James Fowler will be the man in the dugout tomorrow with Jack Ross serving his one match suspension. 

The gaffer has accepted his punishment following a breach of Disciplinary Rule 203 in the recent win away to Livingston. 

That means assistant manager, James Fowler will lead the team in the IRN-BRU Cup tie against Hearts Colts at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. 

While Fowler has experience of being the main man from his time in charge of Queen of the South, he isn't expecting his role to be much different than usual tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to it," he told stmirren.com.

"Obviously the manager will be at the match as well so I'm sure we'll discuss lots before to make sure we are prepared.

"It won't really change much for me, it'll just be me giving a few more instructions to the players.

"My role will just be to make sure the players are clear on what we want and that they are at it from the first minute."

Tomorrow is the first time Saints have played a Colt team since their addition to the Challenge Cup last season.

The inclusion of Colt teams to the IRN-BRU Cup has proved to be a controversial decision.

And Fowler confessed that, while he understands the rationale behind it, he doesn't believe it has worked. 

It's probably not ideal to be honest," he said.

"I can get the thinking behind it in terms of trying to progress young players.

"I think they originally thought that Celtic and Rangers would take good crowds to these games, but it seems to have been proved that that hasn't been the case.

"We still need to try and find a solution to progress our young players and make sure they are playing competitive football, but I'm not sure this cup is the best way to do that."

Saints are expected to play a strong team tomorrow as they look to continue the momentum that has been building over the last few weeks. 

Fowler also believes that it provides one or two fringe players the chance to come in and establish themselves in the first team.

I think when it's a midweek game you maybe think about resting a few, but being a Saturday I think it will be a balance in what we do.

"There is maybe one or two boys that haven't had much game time that might feature and it allows them to keep the competition for places high.

"We are in this competition and we want to try and progress through. We want to keep the momentum going and we want to make sure we keep winning."

You have till 2:00pm on Monday, 4th September to apply for a youth group ticket for next Tuesday's UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match between Scotland and the Netherlands at the Paisley 2021 Stadium

While you can buy tickets at just £5 for adults and £2 for concessions, the youth group offer, which covers 5 adults and 20 youths, is only £30. For more info on the youth group offer or to download a booking form CLICK HERE.

Scot Gemmill’s side begin their quest to qualify for the 2019 finals in Italy on Tuesday, 5 September, kick-off 7:30pm, at home to the Dutch.

Scotland will also face England, Ukraine, Latvia and Andorra in Group 4, with the group winner advancing to the finals automatically.

There are also play-off places available for the four best runners-up from each of the nine groups.

Supporters can secure their tickets now by calling the St Mirren Ticket Office on (0141) 840-6130.

You can also buy tickets by visiting the ticket office in person: Paisley 2021 Stadium, 75 Greenhill Road, Paisley, PA3 1RU

Scotland Supporters Club members can take in the match FREE of charge on production of their membership card.

It's new territory for Saints once again in the IRN-BRU Cup as the Buddies face off against Hearts Colts for a place in the third round. 

After defeating East Kilbride in the first ever meeting of the two last time around, St Mirren face Hearts Colts in the second round tomorrow. It's the first time Saints have come up against a Colt side since their inclusion as participants in the IRN-BRU Cup began last season. 

The Buddies almost came a cropper at the first hurdle of this competition when East Kilbride scored with 10 minutes remaining to take a shock lead in Paisley. St Mirren had squandered chance after chance before Dominic McLaren headed the Lowland League side ahead. Saints seemed to be heading for the exit, only for Ross Stewart to score his first goal in Paisley on 87 minutes to level the scores. Lewis Morgan netted in the 92nd minute to ensure the game wouldn't go to extra-time and sent Saints through. 

Hearts Colts also did things the hard way in the last round as they battled from 2-0 down to knock out Fortmartine United. Archie MacPhee and Max Berton had the Highland League side in control going into half time. Dario Zanatta pulled a goal back soon after the interval before grabbing a dramatic equaliser deep in stoppage time to take the game to extra time. Just when it looked to be heading to penalties, Harrison Paton popped up to send the young Jambos into the second round. 

The second round is as far as Hearts Colts would reach last season in their first year of the IRN-BRU Cup. After overcoming Stirling Albion 3-2, the Jambos were knocked out after a 2-0 loss away to Elgin City. 

By comparison, Saints have reached the final twice in their last three showings in this cup with a semi-final finish in the other. The Buddies defeated Albion Rovers, Hibernian, Ayr United and The New Saints on the way to meeting Dundee United in the final. It wasn't to be though as United edged the match by 2-1 to lift the trophy for the first time.  

St Mirren are expected to go with a strong line up as they look to keep up the momentum that has been building over the last few weeks. Indeed a win at home tomorrow would see Saints win five matches in a row at the Paisley 2021 Stadium for the first time since moving in in 2009. 

Saints are without Lewis Morgan who is on international duty, while Liam Smith picked up a slight knock in last week's 3-0 win over Dundee United. Gary MacKenzie, Harry Davis and Kyle Magennis remain sidelined, but Dale Hilson and Josh Todd have put themselves into contention after featuring for the U20s during the week. 

The Hearts U20s sit atop of the SPFL Development League at present with a 1-1 draw with Dundee and a 4-1 win over Hibernian seeing them on top by virtue of goal difference. However, they were bolstered by the presence of over age players who won't be available to them tomorrow.

St Mirren will go into the match as favourites, while it will be sure to prove a valuable learning experience for the young Hearts side as they aim to cause a shock against a senior side. 

If you live outside the UK & Ireland, St Mirren TV is your way to watch Paisley’s top football side 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 Paisley 2021 Stadium when Hearts Colts are the visitors on Saturday afternoon.

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

St Mirren vs Hearts Colts
IRN-BRU Cup, 2nd Round
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 2nd September 2017
Kick-off: 3:00pm BST

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 vs Hearts Colts
IRN-BRU Cup, 2nd Round
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 2nd September 2017
Kick-off: 3:00pm

The match day officials for Saturday’s IRN-BRU Cup, 2nd Round match against Hearts Colts are as follows:

Referee: Craig Charleston.
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan.
Assistant Referee: Iain Snedden.

If you are thinking about coming to the Paisley 2021 Stadium for the first time on Saturday 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 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.

On the match day fans can purchase their tickets (subject to availability) at the St Mirren Ticket Office from 10:00am to kick-off time (3:00pm).

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:

Fri, 1st Sep: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Sat, 2nd Sep: 10:00am to 3:00pm (kick-off)

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

Matchday Club Policies (click links for more info)

Unacceptable Conduct

Supporters Code of Conduct

Ticket Information

 * Students must have valid ID as proof of status.

Visitor Information

Over the course of the summer the tunnel area at the Paisley 2021 Stadium has undergone a bit of a makeover. 

Gone are the old pictures that adorned the walls, while the previous white background has been painted black. 

In the coming weeks we will be moving on to the next phase of the revamp, with a new design going up thanks to the help of our friends at Rearo. Not only will they be helping with the design, but they will also be providing the laminate panels to go on the wall.

Now we want your help! We want supporters to send in their suggestions for the wall. Whether it be iconic moments, matches or players, we want you to let us know what you'd like to see on the tunnel wall.

To send in your suggestions get in touch with us through the website or use the hashtag #smfctunnel on Twitter. 

Some season-long matchday car parking passes are still available for the St Mirren Car Park at a cost of £60 which covers all first team home matches (including cup and friendly matches).

The car park offers secure car parking behind the West Stand on matchdays. If anyone wishes to purchase the seasonal pass they should contact the stadium reception on (0141) 889-2558.

We also offer parking on a match-by-match basis at a cost of £5 per match. These passes will be available on a first come first served basis (subject to availability). The passes can be purchased at the entrance to the Black/White car park on matchdays.

The St Mirren U20s fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Kilmarnock at Paisley 2021 Stadium last night. 

Will Graham gave the visitors the lead on 14 minutes after curling home from Eamonn Brophy's cut back. Brophy then doubled their lead just before the half hour mark with a low finish beyond Chris Henry.

The Young Buddies were awarded a penalty a little under 10 minutes later when Andrew McDonald was fouled in the Killie box. Dale Hilson stepped up to take it but it was easily pushed away by Curtis Lyle in the Kilmarnock goal.

But Saints did have a goal back soon after when Ross Stewart drilled home. 

Try as they may in the second half, Saints couldn't find an equaliser with Hilson and Conor O'Keefe both going close.

To find out more on the SPFL Development League please click here.

St Mirren manager Jack Ross has accepted a one-match suspension after breaching Disciplinary Rule 203 in the match against Livingston on 19 August 2017. 

Jack will serve his ban at the match against Hearts Colts this Saturday. 

Fan Liaison Officers were initially introduced by Borussia Monchengladbach in 1989 and by the Bundesliga in 1992. Following the success in improving relationships between clubs and fans that resulted in a measured reduction of hooliganism and improved attendances, UEFA later endorsed SLOs as part of their Club Licensing Regulations in 2010, stating that all clubs competing in UEFA competitions were required to appoint a Supporter Liaison Officer.

Although some clubs in Scotland had already adopted the principle it also recently became a requirement adopted by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) within their club licensing regulations. This new rule combined with John Allison from the Fans Council and John White from SMiSA having previously been proposing the implementation of an SLO role at St. Mirren resulted in the club announcing in May 2017 that both individuals had been appointed the role of St. Mirren Supporter Liaison Officers.

The role of the SLO, although founded on the principle of public relations, can be significantly different for each club depending on what those involved see as being the most beneficial areas for improvement at their own clubs.

The objectives and responsibilities of the St. Mirren SLOs give some indication of what will be required at St. Mirren but both SLOs have personal views and opinions on how they can best develop the role for the benefit of the fans and the club for the future.

John White's initial aim is for the role of SLO to gain respect from the club and the authorities and for it to become established as an integral part of St Mirren FC by gaining credibility with the supporters. Longer term we should also remember that in nine years’ time through the SMiSA #buythebuds venture that the fans will become the majority shareholders of our club and the more supporters contribute to and understand the running of the club the better. We all need to work towards the future betterment of our club and we see the SLO role being part of that positive transition.

Similarly John Allison’s hope is that both working together they can develop the role so that it gains respect and trust from the fan base, the authorities and of course the Club that is essential for the success of the role. To also further expand the role so that eventually it will be the norm where SLOs are involved in the decision making process at clubs that directly affect the fans and their match day experience, rather than reacting and lobbying for changes to decisions already taken. Whilst also being realistic and have an understanding of the factors involved in the decision making process.

Although at St Mirren there is a good track record of being open with the fans there are still some gaps between the clubs and the fans understanding of each others expectations and responsibilities and the more that gap reduces the more everyone will benefit. The SLOs intend to do everything possible to close any gaps.

To support theirs and the clubs ambitions both SLOs recently attended an SLO Development day run by Supporters Direct Scotland in Dunfermline where issues such as the Behaviour at Football Act, best practice reviews and anti-discriminatory laws were analysed and discussed but one of the outstanding presentations was given by Mark Bradley on Fan Engagement. Mark provided some illuminating insights on how the English FA undertook a new 'family' market research exercise over a full season (similar in principle to a secret shopper that retail stores employ). The most significant outcome being that one club having taken action on the feedback, increased their family season ticket sales from 459 to 7,200 in 4 non-promotion seasons, using some very basic customer service principles not historically recognised by football clubs.

Hopefully by combining the ambitions that we all have for our club, with the passion we feel for it and when you ally that to some good ideas and shared experiences with other SLOs it can surely only be to the future benefit of St Mirren. 

You can get in touch with your SLO by sending an email to slo@stmirren.com