A delighted Jack Ross gives his thoughts on the 3-2 win over Queen of the South as Saints pick up their first win in the Ladbrokes Championship this season.
St Mirren picked up their first win of the season in the Ladbrokes Championship after a dramatic end to a pulsating 90 minutes at Palmerston Park. Jack Ross' side were well worthy of the three points with a fine attacking display which saw them deservedly get their first three points of the season.
Saints started the game brightly with half chances for Lewis Morgan and Jason Naismith in the early stages. Firstly, Morgan was played in down the right as he latched on to a Stephen Mallan pass. The winger sped past Darren Brownlie but took the shot early from outside the area and sent it wide.
Mallan was involved again when his effort was deflected out for a corner kick. Kyle McAllister took the corner, but after the first attempt was cleared it was flung into the back post where Naismith, making his 100th Saints appearance, took the ball on his left foot and put it over the bar.
Derek Lyle should have put the Doonhamers ahead after Scott Gallacher spilled a shot straight into the striker's path but he somehow knocked the ball by the post. The home side weren't made to wait for the opener though as Stephen Dobbie put them ahead a minute later. Grant Anderson got in behind Gary Irvine and laid the ball into the path of Dobbie who rolled the ball into the net.
Saints reaction was exactly what Jack Ross would have been after as Saints were level a little over two minutes later when Kyle Magennis got his first goal for the Saints. The 18 year-old picked up the ball around 25 yards out and powered the ball into the back of the net. It was a sensational effort from the midfielder whose thundering effort left Lee Robinson with absolutely no chance.
The Buddies could've been ahead on 34 minutes through John Sutton. Mallan launched the ball into the Queens box on to the head of Naismith who nodded the ball into the feet of the big striker. However, as he turned to shoot the passage to goal was blocked by one of the Queens defenders and ended up safely in the arms of the goalkeeper.
The visitors were doing well without creating too many clear cut chances but found themselves behind just before half time. The ball was given away in the middle of the park and Lyle played the ball into the path of Dobbie who guided the ball beyond Gallacher to get his second of the game.
Half Time: Queen of the South 2-1 St Mirren
The second half got off to a scrappy start but Saints got themselves back on level terms for the second time. Naismith was clipped as he ran down the right side and St Mirren had a free kick deep in the Queens half.
Mallan stepped in to take it and floated the ball into the box where it met the head of Gary MacKenzie. The defender headed into the path of his defensive partner Ben Gordon who swung a leg at it and watched as it deflected beyond Robinson.
Saints grew more confident but only after Jake Pickard wasted a huge chance for the Doonhamers. Dobbie bounded down the right and found Pickard in plenty of space but the youngster scooped the ball over.
MacKenzie almost joined his defensive partner on the scoresheet as he smashed the ball from the outside the box. It looked to be firing in to the corner of the net but Robinson made a fantastic save to deny the big defender his first Saints goal. From the corner, Morgan had a shot which ended up nestling into the arms of the keeper.
The game went back and forth with goalscorer Gordon doing brilliantly to deny Lyle what would have been a tap in as he cleared the cross ball. It was then The Buddies chance to go close as a looping Magennis header forced Robinson to tip over the bar. As the game continued to ebb and flow it was Queens who went close to going in front again as Dobbie was sniffing out a hat-trick. The striker burst into the box and it took a wonderful save from Gallacher to deny him the match ball.
Saints looked the more dominant and the manager made positive substitutions as the game was being stretched with Ryan Hardie and Calum Gallagher coming on for Rocco Quinn and Kyle McAllister.
With time ticking away it looked like the Buddies would have to settle for a point. But in the dying embers they won a corner. Initially it was cleared but only as far as Morgan who laid the ball off for Mallan who took a touch before firing it into the back of the net. The travelling Saints supporters were delirious as they ran to the trackside to celebrate with the players. It was no more than the team, or the supporters, deserved as St Mirren now look to climb up the Ladbrokes Championship.
Full Time: Queen of the South 2-3 St Mirren
St Mirren: Gallacher, Naismith, Gordon, MacKenzie, Irvine, Quinn (Hardie,73), Magennis, McAllister (Gallagher, 83), Mallan, Morgan, Sutton (Shankland,)
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Clarkson, McLear, Stewart
Queen of the South: Robinson, Hamill, Marshall, Dowie, Brownlie, Higgins, Anderson (Carmichael, 66) , Millar (Brotherston, 83), Lyle, Dobbie, Dykes (Pickard, 49)
Subs Not Used: Atkinson, Hooper, Moxon, Bell
Referee: Crawford Allan
Assistant Referee: Gary Hilland
Assistant Referee: Ryan Oliver
Attendance: 1,147
Match Gallery Pictures by John Millar - © millarpictures
Jason Naismith makes his 100th appearance for St Mirren as Jack Ross makes one change from the side that lost 3-1 to Falkirk on Saturday.
Ben Gordon returns in place of the suspended Jack Baird as Saints chase their first league win of the season away to Queen of the South.
Kick-off is at 19:45 from Palmerston Park and we'll have full updates on the official St Mirren Twitter page.
St Mirren: Gallacher, Naismith, Gordon, MacKenzie, Irvine, Quinn, Magennis, McAllister, Mallan, Morgan, Sutton
St Mirren Subs: Langfield, Stewart, Gallagher, Shankland, Clarkson, McLear, Hardie
This evening (Tuesday 6th December), St Mirren head down to Dumfries for a Ladbrokes Championship match-up with Queen of the South at Palmerston Park.
The info on Travel Clubs heading to Dumfries for the match is as follows:
Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus
We are sharing a bus with The Tile Bar for this match and we will leave Abercorn Street at 5:15pm.
Anyone looking for a ticket for the bus can contact Fraser Burns directly on 07788 291 571 as there are no tickets on sale from the bar.
Tile Bar Supporters Bus
The bus going to Dumfries for the Queen of the South game will leave at 5:15pm.
Bus tickets for this match are now on sale.
Chivas Travel Club
We are sharing a bus with the North End Travel Club for this match.
The bus is expected to leave the Court Bar at 5:30pm but roadworks may be an issue so please check with the Court Bar for a confirmed departure time when purchasing your ticket for the bus.
Tickets for the bus are now available from the Court Bar.
North End Travel Club
We are sharing a bus with the Chivas Travel Club for this match.
The bus is expected to leave the Court Bar at 5:30pm.
| Match | vs Queen of the South |
| Competition | Ladbrokes Championship |
| Venue | Palmerston Park, Dumfries |
| Date | Tue 6th December 2016 |
| Kick Off | 7:45pm |
| Entry By | Pay-at-the-Gate |
| Adult | £16 |
| Over 65 | £9 |
| Concession | £9 |
| Aged 16 to 21 | £9 |
| Under 16 | £5 |
| Adult (Disabled) | £8 |
| Over 65 (Disabled) | £5 |
| Concession (Disabled) | £5 |
| Aged 16 to 21 (Disabled) | £5 |
| Under 16 (Disabled) | £3 |
Additional Information
This evening, Tuesday 6th December, St Mirren head to Dumfries to face Queen of the South in the Ladbrokes Championship.
The gate prices have now been confirmed for the fixture at Palmerston Park and these are shown above.
The referee for tonight is Crawford Allan and he will be assisted by Gary Hilland and Ryan Oliver.
St Mirren make the journey down to Palmerston Park tomorrow night as they face Queen of the South in a rearranged Ladbrokes Championship fixture. The original match, scheduled for 12th November, was postponed due to both teams involvement in the IRN-BRU Cup quarter finals.
Saints come into tomorrow's game on the back of a 3-1 loss to Falkirk at the Falkirk Stadium on Saturday. The Buddies took the lead early on in the game when Lewis Morgan rocketed home a shot from a John Sutton knock down. The away side looked comfortable before defender Jack Baird was sent off before half time following an altercation with Falkirk's Lee Miller.
It was Miller who got the home side level just after the break before goals from Bob McHugh and Myles Hippolyte sealed the win for the Bairns. It was a frustrating result for Saints but the team performed well throughout and on another day it could've been so different.
Queen of the South will be looking for their first league win since a 3-1 home victory over Raith Rovers in September. The Doonhamers started the season off in great form but since that win, which put them top of the league, they have only drawn two of their following eight league matches. Most recently they lost 2-1 to Dumbarton in the Ladbrokes Championship on Saturday. Derek Lyle scored an 80th minute goal for Queens to pull them back into the game, but it wasn't enough to steal a late draw.
The two teams have met once this season with Queen of the South leaving Paisley with all three points as they saw St Mirren off with a 3-1 win. Experienced striker Lyle put Queens ahead before loanee Tom Walsh grabbed an equaliser with a spectacular effort. Lyle scored against just before half time before a second half goal from Stephen Dobbie clinched victory for the away side.
Saints had a better record against the Dumfries side last season winning three of the four meetings between the two clubs. The Buddies picked up their first league win of the 2015/16 season at Palmerston as goals from Sean Kelly and Steven Thompson sealed a 2-0 win at the start of September 2015.
The next meeting didn't take place until February 2016 with a Stevie Mallan free kick enough to give Saints the win. Just a week later the two teams met again in league action at Palmerston with the home side picking up a 1-0 win that time. The final clash came in March at the Paisley 2021 Stadium where Mallan was on the scoresheet once again to open the scoring before a Callum Tapping own goal secured a big three points for the Saints.
Queens will be looking for the clichéd new manager bounce as Gary Naysmith takes charge of the Doonhamers for the first time. The ex-Scotland International has become the club's new permanent manager, joining from East Fife, and officially begins his duties just in time for tomorrow's match.
For Saints, they know it's important to start putting points on the board with ninth place Dunfermline sitting nine points above the Saints. Improved performances under Jack Ross haven't yet translated to points and the manager will be keen to get these two married together as quickly as possible.
On Friday night SMiSA hosted an Evening with the Millennium Champions at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
Then St Mirren manager Tom Hendrie was joined by Matt Kerr and the title winning captain Tommy Turner along with Hugh Murray, Scott Walker, Ludovic Roy, Junior Mendes, Iain Nicholson and Tom Brown as they took part in a Q&A with supporters and watched highlights from that famous season.
Below is a selection of pictures by Allan Picken from the night.
St Mirren's search for a first league win of the season continued as the ten men Saints eventually fell to a 3-1 defeat against Falkirk at the Falkirk Stadium. However, the manner of the performance throughout the afternoon will give Jack Ross hope that that will come sooner rather than later.
Lewis Morgan gave the Buddies an early lead when he smashed the ball into the net in the 17th minute. Saints were doing well in the match before defender Jack Baird was sent off just before half time. Falkirk took advantage of the numbers game as they scored three second half goals to give themselves three points.
Kyle Magennis went on a driving run and held off the challenge from a Falkirk midfielder before finding Kyle McAllister on the right wing who curled an effort just beyond Rogers' right hand post.
Lewis Morgan had a strong header from the edge of the box that left Rogers unsure as it dipped just over the bar. It was a good start by Saints and a nice flick from McAllister found Naismith. The full back drove toward the box and played a ball across but there was no one to attack the ball.
It was Falkirk who had the best real chance to opening the scoring on 13 minutes when James Craigen forced a save from Scott Gallacher. The midfielder broke into the box on the left hand side and drove the ball toward the near post but Gallacher was equal to it as he pushed it wide.
Saints started the game strongly and got their reward in the 17th minute when Morgan put the Buddies ahead. The winger picked up the ball from a knock down and rifled it from the edge of the box beyond Rogers. The goalkeeper stood no chance as Morgan caught the ball sweetly to send Saints supporters into raptures.
The visitors were worthy of their lead and while the game had hit a bit of a lull Falkirk proved they were still in the game as Gallacher was forced into a save by Luca Gasparotto. The Canadian was on the end of Craigen's cross, but the goalkeeper was equal to it as he held the effort.
The warning signs were still there and it took a good goal saving tackle from Jason Naismith to deny John Baird from getting the Bairns level. The striker was found by Lee Miller and just as he was about to pull the trigger Naismith slid in to block the attempt and Saints cleared the danger.
Saints were dealt a major blow on 38 minutes when Jack Baird was shown a straight red card by Craig Thompson. The defender looked to have thrown a punch at Miller as both went in for a challenge and the referee showed no hesitation in sending Baird off.
Half Time: Falkirk 0-1 St Mirren
The second half was barely two minutes old when Falkirk got themselves level. Experienced striker Miller got on the end of Hippolyte's ball across from the left to tuck the ball beyond Gallacher to make it 1-1.
Hippolyte will never be a favourite of the Saints fans and was the subject of boos from the away support when he dived in the box looking for a penalty. The referee wasn't having it and the forward picked up a booking for his trouble.
Despite being down to ten men Saints were still battling hard in the match. Falkirk weren't getting any chances while St Mirren looked fairly threatening on the counter attack with the speed of Morgan, the physical threat of Sutton and the skill of Mallan and McAllister helping Saints create openings.
Just after the hour mark Morgan used his speed to burst down the left hand side and was unlucky not to find McAllister who would've been one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a great sliding challenge from Luke Leahy.
Kyle Magennis went close to giving St Mirren the lead for the second time in the match when his curling shot was headed just beyond the far post by a Falkirk defender. The corner didn't threaten
Falkirk took the lead in the 77th minute when subsitute Bob McHugh bundled home from a Bairns corner. The corner came after a wonderful save by the feet of Gallacher denied the home side the lead. But it only delayed it as the deep corner was headed back goal-ward and smashed into the back of the net by McHugh.
The Bairns killed the game off with around seven minutes remaining when Hippolyte smashed in a third for the hosts. The forward danced his way into the box and smashed the ball emphatically beyond Gallacher to secure all three points for the home side.
Full Time: Falkirk 3-1 St Mirren
St Mirren: Gallacher, Naismith, Baird, MacKenzie, Irvine, Quinn(Stewart, 61), Magennis, McAllister (Gallagher, 87), Mallan, Morgan, Sutton (Shankland, 74)
Subs Not Used: Langfield, McLear, Clarkson, Hardie
Falkirk: Rogers, Leahy, Muirhead, McCracken, Rankin (Sibbald, 45), Kerr, Baird (McHugh, 74), Hippolyte, Gasparotto, Miller, Craigen (Shepherd, 74)
Subs Not Used: Mehmet, Kidd, Grant, Watson
Referee: Craig Thompson
Assistant Referee: Dougie Potter
Assistant Referee: Alan Hogg
Attendance: 4,486 (392 Saints fans)
Match report pictures by Allan Picken – © Allan Picken Photography.
Match Gallery Pictures by John Millar - © millarpictures
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