Saints will be looking to finish 2016 in the same way they started it when Greenock Morton come to the Paisley 2021 Stadium tomorrow. 

The Buddies travelled to Cappielow for the first league game of 2016 and returned to Paisley with all three points when Lawrence Shankland headed home the only goal of the game to seal the win and get the year off to the perfect start.

St Mirren still sit at the bottom of the table after losing to Dundee United in a spirited effort on Christmas Eve at Tannadice. John Sutton put the visitors ahead on 27 minutes when he capitalised on an error from Coll Donaldson to coolly stroke the ball beyond Cammy Bell. It was a goal which ended Bell's hopes of matching Hamish McAlpine's clean sheet record for Dundee United with the Arabs having not conceded a goal in their previous six matches.

But Saints failed to build on the goal and the home side found themselves level a mere minute later when Scott Fraser struck. Then Simon Murray nodded beyond Scott Gallacher just before the interval to secure victory for the home side.

Morton come into this game on the back of a 1-0 win over Queen of the South on Christmas Eve. They were beaten in their last match away from Cappielow, losing 2-1 to Dunfermline at East End Park almost three weeks ago. 

Like with Dundee United last weekend, Saints will face one of the meanest defences in the country when Morton come to town with the Greenock side having only conceded 18 goals in the league so far this season. They have kept clean sheets in three of their last five league game, however, it's a defence that St Mirren have breached on both occasions this season. 

The Buddies have met Morton twice in League action during this campaign - drawing 1-1 on the opening day of the season and losing 3-1 at Cappielow in November. One man Saints will have to keep their eye on is Thomas O'Ware. The defender has scored nine times for the Ton this season and has been on target in both of the Renfrewshire derbies this season. 

For Saints, there will be a determination from the players to put things right after the loss at Cappielow and continue to accumulate points as they look to push up the league. While Morton will want to strengthen their position in the play-off places and win their first match in Paisley since the turn of the Millennium. 

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 Morton, is a 48 pager with a £3 cover price.

The latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Andy Webster.
The Gaffer - St Mirren manager Jack Ross with 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 Ayr United.
Buddies News Update – News of the latest happenings in and around the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
Last Time Out – A look back at St Mirren's last home game against Ayr United.
Football, Bloody Hell – Alan Gallacher tells us why he believes St Mirren can end 2016 on a high and move into 2017 on a positive step.
The Opposition – Brian Corry gives the lowdown on Saturday’s visitors – Jim Duffy's Morton side.
Hall of Fame – David Cochran highlights the St Mirren career of Kevin McGowne.
Player Interview – Stuart Gillespie interviews striker David Clarkson.
Action Shot (Centre Pages) – Defender Andy Webster.
Last Time Out 2 – Match report on the Christmas Eve match-up with Dundee United.
Fans Corner – Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info and dates for fans to keep in their diary.
Look Back on 2016 – A gallery of pictures showing St Mirren's journey through 2016.
Saints in the Community – A catch-up with the latest happenings at St Mirren in the Community.
Last Time Out Flashback – Match report of the game in Paisley against Raith Rovers on 10th December.
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 Saturday’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 Morton are the visitors on Saturday afternoon.

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

St Mirren v Morton
Ladbrokes Championship
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 31st December 2016
Kick-off: 3:00pm 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

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 MALLAN’.

With 10 minutes of the game remaining all the votes will be counted then Stadium Announcer Phil Clark 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 Morton and get voting with #SMFCMOM.

Paisley Panda is all set for Saturday’s match against Morton with his preparations all in place for the popular match day competitions ‘Bung a Baw’ and 'Spot Prizes'.

To take part in ‘Bung a Baw’ fans need to purchase a small foam ball which is numbered and they will then have a chance to throw their ball towards our club mascot Paisley Panda in front of the Family Stand. Each person will have 60 seconds to do this and the winner will be the person who has thrown the ball closest to the feet of the Panda with the winner being confirmed over the PA system.

The competition is sponsored by The Linwood Farm Restaurant who are supplying a family meal voucher as the prize for the contest winner.

Each ball will cost £1 to buy. The balls will be available from sellers inside the Family Stand in the 30 minutes leading up to kick-off and then again in the first 5 minutes of half time before the competition starts (subject to availability). Each ball is numbered and participants will also get a ticket with the corresponding number which they will use to claim the prize if they win.

Paisley Panda reports that ‘Bung a Baw’ continues to be very popular so he advises that you get in early tomorrow to purchase your ball to take part.

Paisley Panda has also teamed up with the St Mirren Club Shop so you will be able to buy hats and scarves for the game from the 'Bung a Baw' stands.

'Spot Prizes' puts all Season Ticket holders and anyone who buys a ticket for Saturday’s match against Morton, before the St Mirren Ticket Office closes on Friday (2:00pm), into a prize draw.

On the 30th and 60th minute of the match a seat will be selected at random which will be displayed on the scoreboard with the winners each receiving a family munchy box (4 slush puppies, 4 hot dogs, 4 ice creams and 6 packets of traditional sweets) from Tasty Treats of Bridge of Weir.

St Mirren in the Community are delighted to confirm that the SMiSA Panda Club will be open as usual for Saturday’s Ladbrokes Championship fixture against Morton at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

The SMiSA Panda Club will open at 1:00pm on Saturday. Parents please note that you should pick up your kids after the final whistle from the community office at 5:00pm.

The cost is just £2 per child (aged 5-12) for those without a season ticket and completely FREE to our young season ticket holders (remember and bring your smartcard with you).

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 Saturday’s game are as follows:

St Mirren v Morton
Saturday 31st December 2016
1:00pm – 5:00pm

To find out more about the Panda Club click here

St Mirren v Morton
Ladbrokes Championship
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 31st December 2016
Kick-off: 3:00pm

The match day officials for Saturday’s Ladbrokes Championship fixture against Jim Duffy’s Morton side are as follows:

Referee: Nick Walsh.
Assistant Referee: Kylie McMullan.
Assistant Referee: Calum Spence.

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 valid for this game.

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

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

We also now have a Ticket Booth sited at the West Stand beside turnstiles T11-14 on a match day.  The Ticket Booth is only for the purchase of tickets (subject to availability) for the West Stand, and also the pick-up point for pre-ordered tickets for the West Stand.  The Ticket Booth will be open from 1:30pm to 3:00pm (kick-off).

The Morton fans can purchase their tickets (subject to availability) from the window at the away end of the ground (North Stand) from 1:30pm 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, 30th Dec: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Sat, 31st Dec 10:00am to 3:00pm

The Ticket Booth (West Stand) opening hours in the build up to this match are as follows:

Sat, 31st Dec – 1:30pm to 3:00pm (kick-off)

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

Please note that the Club Shop is also open the same hours as the Ticket Office.

The Club are offering fans who buy an adult ticket for the 31st December game against Morton a discount on their ticket for the first home game of 2017 when St Mirren face Queen of the South on 7th January at The Paisley 2021 Stadium.

If you have already purchased an adult ticket for the Morton game then hold on to your ticket stub after the match as it will let you buy an adult ticket for £15 for the upcoming match against Queen of the South.

Alternatively you can purchase tickets for both matches at the same time and it will only cost £35.  Also, any Season Ticket holder who attends the Morton game also has the opportunity to purchase a ticket for a friend for the Queen of the South game for £15.

Please note that this offer needs to be purchased at the St Mirren Ticket Office in person or over the phone, there is no online option. This offer is only available until 2:00pm on Friday 6th January.

Ticket Information

Visitor Information

With half the season gone I thought it would be a good time to update everybody on how things are progressing at the club.

On the playing side I am sure you can all see tangible signs of improvement, however, a cursory glance at the league table shows that we need to start turning these performances into wins and points on the board. As I have said before, the squad is currently imbalanced and I know Jack and James have been spending hours watching potential January recruits over the last month with a view to addressing that as soon as possible once the transfer window opens. 

I think we are all aware what we need and rest assured we will do our utmost to bring in the players we need to help improve the team. 

The biggest positive for me in the first half of the season has been the emergence of the group of Academy graduates who have blossomed into first team regulars in recent weeks. These young kids have been encouraged to go out and play attractive football and it's made a huge difference to the overall performance of the team. The style of football we are playing just now excites me and I now look forward to every game knowing we can compete with anyone in the division as was borne out by our display away from home against the league leaders on Christmas Eve.

The value of the Academy can never be under-estimated and the stature, confidence and skill of these players is a glowing testament to the work being done day in day out at Ralston by Allan McManus and his team. 

The last half dozen or so games have had us all on the edge of our seats. It remains my belief that attractive, exciting football is what will get people coming back to football and through the turnstiles on a match day. This is how we want to develop this club going forward, with this ethos built in to every single side right throughout the Academy and into the first team. I think we now have the staff in place to achieve that goal and I am excited about the future ahead. 

As a relatively new board we are trying our best to foster positive thinking around the whole football club. Negativity is self-destructive and whilst we won't get every decision right for everybody remember that we are all supporters too. We all want the best for the club and every decision we make is made with a view to making things better going forward. 

The task of turning around our fortunes on the field is the primary focus right now, but rest assured we are working away on our overall longer term strategy of improving each and every aspect of the club's operations with a view to increasing our turnover, improving the match day experience for our supporters, enhancing the club's infrastructure and working within the local community to further cement the strong links we have to Paisley and the surrounding areas. 

I have been greatly encouraged by the conversations I have had with supporters I've met at matches in and around the town in recent weeks, all of whom have been greatly supportive of what we are trying to achieve. Most understand that we cannot turn everything around overnight. 

The repair work on the Academy buildings is well underway and I can now sleep easy at night knowing that we are not going to lose our first team down a hole in the canteen floor. You may think that is an exaggeration but believe me, it's not!

Due to financial restrictions and the fact that we still need to be able to use the facilities on a daily basis the work required will be carried out in phases over the next few years. Both Jack and I are comfortable with this and it will allow us to tweak the layout slightly as well to create a new room for match analysis. 

I would also like to thank all of you who contribute towards SMiSA. It is amazing the difference it can make and the extra £2 a month you contribute has already allowed us to complete the raised platform for disabled supporters and now give Jack extra funds to bring another player in for the rest of the season. This additional funding is greatly appreciated. 

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to mention once again the support we are receiving from the stands both home and away. It seems to be getting busier and noisier every week and I have no doubt you will rise to the occasion this week once again. The players all appreciate the positive support and believe me it really does help. Stick with us, be positive and encouraging at all times and hopefully 2017 will be a more memorable year for us all. 

Wishing you and your families a very happy New Year when it comes and all the best for 2017. COYS!

Gary Irvine wants to give the fans something to cheer about when Saints close out 2016 as they host Morton at the Paisley 2021 Stadium on Saturday.

The defender, who made his 40th appearance for the Buddies in the 2-1 loss at Tannadice on Christmas Eve, admits that losing at Cappielow to Saturday's opponents at the start of November hurt the players and they'll be looking to give back to the fans when the two meet on Hogmanay.

Speaking to stmirren.com after the Dundee United match, Irvine said:"Looking back since the manager has come in, thinking back on all the performances in the games that we've played, that's the one that for myself and for the boys that was a sore one.

It wasn't like us, it was a poor performance. That Morton game at Cappielow was a sore one and we were disappointed and I was annoyed with it. 

"When it comes to a derby you're needing that extra wee bit behind you and I'm sure the fans will be there because they've been brilliant this year. They're applauding us when we deserve it and it's good to see when they see us putting the effort in and all the hard work.

"Hopefully we can give them a lot to cheer about."

Irvine believes that Saints need to treat all matches from now on with the importance of a derby as the team seeks to win as many points as possible to haul themselves from the foot of the Ladbrokes Championship.

I think we need to treat every game now as a derby," he said. "We're fighting for points now and the fact that it's Morton has that wee added bit for the fans and for the clubs. But every week is massive for us now and it's about getting the three points. 

The defender said that losing to Dundee United on Christmas Eve was disappointing but believes that the manner of the performance gives the team confidence that they can push up the league table. 

First and foremost, it's a sore one," Irvine continued. "We've come up here and been beaten, but we've played well and I felt like we were the better side throughout the majority of the game.

"The positives are that we're still playing well, creating chances and I think you can see the reception the fans gave us. We kept going and that's credit to the boys. We just need to dust ourselves down, keep going and try to turn these disappointments into three points."

 Tickets for Saturday's match are on sale at the St Mirren ticket office and online.

Jack Ross gives his reaction as Saints are narrowly beaten by Dundee United at Tannadice on Christmas Eve.