Allan McManus signed off his spell as caretaker manager today with an impressive 2-1 win away to Hibernian in the IRN-BRU Cup.  Allan believes his side deserves to be in Monday’s quarter-final draw.

“I’m absolutely over the moon for the players. That is what they deserved after how they have worked the last three weeks. You couldn’t have asked for the boys to be working any harder to try and make things right and turn their season around. So I thought they thoroughly deserved that today, to come to a place like Easter Road against easily the best team in the division, in my opinion, and play under that pressure with composure and game management. When things weren’t going their way in the game, they were dogged and they worked hard, I think at the end of the day nobody can grudge them that victory.”

Allan reckons the Saints players showed real mental strength today to battle back from a goal down to win the tie.

“When you are down there that is probably the biggest issue, mental strength or how the mind thinks as it’s easy to think negatively all the time. But it’s something that we have been hammering home to them the last three weeks that they are good players and they do work hard, they’ve worked their backsides off and you never earn the right to dominate a game for ninety minutes so if it’s not going your way it is just to believe that you are a good player and to keep doing the right things and keep taking the ball under pressure. To a man today every one of them done that.

“I’m absolutely delighted for Clarky coming on, Shanks and Gal who have not had as much football as they probably deserve in the last couple of weeks but I think they have all played a massive part today. Hopefully it gives the boys that kick-start, they have shown today and hopefully they can take that confidence into the league campaign starting next week.”

For the second week running substitutions made by Allan have turned out to be inspired.

“You can say it is inspired or you can say it is a bit of luck. At the end of the day we live and die by the decisions that we make, so yes it has went well for us. Clarky, Shanks and Gal have been champing at the bit the last two weeks and they get their rewards for that today. When you have got boys that are working so hard in training and desperate to get on the pitch you know that when you put them on that they will be desperate to do well. They’ve done fantastically well today but the rest of the players were fantastic as well.”

Allan thought bad fortune was still dogging Saints when the winning goal was initially flagged offside but a change of heart by the officials meant the goal stood.

“We were thinking ‘here we go again’ and it was going to go against us. Speaking to the boys in there, although Shanks was maybe in an offside position he hasn’t interfered with the ball or touched it and it has gone in. He has not interfered with play at the end of the day and that’s the rules, and that’s the breaks that we deserve.”

With Allan signing off his last game in charge with a win he hopes that it will help push the side on under the new management team of Jack Ross and James Fowler as they look to improve their fortunes in the Championship. 

“It’s always great to win a game of football but I keep saying that it’s not about me. It’s about the team, about the club and where we are in the league just now and I’ve always said that is about trying to get the boys believing in themselves and working that bit harder and trying to pay the right way.

“I said this week that there would be nothing better than to go and get a result so it allows the manager and James to come in on Monday to pick up the reins with the place on a high after a deserved victory, and hopefully the boys take that into the league campaign next weekend.”

St Mirren booked their place in the IRN-BRU Cup quarter final after a 2-1 win away to Hibs in caretaker Allan McManus' final game in charge. Jack Ross was appointed as new manager earlier this week but it was McManus who took Saints one final time and the Head of Youth Development at the Buddies signed off in perfect fashion with St Mirren into the hat for the next round of the cup. 

Hibs started the game on top with an early offside flag foiling James Keatings before Andrew Shinnie went close with just two minutes on the clock when he cut in from the left but dragged his shot wide of Langfield's near post. However, St Mirren grew into the game and had a great opportunity to open the scoring when Tom Walsh robbed Jordan Forster in the final third and burst in on goal but the effort from a tight angle was tame and nestled into the arms of Marciano.

A foul by Walsh on Martin Boyle yielded a free kick for Hibs from which Keatings flashed a teasing ball across the box but nobody could get on the end of it with Hibees captain David Gray coming close as he ghosted in at the back post.

It was a drab encounter with very little in the way of goalmouth action. Shinnie had a shot blocked for the hosts whilst Stephen Mallan put a long range shot straight into the arms of Marciano.

Hibs took the lead with less than 10 minutes until half-time through Alex Harris. The winger cut in from the left and got away from Kyle Hutton - who slipped - before dispatching the ball beyond Langfield. There was nothing the goalkeeper could do and it looked like Hibs would be going into the break ahead.

But St Mirren were back on level terms following a stunning free kick from Mallan after Rocco Quinn was fouled 25 yards outside the box by Dylan McGeouch. It was Mallan territory as the 20 year-old stepped up and dispatched the free kick beyond the reach of Marciano to the delight of the travelling Saints fans. It was Mallan's second of the season after scoring in the previous round of the IRN-BRU Cup against Albion Rovers and was reminiscent of his goal against Hibs at Easter Road in January.

Half Time: Hibernian 1-1 St Mirren

Saints came out in the second half buoyed by Mallan's goal and had an early penalty shout denied when John Sutton looked to have been pulled back in the box but Willie Collum was unmoved.

Hibs took control in the second half though and there was a huge let off for the Buddies on 50 minutes when Keatings ballooned a shot over the bar. David Gray's low cross along the box found the striker in loads of space but, with the goal gaping, he fired it over the bar. Had he hit the target it was sure to have gone in and the Hibees man will have been disappointed that he failed to do so.

The hosts almost got themselves back in front with a long range fizzer from Dylan McGeouch. McGeouch was pulling the strings in the Hibees midfield and he was unlucky to see his effort crack off the post but it was another let-off for the Buddies.

Allan McManus responded by changing shape from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-1-1 with the introduction of David Clarkson, coming on for Rocco Quinn but it was still Hibs who were having the better of the game and less than a minute after the sub they could've been 2-1 ahead when Alex Harris got on the end of Fyvie's long pass but Langfield was equal to his deft touch, denying him a second goal.

Lawrence Shankland was Saints final substitution and it was a sub that paid dividends almost immediately as he linked up with David Clarkson to set up St Mirren's second goal. The striker brilliantly picked out Clarkson who had burst into the box and he slid in to poke the ball beyond Marciano. Hibs were furious as they felt Shankland had got a touch on the ball from an offside position after Clarkson hit the shot but that wasn't the case and the goal stood.

There were a few heart in mouth moments for Saints before the contest was over with a fantastic last ditch challenge from Baird denying Jason Cummings before Marvin Bartley put a header straight into Langfield's arms right at the death. However, this was to be St Mirren's day and they march on in the IRN-BRU Cup.

FULL TIME: Hibernian 1-2 St Mirren

St Mirren: Langfield, Naismith, MacKenzie, Baird, Irvine, Hutton, Quinn (Clarkson 63), Mallan, Walsh (Gallagher 74), Morgan, Sutton (Shankland 82)
Subs not used: Willison, McDonald, Whyte, O'Keefe

Hibernian: Marciano, Gray, McGregor, Forster, Hanlon, Fyvie, McGeouch, Shinnie (Bartley 69), Boyle (Cummings 69), Harris (Holt 84) , Keatings
Subs not used: Laidlaw, Stevenson, Eardley, Graham

Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: Brian Templeton
Assistant Referee: Gordon Crawford

Attendance: 4,392

Match report and gallery pictures by John Millar – © John Millar.

St Mirren head to Easter Road tomorrow afternoon to face Neil Lennon’s Hibernian side for the second time this season.

The teams met back on 20th August when two goals from Jason Cummings in a ten minute period midway through the first half was enough for the Edinburgh side to leave Paisley with maximum points.

After an outstanding start to the season the Hibees have stumbled a bit over the last few weeks as they have lost top spot in the league to Queen of the South, albeit they only sit a point behind in second place. It started with a game at home against Ayr United which looked to be well in hand as Hibs led from a goal early in the second half by that man Cummings again but the game swung after Marvin Bartley was red carded with little more than twenty minutes remaining. The Ayrshire side scored two late goals to claim the points and shock Hibs. A goalless draw with fellow title challengers Queen of the South was followed by a 1-1 draw with Dundee United last weekend. Again Hibs had the lead through James Keatings but United hit back to earn a share of the points.

For all that Hibs are always going to be a formidable threat with Jason Cummings in their line-up. The 21-year-old has already banged in eight goals this term, two of them against Saints back in August.

Ex-Buddies Darren McGregor and John McGinn now ply their trade at Easter Road but McGinn won’t be available for selection tomorrow as he is with the Scotland side as they prepare for their match tomorrow evening against Lithuania.

Neil Lennon has a lot of quality in his side and will have the likes of Club Captain David Gray, Paul Hanlon, Lewis Stevenson, Fraser Fyvie, Andrew Shinnie, Dylan McGeouch, Alex Harris, Marvin Bartley and James Keatings at his disposal.

This week has been a very positive one for St Mirren. After Tom Walsh’s late equaliser against Falkirk last Saturday to grab a precious league point, Jack Ross was named as the club’s new manager on Tuesday and earlier today James Fowler was confirmed as his assistant.  Tomorrow will see Allan McManus oversee the first team for the final time as he bows down from his care-taking duties as Jack Ross comes in on Monday.

Tomorrow’s IRN-BRU Cup, 4th Round tie will see the sides face each other for the time in the Challenge Cup tournament. In fact they haven’t been drawn together in cup football since 26th February 2005 when they met in a Scottish Cup tie at Easter Road which the Hibees won 2-0 thanks to goals from Scott Brown and Garry O’Connor.

More often than not the form book can go out the window with cup football so we are sure to see an exciting tie at Easter Road tomorrow as both sides look to start pushing forward with their season.

As Saints get ready to head to Edinburgh for tomorrow’s IRN-BRU Cup tie against Hibernian, defender Gary Irvine is set for a tough encounter at Easter Road and although he knows that new manager Jack Ross won’t be physically present at the game as he fulfils his last duty with Alloa, Gary is aware that his new gaffer will be keeping close tabs on what is happening at Easter Road. 

“It’s a wee break from the league going into a cup game which is always good. It’s a very tough fixture as Hibs have started well and obviously we’re going to Easter Road which is difficult.

“Like I say, with the way the week has gone with the new manager being appointed we know that his eyes will be on the game even though he is taking Alloa at the weekend. The boys will have that in their mind as well, that it is a fresh start for everybody with a new manager coming in and it is time to impress again and Saturday is the first time to do it.”

While Saints are the underdogs for tomorrow’s cup tie at Easter Road, Gary reckons underdogs are always in with a decent chance.

“I don’t really look at cup games like that because cup games are hard games for everybody, it doesn’t matter what team is in form in the league and what team is doing well going by where you are sitting in the league. A cup game can always cause upsets, the less favoured team can cause an upset and get the result and progress in the cup and go on a good run.

“At the end of the day everybody wants to win trophies in their career and it’s a cup game and we have got a chance to do that, that’s my frame of mind. I think everybody in that dressing room will be the same, you want to go out there and you want to win as many things as you can in your career and this cup game is no different.”

New manager Jack Ross will pick up his managerial duties next Monday and Gary is glad that the process of picking a new gaffer is over and everybody can start to move forward to try and progress the club again.

“It’s dragged on for maybe two, two-and-a-half weeks and it was just a new name every single day for the boys and naturally as footballers you start asking ‘what is this person like and what is that person like’. But now that we know who it is that is coming in and know that he has had a good career as a player and has had a good start to his management career as well, yes you start getting excited now. It’s back to a new manager coming in and back to everybody in that dressing room having to impress him now and be part of his plans and show him what each of us can do.

“There are small connections with things like Ben Gordon who is on loan at Alloa at the minute and also ex St Mirren players like Jim Goodwin so all these wee bits, not for myself personally, let the boys keep in touch with each other and you learn what kind of coach he is. But all that will be cemented by himself as he’ll come in and have his own ideas and take them out to the training ground. It’s alright hearing all the wee rumours but it’s what he does on the training pitch and I’m sure all the boys are looking forward to working with him.

“It’s always good in football, you’ll always learn in football. Every single day you will learn something new and when it is a new coach coming in it will be new ideas, fresh ideas and something different, all these things are good for players to come in and take on board what the manager is wanting, his style of play and his training methods. “

Tomorrow will see Allan McManus take temporary charge of the first team for the last time. Gary is appreciative of Allan’s efforts over the last few weeks.

“It’s been brilliant to be fair. He is an ex-teammate of mine from St Johnstone so I knew him really well and just to see his coaching methods you can see how much he has come on in coaching as well.

“All of the things he was doing over the last two weeks have been brilliant as the boys have taken to it. Again fresh ideas, a wee bit of fun and there was hard work there as well, I think the boys took to Allan really well. It was a great experience for Allan and the boys also really enjoyed it.

“He is doing a great job with the young boys in the youth set-up but it would be good to have him about putting in his ideas as well.”

The last couple of week’s Gary has taken on the captain’s armband due to the absence of Andy Webster, a role he has been honoured to take on.

“Throughout my career I’ve always fell into that position as being one of the names to take the armband and hopefully lead on the pitch for the other players. It’s always a good honour and a good thing as a player as well to have that armband and show that you are leading all the boys out.

“In the last couple of weeks, despite getting nothing at Dunfermline, I personally think that there was improvement there. Last week again we showed as we kept on digging in that we eventually got something from the game, so there were improvements there and when you are the captain and you’re feeling that there is a wee change in the team it is always a positive and it’s something to be proud of.”

Over the upcoming October Week school holiday the Street Stuff team will be running sessions from Monday 17th October to Friday 21st October.

The sessions provide young people aged between 10 and 18 with a range of FREE activities including Street Football with coaches from St Mirren Football Club, dance lessons and access to the youth bus.

A healthy meal or sandwiches will also be provided free of charge to all participants at the sessions.

These sessions are a great way for young people to get out and have fun in a safe, healthy and positive environment with access to high quality facilities and top class coaching from St Mirren Football Club.

Street Stuff is a diversionary project providing young people with an opportunity to have fun, get fit and active and meet other people their age.

Street Stuff is run in partnership with Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Engage Renfrewshire and St Mirren Football Club.

The Street Stuff timetable for the October Week school holiday is as follows:

Monday 17th October

Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Bargarran Primary School, Erskine
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Tuesday 18th October

Venue: Gallowhill MUGA
Events: Football, Youth Bus
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Cold sandwich or wrap with juice etc.

Venue: Glenburn Community Centre
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Our Lady of Peace MUGA, Linwood
Events: Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Cold sandwich or wrap with juice etc.

Wednesday 19th October

Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Bargarran Primary School, Erskine
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal 

Thursday 20th October

Venue: Gallowhill MUGA
Events: Football, Youth Bus
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Cold sandwich or wrap with juice etc.

Venue: Glenburn Community Centre
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Our Lady of Peace MUGA, Linwood
Events: Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Cold sandwich or wrap with juice etc.

Friday 21st October

Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

Venue: Bargarran Primary School, Erskine
Events: Dance, Youth Bus, Football
Time: 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Food: Healthy meal

If you require any further info please contact Stephen Gallacher on mobile: 07557 281 581 or by e-mail: stephen.gallacher@stmirren.com. 

For more information on Street Stuff Dance please contact Street Stuff Dance Co-ordinator, Rachel Elliott on Tel: (0141) 840-6125, Mob: 07702 865 4925, E-mail: rachel.elliott@stmirren.com.

To learn more about Street Stuff please visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/streetstuff.

St Mirren in the Community are now taking bookings for the upcoming October Week Holiday Football Camps.

The Camps will run over the school October Week holiday at the club’s exclusive Carbrini@JD Airdome from Monday 17th October to Friday 21st October.

There will be camps for 3 to 5 year olds and 6 to 12 year olds, a Goalkeeper Camp and a Breakfast Club for those who need to drop their kids off at the camps a bit earlier.

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 by downloading and printing the booking form, completing it in full and returning it to the address provided.

To download the booking form please click here.

For further information please contact the St Mirren in the Community team by e-mail: communityadmin@stmirren.com.

Allan McManus will take the first team for the last time tomorrow as the arrival of new manager Jack Ross, who takes over on Monday, bring’s Allan’s time as caretaker gaffer to a close. Allan is looking forward to tomorrow’s IRN-BRU Cup tie at Easter Road against Hibernian and he expects it to be a real test for the Buddies.

“It’s going to be a tough game but it is a game that we look forward to. I think that we can see that there has been improvement over the last two weeks and the boys have a bit of confidence about them and they are comfortable enough to go and pass the ball under a bit of pressure.

“They have worked so hard again this week and I can’t ask for anymore from them but we are fully aware that the game on Saturday will be a difficult one, but it is one that I believe that we are prepared for. If the boys are composed and they work as hard as they have been doing then they can get a positive result from the game.”

One school of thought is that when things are not going so well in the league campaign that cup ties tend to take off the pressure a bit, Allan believes that all forms of competition bring their own pressure.

“At the end of the day we are a professional football club and any game that we are involved in we want to win. We’re taking part in a competition and it is a competition we want to go and see how far we can go in it. So I certainly wouldn’t be playing the game down, as I say it is an opportunity for the boys involved to continue taking the team forward and improving.

“There would be nothing better for the club and for the team than to get a result on Saturday and it means that when the manager comes in on Monday that everything is upbeat and we’re ready to kick on and move up the table.”

Allan already knows new manager Jack Ross and he is looking forward to building a good working relationship with the new gaffer.

“I’m fortunate enough that I know the manager. I spoke with him several times before and I have played against him. I’m looking forward to him coming in, it’s exciting times. With everything changing at the club everything is looking positive and it is going to be. From my own personal point of view, it will be great to be part of that moving things forward.”

Allan will be continuing his work at the Academy but he declares that he is more than happy to help out the new management team whenever they need him.

“I have absolutely loved everything that I have done here. I’ve to speak to the manager about one or two things and maybe there is an opportunity to still assist him in some way, whether that be in match days or at training we’ll just have to wait and see about that, that will be his decision.

“Back at the Academy we will continue to do what we are doing there and keep moving things forward. Things are going relatively well there as well, we’ve got a lot of good promising young players and ultimately that is my job to try and get them in and about the first team. But if the manager wants me to assist him in any way then I’ll be delighted to do so.”

A new manager is a fresh start for everybody, something the squad of players are being made aware of.

“They obviously know who the new manager is but at the end of the day we’re saying it is a fresh start for everybody as I’m sure the manager will come in with an open mind. It’s up to the players to show him that they are good enough to start. I’ve said to them that we have a squad here of around 22 players, at the end of the day the manager can only start eleven at any one time. So with how they have went about their business so far they have got to keep that work rate and that work ethic whether they are starting the game or coming on as a sub or they’re not taking part at the moment. They have got to continue to work hard and the ones that aren’t starting have got to work that bit harder to force their way into the manager’s plans. That is ultimately what it will be as everybody is just going to have to work as hard as they can to try and get that starting jersey.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s match at Easter Road, Allan has a full squad at his disposal but he reckons he has a few tough choices to make.

“No major concerns at all, we have a full squad to pick from. The boys did particularly well last week albeit they didn’t get the three points. The guys who haven’t started have been absolutely fantastic so we have a few selection headaches for the weekend because some boys who haven’t started are certainly showing the right attitude and possibly deserve to be involved more than they have been recently.”

Additional Information

Tomorrow, Saturday 8th October, St.Mirren head to Edinburgh to face Hibernian in the 4th Round of the IRN-BRU Cup.

The ticket prices have now been confirmed for the cup tie at Easter Road and these are shown above.

Tickets for this match are now on sale at the St Mirren Ticket Office. 

St Mirren Ticket Office hours for today (Friday 7th October) are 10:00am - 2:00pm

Tickets can be bought from the South Stand pod on the day of the game for cash only from 1:00pm onwards.

The referee tomorrow is William Collum and he will be assisted by Brian Templeton and Gordon Crawford.

In the event of a draw after normal time, extra time of 30 minutes (i.e. 15 minutes each way) will take place and thereafter, if necessary, penalty kicks.

For directions to Easter Road click here

St Mirren Football Club has appointed James Fowler as assistant manager. James was previously Queen of the South manager where he guided them to the Championship play-offs in the 2014/15 season before leaving the club in April this year. 

New St Mirren manager, Jack Ross said: "I am delighted to be able to bring James to the club and thank the board for their assistance in doing so. 

"James has a great pedigree in the game as a player and has enjoyed success as a manager in his own right. These attributes and experiences ensure that he will be an asset to both me and the club as we strive to drive upwards."

James reflects on the last few days that have just flown past.

“It’s been a whirlwind last 36, 48 hours. Obviously with Jack getting the job I just sent him a wee message congratulating him and he said that there might be an opportunity to come in and it was something that I was really positive about and I’m delighted to be here.

“I’ve known him [Jack Ross] for a long time just within the circles of football but I’ve been keeping track of what he has been doing as well at Alloa. I’ve been over to see him the last few weeks when he has been there and I’m delighted to come in and I’m looking forward to working with him full-time.”

James has been impressed with the squad that he and Jack have inherited and is looking forward to the job ahead.

“I’ve been to a few games this season as well so I’ve seen the current squad, exciting young players here as well a few older experienced heads so I think there is a really good blend and we’re just looking forward to getting started working with them.

“I think it is a great opportunity to be able to help Jack. I’ve done that role of manager as well, I know roughly what he will be expecting of me having been in that position myself so I’m here to work with him and obviously Allan McManus as well and we’re really excited with the group of players we have got. We’re not in a great position just now but it is all positive looking forward and catching the teams above us.”

James will be at tomorrow’s game against Hibs but mostly just as an observer.

“I’m going to go, I’ll just be in the Boardroom I think having a look at the players probably without having too much input, we’ll leave that till Jack starts on Monday but if there is anything there that I can help Allan with once I’m in the door, that’s me here.”

Watch the full interview here

RIGHT NOW, the SPFL Trust and clubs are working with Scotland’s mental health charity SAMH on a project about Scottish football supporters, particularly men.

It shocks a lot of people, but suicide is actually the biggest killer of men under the age of 45.

A recent Supporters Direct Scotland Scottish Football survey revealed that two-thirds of respondents have experienced, or have seen a family member or friend suffer from, poor mental health.

SAMH is working on something, and it could be massive, but we need your help.

They’ve put together a short survey which we’re asking supporters to help us out by answering.

The process we’re involved in will help SAMH shape up a major bid to secure the type of support which could help thousands of people across every club in the SPFL and beyond.

It won’t take longer than three minutes to complete, and if you leave your details we’ll enter you into a draw to win a pair of tickets to a home game at your club (subject to availability, T&Cs apply). 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT SAMH.ORG.UK/TEAMTALK