St Mirren were unable to keep their lead as Dundee United ran out 2-1 victors at Tannadice. 

John Sutton had scored to put the Saints in front but an immediate reply from Simon Fraser and a goal on the half time whistle from Simon Murray saw all three points go to United. 

St Mirren started the match well with Lewis Morgan creating two chanced in the opening stages. The youngster made his way into the box and tried to get his shot away but it was blocked and cleared by the United defence.

Moments later the ball fell to him again but his shot from 30 yards out was no trouble for the goalkeeper as it flew high over the bar.  

Play switched to the other end of the park and United had two quick chances of their own. Blair Spittal headed over from a corner before a second set piece saw the ball trickle wide. 

Both sides were forced into early changes as Gary MacKenzie and Mark Durnan clashed heads in the penalty area after a Saints corner.

Jack Baird replaced MacKenzie whilst Coll Donaldson was introduced for United and it was shortly after the latter substitution that deadlock was broken. 

United had a throw in deep in their own half and after an error from Donaldson, John Sutton latched onto the loose ball and slotted past Cammy Bell. 

The lead didn't last long, as just a minute later Scott Fraser had equalised for Dundee United. 

St Mirren came close to regaining the lead just a few minutes later, as the ball was played to the back post where Naismith was lurking, however his close range effort was saved onto the post and cleared. 

Despite the Saints efforts to find a second goal, it was United who struck the killer blow. Scott Fraser took a free kick on the corner of the box and it was flicked past Gallacher by Simon Murray right on the stroke of half time. 

Half Time: Dundee United 2-1 St Mirren 

Dundee United started the better in the second half winning a free kick just outside the box. Scott Fraser stood over it and blasted it over the bar. 

Gallacher was then forced to make a save low to his right when Sean Dillon headed towards goal. 

St Mirren made their second change as Rocco Quinn made way for David Clarkson and he almost made an instant impact as yle McAllister crossed the ball from the right and Clarkson looked to get on the end of it but it was just too far out of reach. 

Lewis Morgan then forced Cammy Bell into a save with a optimistic shot from distance before creating another great chance.

He found himself through on goal but he didn't take the shot in time and William Edjenguele made the challenge and cleared. 

With ten minutes left to play Lawrence Shankland replaced Kyle McAllister.

Much like Clarkson, Shankland came close after coming on. The ball was played to him at the back post and he tried to slot it past Bell but Edjenguele was there to clear once more. 

Despite late pressure from the Saints, they were unable to find the equaliser and it finished Dundee United 2-1 St Mirren 

Full Time: Dundee United 2-1 St Mirren 

St Mirren: Gallacher, Naismith, Irvine, Webster, MacKenzie (Baird, 19), Quinn (Clarkson, 60), Magennis, McAllister (Shankland, 79), Mallan, Morgan, Sutton.
Subs Not Used: Langfield, McLear, Hardie, Gallagher

Dundee United: Bell, Dillon, Dixon, Durnan (Donaldson, 25) , Spittal, Murray (Smith, 80), Fraser, Telfer (Van Der Velden, 70), Edjenguele, Flood, Andreu
Subs Not Used: Zwick, Murdoch, Obadeyi, Robson

Referee: John McKendrick
Assistant Referee: Alasdair Ross
Assistant Referee: Daniel McFarlane

Attendance: 7,247

Match report and gallery pictures by Allan Picken – © Allan Picken Photography

Jason Naismith makes his 100th start for St Mirren as Jack Ross makes one change to the side that drew 1-1 with Ayr United last Saturday.

Naismith, who made his 100th Saints appearance in the win against Queen of the South a few weeks ago, retains his place in the team while Lawrence Shankland drops out to be replaced by John Sutton. 

Kick-off is at 12:30pm and we'll have all the action covered on Twitter @saintmirrenfc and on our Facebook page.

St Mirren Starting XI: Gallacher, Naismith, MacKenzie, Webster, Irvine, Quinn, Magennis, McAllister, Mallan, Morgan, Sutton
St Mirren Subs: Langfield, Baird, McLear, Gallagher, Hardie, Clarkson, Shankland

Jack Ross believes his players will be looking forward to tomorrow's festive fixture as the Saints take on Dundee United at Tannadice.

The Buddies manager thinks playing at a stadium like Tannadice with a decent crowd will be a good test for his players and one he expects they will eagerly anticipating. 

Speaking to stmirren.com, Jack says it's a game he's excited about as well as he looks to test himself as a manager.

It's an attractive fixture," he said. "It's one as a player I know they'll all be looking forward to because it's a great stage to go and play against the team that's joint top of the league. There will be a big crowd and it's a good stadium so there's a lot of exciting things about it. I'm very much looking forward to it as a manager and I know the players will be as a group. 

With Saints looking to keep up momentum after picking up seven points from a possible nine in the last three matches, the manager admits the only objective for the team at the moment is to win every match they take part in. 

The only target we ever have is to win every game we go into and I know it sounds very simple but that is what it is. We take the next game as it comes and that's about getting the three points.

"I always believe that we can go and win every single game we're about to play in this league. We're getting there with our performance levels and I'm no different going to Tannadice tomorrow. We're respectful of the opposition in terms of the amount of homework we do and the preparation we do and how well we need to play in the game, but we're capable of playing well."

St Mirren's last league defeat came away to Falkirk at the start of the month, however, Jack believes that, despite the loss, the performance that day may well have been meaningful in terms of the players believing in their own ability and could stand them in good stead ahead of tomorrow's match.

I think that game, although we lost it, was perhaps a significant one for us because they went to a team that is challenging at the top end of the stadium and for large spells were very good. I think that helped re-affirm what I've been saying to about how they're good players and they started to believe it from then so yeah they've had recent experience of going to a difficult venue and performing well."

Reports emerged yesterday that Aberdeen midfielder Craig Storie was set to join the Saints on loan in January and the manager discussed the possibility of the 20 year-old joining the Buddies.

I read Derek's comments regarding Craig Storie," he said. "Craig is a player I've admired for quite a while and I've seen him quite a lot.

"I have a good relationship with Derek at Aberdeen on a professional level and a personal level so I've been in contact with him.  Subject to it all being finalised then we hope Craig will join us in the early part of January. If he does then I'll be delighted because he's a player I like.

"We're very close to bringing in a defender all things being well," he continued. "Failing any last minute hitches, which can sometimes happen in football, I'm confident we'll have two in in January and I'd like to get one more in. But getting two in at the start of January will be a boost for us."

St Mirren's IRN-BRU Cup semi-final against The New Saints will take place on Sunday 19 February. 

The match will kick-off at 4:10pm as The Buddies welcome the Welsh side to the Paisley 2021 Stadium. 

The Buddies have seen off Albion Rovers, Hibernian and Ayr United in the run to the last four and will now battle it out with the Welsh side for a place in the final with the winner taking on the winner of the Queen of the South/Dundee United match.

Ticket information will be announced in due course. 

St Mirren make their final away trip of 2016 tomorrow when Jack Ross' side take on Dundee United at Tannadice in a 12:30pm kick off.

The Saints come into the Christmas Eve fixture having picked up seven points from a possible nine with wins over Queen of the South and Raith Rovers followed by draw with Ayr United at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. John Sutton was on target in his 100th appearance for The Buddies as he nodded home David Clarkson's cross in the 81st minute to take a share of the spoils in the 1-1 draw.

Dundee United are in a good run of form having now drawn themselves level on points with Hibernian at the top of the Ladbrokes Championship. The Arabs haven't lost a match in any competition since a League Cup loss in September - a run of 13 games unbeaten. Saints biggest challenge tomorrow will be attempting to breach a defence which hasn't conceded a goal in its last six matches stretching back to the start of November. Mostly recently though United were held to a 0-0 draw against Raith Rovers at Stark's Park.

The only meeting between the two this season came in October at the Paisley 2021 Stadium as Jack Ross took charge of the Saints for the first time. Despite putting in a good performance, it was the away side who ran out winners with goals from Scott Fraser and Tony Andreu securing a 2-0 win.

This is St Mirren's first trip to Tannadice since November 2014 where the home side ran out 3-0 winners. Saints last victory against United in Dundee came on 30 December 2012 as the Buddies came out on top in a pulsating 4-3 win. Goals from Paul Dummett, Steven Thompson, Marc McAusland and David Van Zanten sealing the win in the seven goal thriller to end the year on a high. 

Saints will be without Ben Gordon, who is likely to be out for two-three months, and Jordan Stewart, though beyond that Jack Ross will have almost a full squad to call upon. 

It may be the festive period but the hosts won't be in the mood for sending Saints home with a gift as they look to keep up the pressure on Hibernian in an attempt to displace them at the top of the tree. For St Mirren the aim remains to keep winning matches as the team look to gain ground on those sitting above in the league.

On Christmas Eve St Mirren head to Dundee for a Ladbrokes Championship match-up with Dundee United at Tannadice Park.

The latest info on Travel Clubs heading to The City of Discovery for the match is as follows:

Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus

We will be leaving at 10:00am on Christmas Eve for Dundee.

Please note that the bus is now sold out for this match.

We would like to thank all of our members and regular non-members for their continued support and wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

Our bus will leave Abercorn Street at 10:00am for the game at Tannadice.

Bus tickets are now on sale.

Chivas Travel Club

We are sharing a bus for this game with the North End Club bus.

The bus will leave at 10:15am.

Non members tickets are now on sale from The Court Bar.

North End Travel Club

Because of the early kick-off and the time of year we are sharing a bus with the Chivas Club.

The bus will leave the Sneddon at 10:15am.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone.

 * Valid ID must be produced as proof of status

** Phone St Mirren Ticket Office to purchase wheelchair user & carer ticket.

There is also a special deal for St Mirren Season Ticket holders where an adult ticket will be discounted by £2 for this match. This offer is valid until 6:00pm today (Thursday 22nd December).

To give Season Ticket holders a chance to cash in on the discount the St Mirren Ticket Office will be open from 10:00am till 6:00pm today (Thursday 22nd December).

Additional Information

On Saturday 24th December, St Mirren head to Dundee to face Dundee United in the Ladbrokes Championship.

The ticket prices have now been confirmed for the fixture at Tannadice Park and these are shown above. Tickets can be purchased from the St Mirren Ticket Office.

St Mirren Ticket Office hours for the remainder of this week are as follows:

22/12/2016 - 10:00am to 6:00pm
23/12/2016 - CLOSED
24/12/2016 - CLOSED
25/12/2016 - CLOSED

St Mirren Ticket Office Tel: (0141) 840-6130

St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com

The referee for Saturday's fixture is John McKendrick and he will be assisted by Alasdair Ross and Daniel McFarlane.

The St Mirren Independent Supporters Association (SMiSA) have announced that members have voted to give their £2 portion of membership fees from October-December to the club to put towards the playing budget. 

88% of those who voted decided that they wanted the money, approximately £8,000, to go towards the manager's playing budget with the January transfer window coming up. That is being topped up by £1252.88, a sum that was left over from the July-September period. 

Jack Ross said: "The board have been very transparent with me about the budget I had available when I came into the job. I appreciated that and I have been working around what we have. There's never been a case of us chasing the board for more money, so for SMISA to do this of their own volition shows what the club means to them and it's greatly appreciated by myself and the rest of my backroom team as we look to take the club forward."

Club Director and fans representative, David Nicol said: "We are delighted the SMISA membership has voted to make a contribution to the player budget ahead of the January transfer window. Whilst we wouldn't want to do this with every quarterly spend, it's great that we are able to give Jack a boost at this crucial time." 

St Mirren Football Club recognises that football is a passionate game and supporters will have their own way of expressing their support and reactions. This is acceptable and welcomed as it often adds positively to the match experience. However, behaviour which jeopardises the safety and enjoyment of others or is likely to bring the club into disrepute is not acceptable. 

This includes:

• Anti-social behaviour.
• Sectarian, racial, discriminatory or obscene chanting.
• Throwing any article within the stadium or its environs.
• Encroaching onto the field of play.
• Disability hate crime.
• The offence of any person having their possession any firework/flare/smoke bomb etc whilst attempting to enter or whilst in any part of a designated football ground which is in the sight of the pitch.

A crime becomes a disability hate crime when it is 'perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by malice or ill will based on a person's disability or perceived disability.' (A copy of the club's disability hate crime policy is available on the club website under club policies)

St Mirren FC will support stewards and Police Scotland in taking appropriate action against any individual whose conduct* is unacceptable. 

(*Notices defining unacceptable conduct are on display throughout the stadium and can also be found on the club website)

Exclusion from the stadium

Supporters who are the subject of an ejection (mainly by stewards) or arrest (by police) will immediately be excluded from entering the stadium for 12 weeks or 6 home matches* (*should the 12 weeks run into the close season). In the case of arrest should the police action lead to court proceedings the exclusion will be extended until the outcome of such court proceedings are known by the club. This exclusion also covers supporters who indulge in unacceptable conduct and who are neither ejected nor arrested at time but whose identity is later discovered by the club. 

Away Matches

St Mirren Football Club are always made aware of instances of unacceptable conduct involving our supporters which occur whilst the team are playing away from home and should the circumstances merit the club reserve the right to implement the terms of this code against individuals who indulge in such behaviour and bring the good name of this club into disrepute. 

Right of Appeal

Any individual who breaks this code and becomes the subject of arrest or ejection leading to exclusion from the stadium may appeal in writing to the undersigned if they feel that an injustice has occurred. A club review of the circumstances will be undertaken and the applicant informed of the results of the review in writing. The individual will have the opportunity to ask for SMISA to have an input into the appeals review process. 

St Mirren Football Club

The club enjoys an excellent reputation for good behaviour both on and off the field of play. This code of conduct has been produced so that supporters are fully aware of the action that this club will take to ensure their safety and enjoyment. The club trusts that the sanctions mentioned above are seldom imposed. 

St Mirren's official energy partner, Utilita Energy, has confirmed it will hold its prices throughout the winter. 

Utilita Energy partnered with the club earlier this year, and for every St Mirren fan who signs up using exclusive promo code 'BUDDIES', Utilita Energy will donate £25 to the club's youth academy. 

Each fan will also receive a free and exclusive limited edition St Mirren smart meter In-Home Display cover - and a tariff guaranteed to be cheaper than the Big 6*

The rising challenger brand recently celebrated reaching 450,000 customers - up from just 200,000 in July 2015 - by reassuring them it will freeze ALL of its gas and electricity tariffs until at least April 2017. 

"We do all we can to give our customers the fairest deal possible so I am delighted we can reassure them they will not be paying more this winter - we will continue to do everything in our power to help Britain's hard-pressed families," said CEO Bill Bullen.

"We have seen many other suppliers - large and small - increase their prices in recent weeks, creating uncertainty and fear for many of their customers. Utilita's customers will not have the same worries this winter."

Smart Pay As You Go provider Utilita has held a Price Commitment aiming to always be cheaper than the Big Six since 2008* - cutting its gas prices five times since 1 January 2015. Its last price rise came as far back as August 2014. 

Buddies can sign up NOW - head to http://www.utilita.co.uk/st-mirren and type in the promo code 'BUDDIES' when switching - or call 0345 206 8777 and quote 'BUDDIES'.