalty when, on 54 minutes, Reilly charged on to block from McGinn and appeared to be felled in the box. Referee Craig Thomson was unmoved despite protests from the St Mirren players.

And just two minutes after that penalty appeal was denied, Dunfermline wrapped the game up with a third goal. Pars captain Callum Morris rose the highest to head home a corner kick

It was game over, though Saints still tried to pull a goal back - winning a succession of corners, the closest of which saw McGinn fire a shot just wide. 

The Buddies' day would go from bad to worse when Adam Eckersley received a red card on 87 minutes before Gregor Buchanan was given his marching order for a second bookable offence a minute later.

Full Time: Dunfermline 3-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Samson, Stelios (Sutton 45), Buchanan, Baird, Eckersley, L.Smith, McGinn, McShane, Morgan, C.Smith (Todd 79), Reilly (Stewart 75)
Subs Not Used: Stewart, Irvine, Kirkpatrick, Duffy, Sutton

Dunfermline: Murdoch, Williamson, Talbot, Morris, Ashcroft, Wedderburn, Higginbotham (Splaine 82) , McManus, Shiels, Cardle (Hopkirk 18), Clark
Subs Not Used: Gill, Martin, Aird, Ryan, Smith

Referee: Craig Thomson
Assistant Referee: Graeme Stewart
Assistant Referee: Steven Strang

Attendance: 6628

It’s first versus second in the Ladbrokes Championship tomorrow as top of the table St Mirren travel to East End Park to face Dunfermline.

The Buddies leapfrogged Allan Johnston’s side last week after defeating Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4-2 at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. That win was Saints’ fifth in a row and fourth win out of five in the Ladbrokes Championship.

The Pars had sat at the top of the league before Saturday with three wins and a draw from their first four matches. They looked on course to maintain in pole position after taking a 2-0 lead over Morton at Cappielow last weekend. But the Ton struck three times in the second half to take all three points.

Dunfermline had been in red-hot form before that loss, having scored 13 goals in their previous four league games and being the only team in the league to have been unbeaten. Joe Cardle and Kallum Higginbotham had them cruising at half time against our Renfrewshire rivals last Saturday, before three second half goals saw them consign the Pars to a first league defeat of the season and see Allan Johnston’s side fall to second.

Saints failed to beat Dunfermline in four matches last season. The Buddies looked set to pick up a valuable point at East End Park early in the season only for a mistake in the Saints' backline allowing Farid El Alagui to secure a 4-3 win for the home side in the first meeting of the two.

The Pars made their first trip to Paisley of the 2016/17 season in November and once again it was the Fifers who edged it with Nicky Clark scoring the only goal of the game on 26 minutes.

Saints improved in the final two meetings gaining a respectable 1-1 draw at Dunfermline in January with Gary MacKenzie scoring early in the second half to cancel out Kallum Higginbotham’s first half penalty. In March, the Buddies earned a vital point in their bid for Championship survival after the two sides battled out a 0-0 draw at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

The Buddies last win over Dunfermline came in the Challenge Cup back in 2015. Saints had been struggling for form though they easily overcame the high flying Pars by 4-0 at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

With 29 goals between the two sides in the league already this season, goals seem a certainty tomorrow. St Mirren will need to be aware of the attacking threat that the hosts possess with the Pars having an abundance of riches in forward areas with the likes of Declan McManus, Kallum Higginbotham, Joe Cardle, Nicky Clark, Dean Shiels and Andy Ryan all options. But Jack Ross’ side will feel confident in their own abilities with Gavin Reilly, Cammy Smith, Lewis Morgan and Ian McShane all in top form at the moment.

Saturday’s match is sure to attract the biggest crowd in the Championship this weekend with Saints likely to take over 1000 fans to East End Park. A St Mirren win would keep the Buddies top of the pile, while Dunfermline will be hoping that they can return to the summit after slipping up last weekend.

The contractor that is building new affordable homes on the old home of St Mirren FC has given the Paisley club’s Youth Academy a £15,000 cash boost.

Glasgow-based AS Homes (Scotland) Ltd is currently on site at the old St Mirren stadium at Love Street in Paisley, building 132 new homes.

One of the most successful youth academies in Scotland, St Mirren’s Youth Academy currently coaches around 150 young players, from the age of 4 up to 20. It is the only Youth Academy in Scotland, out with Celtic and Rangers, to reach a 5 Star Elite rating from the Scottish FA.

Paul Kelly, Managing Director of AS Homes (Scotland) Ltd said: “At AS Homes, we always try our best to make a positive contribution to the communities surrounding our developments. St Mirren’s Youth Academy has a fantastic reputation, and I think it does a wonderful job of bringing in youngsters and involving them in something positive that will improve their health, skills and confidence.

"The Academy also has a great track record of nurturing talent through its ranks, with many ending up as first team players both at St Mirren and elsewhere in Scotland. I think it’s great to see so many young people involved in the Academy and am very happy that AS Homes is in a position to help."

Allan McManus, Head of Youth Development at St Mirren FC said, “We are so grateful to AS Homes for their support. This generous funding will make a tremendous difference and will be of great benefit to the development of our young academy and community players, as they strive to become better footballers. With football quickly changing, we need to keep up with it, and this donation will allow us to invest in much-needed new equipment to give our youngsters everything they need to compete.”

* Must provide valid proof of status.

Additional Information for Travelling Fans

Tomorrow, Saturday 16th September, St Mirren head to 'The Kingdom of Fife' to face Dunfermline Athletic in a Ladbrokes Champions match-up.

Entry to this match is pay-at-the-gate and the gate  prices for the fixture at East End Park are confirmed above.

The referee tomorrow is Craig Thomson and he will be assisted by Graeme Stewart and Steven Strang.

For directions to East End Park click here

Tickets for St Mirren’s upcoming IRN-BRU Cup, third Round tie against Raith Rovers go on general sale at 10:00am tomorrow (Friday 15th September).

Saints face the League One side at The Paisley 2021 Stadium on Saturday 7th October.

Please note that we will only be opening the Main and West Stands for this match. The singing section will be placed in W1 for this match only.

The match and ticket info is as follows:

St Mirren v Raith Rovers
IRN-BRU Cup, 3rd Round
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 7th October 2017
Kick-off: 3:00pm

Season Tickets ARE NOT valid for this game.

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

Ticket Prices

Adult – £10
OAP (over 65) – £5
Full-Time Student* – £5
Child (Under 18) – £5

*Students must have valid ID as proof of status.

The St Mirren Ticket Office opening hours for the remainder of this week are as follows:

Thu, Sept 14th – 10:00am – 2:00pm
Fri, Sept 15th – 10:00am – 2:00pm

St Mirren Ticket Office Tel: (0141) 840-6130.

St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com.

On The Pitch

What a difference a year makes!

Top of the league and playing a brand of football that we can all enjoy. I said when we took over that I wanted to see us play attractive football and to entertain our fans and I think Jack's team is delivering on that vision. Whilst it’s still early days it’s great to see us at the right end of the table where we belong.

It’s great to see our supporters buying into what Jack & James have brought to the club as they continue to build on the momentum gained from the excellent end to last season.

We have sold 2,823 season tickets this year compared to 2,453 last year and that support has allowed us to assemble a squad that is well equipped to challenge for the Championship title.

The excellent uptake in season tickets has also allowed us to fulfil our commitment to house all away fans in the North stand for every league game in Paisley this season, leaving the West stand as a Saints only area.

Lewis Morgan

One of the highlights of this year has been the continued development of Lewis Morgan into a player who is not only starting for the Scotland under 21s, but excelling with them and putting in man of the match performances.

It’s no secret that we received a substantial offer for him from an English Championship club in the summer and with his contract running out at the end of this season the prudent decision would have been to take the money.

As a board we were however united in our decision to refuse any offers.

We felt that his potential contribution to our league challenge and to the way the team plays far outweighed the financial benefit the club would have received.

It’s a joy to watch Lewis Morgan play football and we hope to see him grace the stripes for as long as possible.

Lewis is a very sensible and grounded individual who will undoubtedly go on to play at the very highest level for both club and country.

We would like to think that we can help him along that path and have not given up hope that we can yet convince him to sign a new contract.

Kit Update

The decision to take the sale of the strips in house is proving to be a big success. We have sold nearly 1500 to date and, along with the Skyview Capital sponsorship, we have already  eclipsed the revenue generated by our previous deal. Campbell Kennedy asked us to put our faith in him with this project and together with the club shop they have delivered on that faith. 

As you may be aware we have had a few teething problems with the new strips. These were mainly down to the English contractor who was responsible for adhering the badges to the strip. To Joma's credit they have acted swiftly and have already contracted with a different company based in Scotland for next year's kit.

For this Saturday's top of the table clash we will be wearing a new, specially embroidered, third kit to celebrate the club's 140th Anniversary which will go on sale in the club shop in early October.

The only hint for Saturday is that we will not be the team in black and white stripes!

The Stadium

The atmosphere created on match days is as good as I have ever witnessed since moving to the new stadium.

The ground has been criticised at times for being rather soul-less but when this team starts playing and the drum starts beating the stadium starts rocking!

Paisley 2021

We are in the process of organising a musical event at the stadium before the Brechin City game on September 30th to coincide with the final submission of the Paisley 2021 bid. Full details of this will be revealed shortly!

SMiSA

I’m sure you’ll agree that the SMiSA wall which was constructed during the summer has been a great addition to the stadium. It’s tremendous to see generations of fans gather there on matchdays to have their photograph taken next to their name.

On that note SMiSA are running a short survey for supporters to complete, whether you are currently a member or not. Please take a couple of minutes to complete this. It’s important that we continue to collectively learn what we can do better and hopefully encourage others to join.

You can take the survey by clicking here.

Also don’t miss your chance to attend the meet the manager night this Thursday at the stadium (14th Sept from 18:30).

You can register to attend here.

Thank you once again for your backing both on a match day and financially. We ask a lot of supporters be it through Season Tickets, Away Day travel, SMiSA subscriptions, 1877 Club Membership and Club Replica Kit & Merchandise.

This all goes towards creating a team we can hopefully all be proud of and rest assured none of it is ever taken for granted.

See you all at East End Park!

Craig Samson believes there's a feeling of excitement around St Mirren at the moment after Saints went top of the league on Saturday.

The Buddies 4-2 victory over Inverness at the weekend was Saints' fifth win in a row, with seven wins from the last eight.

That win, coupled by results elsewhere in the league, saw St Mirren go first in the Ladbrokes Championship.

But while Samson believes there is great spirit at the club and that it's good to be leading the way in the league, he cautioned that there is still a long way to go until the end of the season. 

Speaking to stmirren.com, Samson said: "I sensed the positivity about the club when I came back and it was something the manager sold me on in terms of coming back.

The run the team was on last season was league winning form despite sitting near the bottom of the table and that has just kicked on to this season.

"There's a real buzz about the place. There's a real buzz about the training ground, the stadium and with the fans. There seems to be a connection back with the fans and the players, which is very important. Hopefully together we can strive to get to where we want to be. 

"It's a very good position to be in at the moment," he continued. "We're only five games into the season and we've had a great start. It feels great at the moment, as it's where we want to be, but there's a long way to go and we need to stay focused.

"It's about staying together as a group of players, management staff and the fans and having the place galvanised the way it is. Hopefully we can push on and stay there for the rest of the season. 

"Saturday against Inverness was a very open game which made it very entertaining for the fans. The boys were fantastic up top and managed to get four goals and that's something that we'll rely on throughout the season.

"The boys up there have to keep chipping in with the goals and we have to try to keep them out and that together is contributing to a good spirit in the dressing room.

"We know that we are capable of going on runs like we have at the moment. We have very good individual players and it's coming together as a team. The run we are on just now is brilliant, but there's a long way to keep and we need to keep pushing in the right direction."

Saints travel to second place Dunfermline on Saturday and the goalkeeper is aware of the threat they will pose. 

But he says the Buddies will focus on what they can do to cause Dunfermline problems.

There's no easy fixtures in this league no matter who you are playing as they all give you different challenges. It doesn't matter if it's a team lower in the division or a team up at the top.

"We are just concentrating on ourselves. We are looking are looking at how we can cause other teams problems and how we can get at them."

The St Mirren U20s got their first Development League win of the season with a commanding 3-0 victory over Hearts U20s at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

The young Buddies got off to a flying start as they took the lead on six minutes. Summer signing Jordan Kirkpatrick opened the scoring with a neat free kick from 22 yards out that found the top corner. 

Saints had a number of chances to double their lead in the first half with Liam Miller, Ross Stewart and Conor O'Keefe all going close to grabbing a second for the home side. It was a similar story after the break with the woodwork denying both Stewart and Kirkpatrick in the early part of the second half. 

But the young Buddies would grab a well deserved second goal with Stewart volleying home from a corner a little after the hour mark. And a third goal would follow less than 10 minutes later when O'Keefe was on the end of a good piece of play to slot home. 

The win moves the St Mirren U20s up to eighth place in the SPFL Development League.