St Mirren made it four wins on the spin for the first time since 2008 with an assured victory over league leaders Hibernian at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

Cypriot Stelios Demetriou was on the scoresheet twice as he scored either side of half time - his first goals since joining the Buddies in January. 

The Buddies started in hungry fashion and were unlucky not to be ahead with 13 minutes played when Kyle Magennis forced Ofir Marciano to work. Stevie Mallan sent an expert cross field ball towards John Sutton inside the box and the Englishman cushioned a header to Magennis who fired low into the right corner only to see the visiting goalkeeper tip the ball wide.

It was Magennis who went closest to opening the scoring again when he cracked the cross bar after a cross from Morgan. Morgan did well on a driving run to keep the ball in play and expertly picked put Magennis whose volley looked to be heading into the top corner before smashing off the bar and going over. 

Saints had been on top but minutes after Magennis' chance hit the bar, the Hibees were almost ahead. John McGinn played in a wonderfully teasing cross that just evaded Efe Ambrose, making his Hibs debut, thanks to the fingertips of Billy O'Brien who clawed the ball away.

And the Buddies took a well deserved lead 10 minutes later when Stelios grabbed his first St Mirren goal. The full back charged down the flank and was expertly picked out by Mallan before cutting into the box and lashing it beyond Marciano at the near post to spark wild celebrations in the Paisley 2021 Stadium. 

Fraser Fyvie had a gilt-edged opportunity to get the Hibees back on level terms just before half time after coming on to McGinn's pass inside the area but he fired well over.

HALF TIME: St Mirren 1-0 Hibernian

The second half was barely a minute old when Stelios struck again to double Saints advantage. He took the ball from Morgan on the left side before cutting in on his right foot and driving the ball low to the near post where it kissed the post on its way into the net. It was a fabulous start to the second half and gave the Buddies a cushion.

Saints were buoyant and Cammy Smith went close on two occasions. The first, a shot dragged wide from 25 yards, but the second looked like it was heading in for the far corner 

Captain, Stephen McGinn was next to go close as he forced Marciano to stretch as he tipped McGinn's effort just by the post. It gave St Mirren a corner that was only half dealt with by Hibs before falling to Morgan who left fly from outside the area with the shot whistling just over the bar. 

As Saints looked to extend their lead the fragility of a two goal deficit was almost shown when O'Brien was called into action a minute later as he made a tremendous double save to deny Martin Boyle and then Grant Holt. It looked as though Hibs were destined to pull a goal back at a vital stage in the match but the loanee did brilliantly well to keep his hopes of a clean sheet alive. 

Still though it was St Mirren who were doing the creating and Harry Davis was unlucky to see one cleared off the line after getting on the end of a scramble from a Saints corner. 

And with just over ten minutes to go, Lewis Morgan should have made it 3-0 after a neat exchange between Magennis and Mallan found the 20 year-old winger in acres of space inside the box, but he dragged it wide of the left hand post. 

That was to be the last clear cut chance for either side in the match as Saints saw out the closing minutes comfortably to secure another huge three points in the battle to remain in the Ladbrokes Championship

FULL TIME: St Mirren 2-0 Hibernian

St Mirren: O'Brien, Irvine (Fjelde 62), MacKenzie, Davis, Stelios, Magennis (Todd 86), S.McGinn, Smith (Baird 90), Mallan, Morgan, Sutton
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Webster, Loy, Storie,

Hibernian: Marciano, Gray, McGregor, Ambrose, Stevenson, Bartley (Holt 59), J.McGinn, Shinnie (Keatings 70), Fyvie, Boyle (Graham 78), Cummings
Subs Not Used: Laidlaw, McLean, Crane, Martin

Referee: Euan Anderson
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: David Burns

Attendance: 3441

St Mirren are forced into one change from the side that defeated Ayr United on Saturday.

Adam Eckersley drops out with injury and is replaced by Gary Irvine. 

Saints are looking to make it for four wins on the trot for the first time since 2008. 

You can follow all the action on Twitter, Facebook and those outside the UK & Ireland can watch the match live on St Mirren TV.

St Mirren: O'Brien, Irvine, MacKenzie, Davis, Stelios, Magennis, McGinn, Mallan, Smith, Morgan, Sutton
Subs: Langfield, Webster, Baird, Todd, Storie, Fjelde, Loy

Cammy Smith says the team are looking forward to facing table topping Hibernian this evening as the Buddies welcome Neil Lennon's side to the Paisley 2021 Stadium for the second time this season.

Saints are in good form ahead of the clash with the Leith side, having won three matches on the bounce.

And while Cammy realises tonight's match is going to be a difficult one, he believes that the team are looking forward to it and feels they are more than capable of picking up a result.

It'll be a tough game," he told stmirren.com. "They are top of the league for a reason so it'll be a very hard game. But we know what we're capable of and we know if we put the effort in and we do the basics right we'll be in there with a chance.

"It's definitely a game we're looking forward to," he continued. "It should be a good game with a good crowd again and one we're all looking forward to."

Saints come into tonight's match on the back of a 2-0 win over Ayr United in the Ladbrokes Championship on Saturday. 

The loanee admits that the win over the Honest Men was hugely significant and praised the character shown by the team to get the win.

Yeah it was massive," he confessed. "The manager emphasised how big a game it was and it really was a must win in certain ways. To get the win was the most important thing but to play the way we did under that pressure was good. The fans travelled down and they were very vocal and they realised we put in a good performance.

 "I think it shows how much we really want to do this - for the club, for each other and for the staff. I think we are all in it together now and it has to be that way. Every single game from now until the end of the season has to be 100% effort and we have to get as many points on the board as we can.

"The situation we're in we know we've got a big task on our hands. But we know we're capable of doing it with the performances we've shown in the last month. It's a big week ahead of tonight and Sunday but it's just a game at a time and all focus is on Hibs."

Cammy joined the club towards the end of the January transfer window and says he's enjoyed his time at the Buddies so far. The forward has made a positive impact to side and scored his first goal against East Fife in the Scottish Cup a few weeks ago.

It's been a really good four to six weeks," he said. "The main factor has been playing, but the manager has been really great with me and in the changing room all the boys are great. 

"I think it helped that there was a lot of new signings at the same time as me. But it's been easy settling in. The club has looked after me well and the boys have been brilliant with me. Getting results on the park help the team spirit and I think that team spirit will be vital over the next two or three months leading into the end of the season."

St Mirren welcome table toppers Hibernian to the Paisley 2021 Stadium tonight as Saints look for a fourth successive win in all competitions. 

The Buddies come into this evening's match on the back of a 2-0 win over Ayr United at Somerset Park on Saturday which made it three wins on the spin for Jack Ross' side. Second half goals from John Sutton and Lewis Morgan secured all three points and gave Saints their third league win of the season.

That victory came after a 4-1 win over The New Saints in the IRN-BRU Cup and a 3-2 triumph against East Fife in the Scottish Cup and represents Saints' best form of the season with just three defeats in the last 13. It's also the first time the Buddies have won three matches on the bounce since the 2012/13 season.  

Tonight's visitors failed to win a league match in February; drawing with Ayr United, Raith Rovers and, most recently, Dunfermline Athletic. They did, however, defeat Edinburgh rivals Hearts in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup, beating the Jambos 3-1 at Easter Road after having drawn 0-0 with them at Tynecastle 10 days earlier.

Martin Boyle and Jason Cummings were on target in their last match in the Ladbrokes Championship against Dunfermline Athletic at Easter Road on Saturday. Their goals put the Hibees 2-0 up before the Pars struck back with goals from ex-Saint Paul McMullan and Kallum Higgbotham to grab a share of the spoils. 

Neil Lennon's side completed moves to bring in defensive pair Efe Ambrose and Brian McLean on short-term deals to cover a deepening injury crisis and both are eligible to play in tonight's match. 

Saints have a victory over Hibernian this season, with a 2-1 win over Neil Lennon's side in the IRN-BRU Cup at Easter Road in October. Stephen Mallan scored a brilliant first half free kick to level after Alex Harris had given the Hibees the lead minutes early, before David Clarkson's 82nd minute effort was enough to send the Buddies into the quarter-final stage of the Challenge Cup. 

You have to go back to 19th April 2014 for Saints last win against Hibs in league competition. The Scottish Premiership match at Paisley saw Saints run out 2-0 winners thanks to early strikes from Kenny McLean and Paul McGowan. 

With tonight's game being top versus bottom both sides have it all to play for when the whistle sounds for kick-off this evening. For the Buddies, they will be looking to cut the gap over Ayr United to five points after the Honest Men defeated Raith Rovers last night in the hopes of moving off the bottom spot. While Hibs will be looking to get back to winning ways in the league as they plot a return to the Scottish Premiership. 

St Mirren star, Stevie Mallan, has bagged the IRN-BRU Golden Balls Award for his phenomenal performance in his the Buddies semi-final win over The New Saints to reach the IRN-BRU Cup final.

It's the second ginger accolade in just over a week for the Saints midfielder, who caused a social media stir when he was presented at the final whistle with his special IRN-BRU Cup Man of the Match award as part of the live semi-final TV broadcast. 

The clip of Mallan receiving a special bottle of ginger was soon uploaded on to social media and viewed more than 500,000 times with some supporters even describing it as the 'Greatest Man of the Match Award' ever. 

Fans of the IRN-BRU Cup have now awarded Mallan with another celebratory bottle of ginger to add to his collection. His silky performance captured the imagination of supporters who voted for him via a Twitter poll @IrnBruFootball to win the award beating Tony Andreu from Dundee United, securing 52 per cent of the overall votes. 

On receiving the IRN-BRU Cup Golden Balls Award, Mallan said: "We're delighted to have put in a great second half performance to beat a tough TNS side, and we're all looking forward to playing in the IRN-BRU Cup final. 

It was hilarious that receiving the bottle of IRN-BRU for a man of the match award trended on Twitter and I'm delighted to add another Golden Balls Award to my collection.

Adrian Troy, Marketing Director at IRN-BRU, said: "Stevie put in a phenomenal performance in the semi-final and thoroughly deserved the now legendary man of the match award. Clearly, the fans thought he loved the bottle of IRN-BRU so they decided he deserved another with the Golden Balls Award. If he is wants to add a third bottle to his collection, he'll have to show he is made from girders in the final."

Academy prospect, Cameron MacPherson has signed a one-year contract extension that ties him to the club until summer 2018. 

The midfielder is a regular in the U20s side and made his first team debut as a substitute in the win over Dundee in the Scottish Cup earlier this year. 

Cameron will now look to join the likes of Jack Baird, Stephen Mallan, Lewis Morgan and Kyle Magennis who are all first team regulars after coming through the St Mirren youth academy.

Allan McManus, Head of the St Mirren youth academy, said: "Cammy had been out with a with a long term injury and was in really poor condition. He worked so hard to come back from that but all credit to him. He's been playing out of position and he's played consistently well throughout the season. 

"Having spoken to the manager and James [Fowler] who rate him highly as well, we decided it was the best thing to do to get him tied up. 

"He's been in and around the first team and he made his debut at Dens Park. But that's only the beginning. The real key for Cammy now is to keep improving and try and find himself on the bench and on the park for the first team."

David Clarkson is set to be ruled out for several months as he undergoes surgery on Friday.

The forward, who has scored 5 goals for the Buddies, injured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in training last week and faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after going under the knife. 

Everyone at St Mirren wishes David a healthy recovery.

Our match day programme, published in partnership with Curtis Sport, will be available from the Club Shop ahead of Wednesday’s game.

This issue, for the Ladbrokes Championship match against Hibernian, is a 48 pager with a £3 cover price.

The latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Stephen McGinn.
The Gaffer - St Mirren manager Jack Ross with his thoughts on recent matches and his pre-match message for the fans.
Matchday Gallery – A gallery of pictures from the post-match presentations in the corporate suite after the recent home game against The New Saints.
Buddies News Update – News of the latest happenings in and around the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
Last Time Out – A look back at the IRN-Bru Cup Semi-Final against Welsh side The New Saints.
Football, Bloody Hell – Alan Gallacher gives his thoughts on triers and non-triers in the world of football.
The Opposition – Brian Corry runs the rules over Wednesday's visitors, Neil Lennon's Hibernian side.
Hall of Fame – David Cochran highlights the St Mirren playing and managing career of Tommy Bryceland.
Player Interview – John Sutton talks about the win against Ayr United.
Action Shot (Centre Pages) – Club Captain, Stephen McGinn.
St Mirren Supporters Trust – John White brings us up to date with the latest happenings at SMiSA.
Fans Corner – Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info and dates for fans to keep in their diary.
Championship Round-Up – A run-down on week 22 of the Ladbrokes Championship season.
Last Time Out 2 – A look back at last Saturday's Championship game away to Ayr United.
The Academy – Match report from the under-20 side's recent match against Kilmarnock.
Kit Sponsors 2016/17.
Marketing Matters – Commercial Manager, Campbell Kennedy brings us up to date with all the commercial activities within the Club.
St Mirren Fixtures & Results 2016/17 – A handy reference page of all the fixtures for this season.
Team Lines – The two squads and match officials for Wednesday’s match.

To buy this issue or to place your programme subscription for the 2016/17 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 Hibernian are the visitors on Wednesday evening.

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

St Mirren v Hibernian
Ladbrokes Championship
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Wednesday 1st March 2017
Kick-off: 7:45pm 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 SMiSA Panda Club will be open for Wednesday’s Ladbrokes Championship fixture against Hibernian at The Paisley 2021 Stadium.

Please note that there will be no pre-match football activities in the airdome but all young fans wishing to watch the game from the Family Stand can meet at 7:15pm at the Community Office and be picked up from there after the conclusion of the match.

Tomorrow's SMiSA Panda Club will be FREE to our young season ticket holders (remember and bring your smartcard with you) and community class attendees.

For further information about the SMiSA Panda Club or to book your place at the next SMiSA Panda Club match day please contact Fiona Dainty by e-mail at fiona.dainty@stmirren.com.

Panda Club details for Wednesday’s game are as follows:

St Mirren v Hibernian
Wednesday 1st March 2017
7:15pm – 9:30pm

To find out more about the Panda Club click here