The club are offering special ticket pricing for the Family Stand for this Saturday's home game against Ayr United and a 'bring a bud' offer for Season Ticket holders for the match against Dumbarton a week later.

For the game against Ayr United on 1st April adults can purchase a ticket for £10 for the Family Stand as well as get up to two free tickets for under 12s. There will be no online option for the uptake of this offer, tickets will need to be purchased either direct at the St Mirren Ticket Office or on the phone. The offer will also be available on the day of the match (subject to availability).

The following week (Saturday 8th April) when Saints face Dumbarton, Season Ticket holders can bring along a friend for £10 and up to two children free of charge. This offer will also be available on match day. Tickets for this offer can also be bought from the St Mirren Ticket Office ahead of Saturday's game against Ayr United up till 2:00pm.

For more details on these offers you can contact the St Mirren Ticket Office by phone on (0141) 840-6130 or by e-mail:  tickets@stmirren.com.

St Mirren supporters still have time to bid for a place in the Saint for a Day teams with the auction coming to a close in the next few weeks. 

Two teams – one home and one away – made up of St Mirren fans will kick-off our annual fixture that will be played on the pitch at the Paisley 2021 Stadium on Sunday 30th April with a 12pm kick off. 

There will be two teams with 15 players per team (1-11 and four substitutes).  Each shirt will be available to bid on in a blind auction with all proceeds going to the St Mirren Youth Development Programme. Jack Ross and James Fowler have been announced as the managers of the two sides while supporters can bid to become their assistant manager.

Come and be part of this exciting day which will include:-

* The St Mirren Match Day Experience – Playing the game on the pitch at the Paisley 2021 stadium.

* Wearing an official team strip that you will also get to keep after the game.

* Medal presentation to all players from a special guest.

* Food and refreshments post match.

The rules are as follows: 

*Bidding for home shirts 6 to 11 and 12 to 14 and assistant manager positions will close at 3pm on Tuesday, April 18th. 

*Bidding for home shirts 1 to 5 and 15-16 will close at 3pm on Wednesday, April 19th.

*Bidding for away shirts 6 to 11 and 12 to 14 will close at 3pm on Thursday, April 20th.

*Bidding for away shirts 1 to 5 and 15-16 will close at 3pm on Friday, April 21st. 

*You must be 18 years of age or over to both bid and take part in 'Saint for a Day'. 

*By bidding on the auction you are declaring that you (or the person you are bidding for) are fit and well to take part in the event. 

*In the instance of getting two identical bids for the same shirt number in the same team, the email that has the earliest date and time stamp will be accepted as the leading bidder. 

*Payment must be made immediately if you have been the successful bidder.

To have a chance to take part on the day please send your blind auction bid by e-mail to claire.coventry@stmirren.com (Minimum bid is £100).

In the e-mail you must state which team you are bidding to play in (home or away) and which shirt number for that team you are bidding on. Good Luck!!

I had hoped that this update would come with the first piece of silverware of the new era sitting in the trophy cabinet but unfortunately it just wasn't to be.

Saturday’s game could have gone either way and although desperately disappointed in the result I think we can be justifiably proud of the performance of both our team and our support. We had allocated a specific area at Fir Park on Saturday as a singing section but as it turned out the entire St.Mirren support became one 5000 strong singing section.

I have said in the past that there were times during my involvement with the stadium construction when the hairs stood up on the back of your neck because you knew that what you were doing was something special. I felt that way on Saturday as the game drew to a close and the entire St.Mirren support willed the team on. It was actually very emotional and I feel that we are on the verge of convincing a lot of people who have drifted away from football that we have a team worthy of their support.

It goes without saying that the next two Saturday’s are massive for this club and we have tried to do everything possible to encourage our regular fans to continue giving us the support that they have all season and encourage others to join them.

We have reduced adult ticket prices in the family stand to £10 for the game against Ayr Utd and with that you can have 2 free under 12s tickets.  In addition to this we are again giving away free kids tickets to local groups.

For the Dumbarton game we are offering all season ticket holders the opportunity to bring a buddie for £10 and with that purchase they can have 2 free under 12s tickets. You can find the details for these offers here.

For the last 3 home games of the season we will also be housing away fans in the north stand in anticipation of a good home support and hope that the West, South and Main Stands are full and making plenty of noise.

We are also working on a way to bring in the drum without it impacting on other people's enjoyment of the game. We expect to have this in place for Saturday’s game against Ayr Utd and for the rest of this season and beyond if it works out.

When asked in interviews at the start of the season what I would consider success I said that obviously I wanted to get promotion but that for me the most important thing was that I wanted to enjoy my football. We are never going to completely dominate teams for 90 mins but I think that you can see what Jack and James are trying to build and the style of football and passion we want to play with. I am enjoying my football and I am sure you can all relate to how hard that must be given the position we find ourselves in. The feedback I am getting from our support is that most of you feel the same way.

While results just now are the most important thing we continue to strive to improve things off the pitch and we will be making an announcement later this week confirming our new kit sponsor and supplier.

Never before has your role as the 12th man been more important and you can all see how the team reacts to that support.

Let's get behind the boys and make sure that we give it our all for the rest of the season.

Gary Irvine has urged St Mirren supporters to keep backing the team ahead of Saturday's Ladbrokes Championship clash with Ayr United.

The right back praised the fans for their support at Saturday's IRN-BRU Cup final and said that their backing over the last few months has helped boost the players' confidence. 

And with ninth place Ayr visiting Paisley on Saturday, Irvine has asked the fans to continue giving the team the same backing as they look to haul themselves from the foot of the table.

The fans were brilliant at the weekend," he told stmirren.com. "The noise they were making was brilliant and the backing they gave us was really good. Even afterwards us as a team we mixed with supporters in one of the lounges. To see the amount there was encouraging and they wished us all the best and thanked us - it was brilliant.

"That's the kind of support that, as players, it does help you, you feed off it. When you feel like you have backing in the stands it gives you extra confidence. 

"They are there watching the games every week. They understand and they appreciate when they see hard work and I think that's what we are giving as a team. I'd probably say that the last few months their backing has been brilliant and the support they have given us has played a big part on the way the team is playing and the confidence it has built.

"It's a thank you to them but it's asking them to keep it going as well. It's a big massive part coming up and we do need them."

Irvine says that the squad have shown strong character and an increased sense of confidence, summed up by Rory Loy's equalising goal in Saturday's final. Tony Andreu gave Dundee United the lead, but the Buddies were back on level terms within a minute when Loy scooped home Irvine's cross. And the defender believes that the team will have to exhibit that mentality in the last seven league matches of this season.

Them scoring that goal was kind of out of nothing. Instead of letting the head down we got the ball from centre and within 30 seconds we were up and got a goal back. That's the kind of character we need to show now for the remainder of the season. 

"The boys have come in and right from Monday morning we've just got our heads up and got on with things. We know what's ahead of us now. The cup final was a good occasion even though the result didn't go our way. But our focus and our mindset is the league and the position we are in and we know that is in front of us right now.

"We knew coming in yesterday it was getting back to work and working hard for the game on Saturday. 

"It's a massive game and I think it's really important that we have a good week now. Credit to the boys, we have come in and we've shown a good attitude. We just need to continue that throughout the week and take it into the weekend. 

"We've managed to claw ourselves back," he continued. "We've been playing really good stuff and we've been getting a lot of plaudits from everywhere. All we can do is keep doing the same things and hopefully picking up results." 

While Saints will also host Dumbarton in another massive league match next week, Irvine says all focus is on this Saturday's match against Ayr as the Buddies look to make it five wins from seven league matches.

I think the mindset of the boys is one game at a time," he confessed. "We don't want to start looking up two and three places above ourselves because that's not the position we're in. The mindset is always just looking at the game that's in hand, getting the three points and going into the next game after that. 

"I think the position we are in now and how tight the league has become at the bottom every game is massive. Every team that we come up against is a huge game for us knowing what the rewards are and hopefully we can catch up with a team."

The Paisley 2021 Stadium will play host to the Scotland U21 squad tonight as Scot Gemmill's side take on Estonia in a friendly. 

St Mirren's Stevie Mallan and Lewis Morgan have both been called up to the squad and will be looking to get their first taste of international football. 

Kick-off is at 7:30pm with cash turnstiles in place in the main stand. Entry is just £5 for adults and £2 for concessions. 

St Mirren in the Community are now taking bookings for the upcoming Spring Football Skills Camp.

The Camps will run over the school Easter holiday at the club’s exclusive Carbrini@ JD Airdome from Monday 3rd April to Friday 7th April and Monday 10th April to Friday 14th April.

The camps run from 9am to 1pm and are open to boys and girls aged 5 to 11 years old.

Participants at the Football Camps are required to bring with them suitable indoor clothing and footwear (no metal studs or blades), shin guards and goalkeeper gloves (if appropriate) in addition to a light healthy snack and plenty of water/non-fizzy drinks.

Bookings can be made online at our e-store or by downloading and printing the booking form, completing it in full and returning it to the address provided.

Pictures from Saturday's IRN-BRU Cup Final against Dundee United.

It wasn't to be for Saints despite Rory Loy scoring a first half goal to level after Tony Andreu had given United the lead.

Match gallery pictures by Allan Picken - © Allan Picken Photography and John Millar - © millarpictures

St Mirren FC supporters will get the chance to play a game of bowls with a difference on 1st April, as Ulilita Energy's new half-time challenge, Utilita Football Bowls, arrives at the Paisley 2021 Stadium!

Taking place at the tie between St Mirren and Ayr United (Saturday 1st April), Scotland's newest half-time challenge will see two fans take each other on in a game of 'Football Bowls' - superbly demonstrated by first team players Rory Loy and Stevie Mallan.

Here's how it works: 

• Coin toss to start - winner decides if they want to go first or second
• Players take turns to kick the ball across the Utilita branded target mat to score points
• Each player get four attempts
• Total score of balls remaining in the scoring target area, after all attempts are taken, are totalled - highest score wins

Both fans selected to take part will receive a ticket for themselves and a friend for the match, with the winner on the day receiving a complimentary pair of tickets for St Mirren FC's next home tie. 

To be in with a chance of taking part in this unique half-time challenge and playing on the pitch at the Paisley 2021 Stadium, simply send your full name, date of birth, and contact telephone number to football@utilita.co.uk now!

Ulitita Energy are the official energy partner of St Mirren Football Club and as part of the deal, every St Mirren fan who switches to Ulitita Energy the club receives £25 towards youth development. Each fan can also look forward to receiving a free industry-leading smart meter AND limited edition exclusive St Mirren branded cover for their in-home display. 

St Mirren fans can sign up NOW.

Just go to http://ulitita.co.uk/football/st-mirren and type in the promo code 'BUDDIES' when switching - or call 0345 206 8777 and quote 'St Mirren'. 

Entries close Wednesday 29th March at 12pm. Terms and conditions apply. Over 16s only can enter.

Jack Ross gives stmirren.com his reaction following the team's loss in the IRN-BRU Cup final.

It wasn't to be for Saints when Thomas Mikklesen headed the winner for Dundee United despite Rory Loy equalising after Tony Andreu's opener.

St Mirren's dreams of winning silverware this season were ended at the final hurdle as the Buddies fell 2-1 to Dundee United in the IRN-BRU Cup. 

Rory Loy cancelled out Tony Andreu's first half opener for Ray McKinnon's side. But Thomas Mikklesen scored with a header to win it for the Tangerines.

United started the opening exchanges brightly with efforts from Andreu and Simon Murray going wide. The latter seeing his attempt go narrowly by O'Brien's near post and come off the side netting.

Stevie Mallan was fouled around 20 yards out after failing to shake off Willo Flood. The award of a free kick in what has become known as 'Mallan territory' was greeted with glee from supporters when the midfielder stepped forward to take. 

Loy, on loan from United's city rivals, went closest in the opening 20 minutes when he clipped the outside of the post. The striker nudged himself in front of the defender to get a toe on Lewis Morgan's ball in but could only watch it crack off the woodwork before going wide.

It was Morgan who arguably had the best opportunity of the match when he sent a shot just wide of Cammy Bell's far post. The young winger burst on to a flick on from John Sutton and broke into the box to go one-on-one with the keeper but watched in agony as 

United weren't far away from breaking the deadlock moments later when Andreu flashed an attempt just wide of the target. It was a warning sign from the striker who had scored twice at the Paisley 2021 Stadium when the two sides met just over a week ago.

However, it was St Mirren who looked the more likely and a wonderful teasing ball from Kyle Magennis would have yielded the opener had someone in black and white been there to attack. Adam Eckersley picked it up on the left side and swung it back in to meet Magennis who shaped for the shot only for Cammy Bell to smother.

And, frustratingly, United were ahead not long after when that man Andreu did what he had threatened to do when he buried the ball beyond O'Brien. Saints failed to clear their lines and the ball came back to the Frenchman outside the box who lashed the Tangerines ahead.

It could have been a setback but the Buddies weren't going to let it be as they levelled the game straight from kick-off. Sutton took kick off, playing the ball to McGinn who switched the play to Irvine who charged down the right wing before picking out Loy in space. The striker opened up his foot, tucking it into the far corner of the net.

Loy's goal was the perfect response and Saints were back in buoyant mood. Gary MacKenzie had a great chance to put St Mirren ahead just before half time as he climbed above the United defence to get his head on a Mallan corner but sent it wide. It would've been a fitting end to a first half where the Buddies were on top.

Half Time: Dundee United 1-1 St Mirren

The second half looked set to be a cracker after an excellent first 45. But it didn't quite live up to its billing.

Mallan, celebrating his 21st birthday, had a go from a free kick early into the second period after Loy was felled right on the edge of the box. The midfielder elected to go low with the shot but it was blocked by Flood. 

There wasn't too much in the way of good opportunities for either side throughout. 

With just 15 minutes remaining, United took the lead for the second time in the match. Substitute Mikklesen rose above the St Mirren defence to bullet home Simon Murray's cross. It was a bitter blow for Saints who, try as they may, couldn't fashion any clear cut chances to get back into the match. 

Saints went close to grabbing another quick leveller when Mallan curled a shot just wide of the far post.

But it was the Tangerines who looked the more likely to grab a killer third when Ali Coote went close on two occasions only to see one whistle by the post and another well saved by O'Brien.

It wasn't to be for the Buddies and all efforts will now be focused on the vital run-in in the Ladbrokes Championship.

Full Time: Dundee United 2-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: O'Brien, Irvine, MacKenzie, Baird, Eckersley, Magennis (O'Keefe 84), McGinn, Mallan, Morgan, Loy, Sutton
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Stelios, Webster, Fjelde, Whyte, Watters

Dundee Utd: Bell, Durnan, Edjenguele, Murdoch, Flood, Telfer, Robson, Coote (Donaldson 89), van der Velden (Mikklesen 58), Andreu, Murray (Nicholls 80)
Subs Not Used: Zwick, Dixon, Toshney, van der Struijk

Referee: Nick Walsh
Assistant Referee: Sean Carr
Assistant Referee: Gary Hilland
Fourth Official: Steven Kirkland

Attendance: 8,089