A delighted Jack Ross gives his thoughts on the opening day win over Falkirk as goals from Stelios, Cammy Smith and Gavin Reilly see Saints come from behind to win.
St Mirren opened their Ladbrokes Championship season with a first opening day win since 2006 as they came from behind to deservedly defeat Falkirk 3-1 at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
Nathan Austin gave the Bairns an early lead before goals from Stelios, Cammy Smith and Gavin Reilly gave Saints all three points.
Jack Ross elected to name the same starting eleven that defeated Airdrieonians 5-0 a week prior.
But the Buddies couldn't have gotten off to a worse start with the vistors taking the lead with a little over 90 seconds on the clock. Gary Irvine slipped inside the box allowing ex-Saint Rory Loy to curl an effort towards the top corner that Craig Samson could only push into the air. Nathan Austin was on hand to nudge the ball over the line from close range to put Falkirk ahead.
Saints' best chance of the match came after 24 minutes after a quick break from Lewis Morgan. The winger played a sensational cross field pass onto the head of John Sutton who nodded it down into the path of Cammy Smith. The striker was one-on-one with Robbie Thomson but stuck his attempt over the bar.
St Mirren got themselves level on 33 minutes as Stelios scored Saints' first league goal of the season. The left-back charged onto a great ball across from Gavin Reilly and drilled it low beyond Thomson to level the proceedings.
The home side grew in confidence after the equaliser winning a couple of corners, the best chance coming when Morgan curled wide after a McShane corner.
Falkirk almost got themselves in front for a second time just before the break when Myles Hippolyte flashed a powerful low drive a whisker by the post.
Half Time: St Mirren 1-1 Falkirk
While Saints couldn't have wished for a worse start to the first half, they got off to the perfect start after the interval. Just 45 seconds into the second half Falkirk keeper Thomson clawed at Gavin Reilly's cross from the right hand side, but only succeeded in putting it into the feet of Smith who composed himself before driving the ball into the net.
Goalscorer Austin went close to grabbing his second when he sprinted into the box, closely guarded by Gary MacKenzie. The big defender did his best to hold him off but the striker eventually got the shot away which Samson blocked.
And less than 10 minutes later it was Smith's turn to play provider for Reilly. Smith played a delightful through ball for the striker who burst through and finished it beautifully with a hard, low strike across the face of goal into the back of the net.
Falkirk's hopes of salvaging anything from the match were dealt a blow on 76 minutes when Aaron Muirhead was shown a straight red card. It was a deserved sending off for the Bairns defender as he caught Stelios with an elbow as the pair went up for a header.
Yet the visitors should have pulled a goal back when substitute Lee Miller was sliding in at the back post. He connected with the low ball across inside the six yard box, but somehow failed to guide it into the net.
Jack Baird almost got Saints a fourth as he rose above the Falkirk defence to head just over from a McShane corner.
That was the last chance in the match with Saints ending up deserved winners and getting their season off to a flying start.
Full Time: St Mirren 3-1 Falkirk
St Mirren: Samson, Irvine, MacKenzie, Baird, Stelios, Smith (O'Keefe 90), McGinn (c), McShane, Morgan, Sutton (Kirkpatrick 89), Reilly (Stewart 83)
Subs Not Used: Stewart, Buchanan, Whyte, Eckersley
Falkirk: Thomson, Muirhead, Grant, McKee, Kerr, Austin (Gasparrotto 78), Hippolyte, Harris (Shepherd 65), Gallacher, Loy (Miller 50), Watson
Subs Not Used: Mitchell, Taiwo, O'Hara, Craigen
Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: Anthony Cooper
Assistant Referee: Colin McAlpine
Attendance: 4,639
Match Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography
Jack Ross names the same starting eleven as the side that beat Airdrieonians 5-0 in the Betfred Cup last weekend.
Gavin Reilly, who scored a brace in the win over the Diamonds, is once again partnered upfront by John Sutton.
Stephen McGinn skippers the side for the first Ladbrokes Championship game of the season, while Adam Eckersley returns to the bench after a spell out with injury.
St Mirren: Samson, Irvine, Baird, MacKenzie, Stelios, McShane, McGinn (c), Morgan, Smith, Sutton, Reilly
Subs: Stewart, Buchanan, Whyte, Eckersley, Kirkpatrick, Stewart, O'Keefe
The curtain is raised for a new Ladbrokes Championship season tomorrow as St Mirren host Falkirk at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
The Buddies spent most of last season seemingly destined for the drop, even sitting eight points adrift at the foot of the table going into March. But Jack Ross' side roared back, winning seven of their last 13 matches to secure survival and finish in seventh place.
St Mirren opened the 2016/17 season with a 1-1 draw against Renfrewshire rivals Morton at home. Thomas O'Ware gave the visitors a first half lead before John Sutton rose above the Ton defence to nod home a from a Lewis Morgan cross to gain a point for the Saints.
The Buddies haven't won an opening day match since 2006 when second half goals from Stewart Kean and John Sutton saw the Buddies come from behind to defeat Inverness Caley Thistle.
Falkirk's 2016/17 campaign began with 2-1 loss to eventual champions Hibernian at the Falkirk Stadium. Jason Cummings put Hibs ahead with just two minutes played before Craig Sibbald equalised seven minutes later. But Cummings popped up in the second half to seal the win for the Hibees.
It's been a busy summer for Saints with the signings of Gavin Reilly, Ross Stewart, Ross Stewart, Dale Hilson, Ian McShane, Jordan Kirkpatrick, Gregor Buchanan, Harry Davis, Craig Samson and Cammy Smith coming in. Stevie Mallan was the big loss for Saints as the youth academy graduate moved to English Championship side Barnsley. Norwegian Pål Fjelde left the club along with Ben Gordon, Andy Webster and Jordan Stewart, while Billy O'Brien and Rory Loy's loan spells ended.
Falkirk have seen Fraser Aird, Luke Leahy, John Baird, David McCracken, Bob McHugh and Craig Sibbald leave since the end of last season. The Bairns haven't been too proactive in the transfer window with just three players coming in thus far. Goalkeeper David Mitchell joined from Dundee, along with ex-Saints loanee Rory Loy, while Alex Harris has also signed up after leaving Hibernian.
Wins over League One sides Stranraer and Airdrieonians weren't enough for the Buddies to progress to the next round of the Betfred Cup as losses to Livingston and Partick Thistle meant Saints ended on six points. Whereas Falkirk took 12 points from 12 in their Betfred Cup group as they overcame Inverness, Stirling Albion, Brechin City and Forfar to set up a last-16 tie against Livingston.
The last match between the two came in April as Rory Loy and Stephen McGinn put St Mirren ahead twice at the Falkirk Stadium with Lee Miller and Bob McHugh helping the Bairns on to a point.
Ahead of the match, Saints were boosted by the news that manager Jack Ross and James Fowler have signed contract extensions that tie them to the club until 2020.
Tomorrow's encounter should prove to be an intriguing contest with two sides with aspirations of promotion coming face-to-face. A large crowd will be expected with Saints looking to carry on the momentum from last season's end into the new season and get that first opening day win in 11 years. Falkirk, however, will be looking to go one further this campaign after missing out on promotion via the play-offs again.
St Mirren Football Club are delighted to announce that manager Jack Ross and assistant manager James Fowler have signed new contract extensions that tie them to the club until June 2020.
Jack and James joined the club in October 2016 and led the Saints to the IRN-BRU Cup final, Scottish Cup quarter final, but importantly Ladbrokes Championship survival.
St Mirren Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick said: "We are delighted to get these deals completed. Jack and James are two highly thought of young coaches and have done a tremendous job since coming in last season. The club has lacked a bit of stability over the last few years so it's great to get these contracts agreed. We are really excited to see what happens in the season ahead."
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 Championship match against Falkirk, is a 48 pager with a £3 cover price.
The latest edition includes the following:
Front Cover – Stelios Demetriou.
The Gaffer - St Mirren manager Jack Ross with his thoughts on recent matches and his pre-match message for the fans.
Buddies News Update – News of the latest happenings in and around the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
Last Time Out – Match report and pictures of last Saturday's Betfred Cup match against Airdrieonians.
Football, Bloody Hell – Alan Gallacher weighs up St Mirren's chances in the new league season ahead.
The Opposition – Brian Corry runs the rule over Saturday's visitors, Peter Houston's Falkirk side.
Hall of Fame – David Cochran highlights the St Mirren career of Jim Rodger who was part of the 1959 Scottish Cup winning side.
Player Interview – Stephen McGinn believes St Mirren will be more than a match for the other sides in the Championship this season.
Action Shot (Centre Pages) – Cammy Smith.
St Mirren Supporters Trust – John White updates on the latest happenings from SMiSA.
Fans Corner – Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info and dates for fans to keep in their diary.
Last Time Here – A look back at Falkirk's last visit to Paisley on 28th January.
Kit Sponsors 2017/18.
Marketing Matters – Commercial Manager, Campbell Kennedy brings us up to date with all the commercial activities within the Club.
Matchday Gallery – Pictures from the post-match presentations in the corporate suite after the home season closer against Raith Rovers last April.
St Mirren Fixtures & Results 2017/18 – A handy reference page of all the fixtures 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 2017/18 season click HERE.
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 Falkirk are the visitors on Saturday afternoon.
If you want to tune in here is the info you will need:
St Mirren v Falkirk
Ladbrokes Championship
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 5th August 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
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 MORGAN’.
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 Falkirk and get voting with #SMFCMOM.
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