St Mirren claimed all three points in the most dramatic fashion with a 3-2 win away to St Johnstone.

An early Killian Phillips goal gave Saints an early, and well-deserved, first-half lead. Second-half goals from Makenzie Kirk and Benji Kimpioka looked like giving the Perth side all three points, only for St Mirren Youth Academy Evan Mooney to score his first senior goal with two minutes of normal time remaining. The Buddies were then awarded a penalty deep into injury-time following a VAR intervention after Roland Idowu's shot came off the hand of a St Johnstone defender. Mark O'Hara's spot-kick was saved by Josh Rae, but the drama didn't end there as a retake was ordered after the goalkeeper had come off his line. Idowu stepped up and slotted home in the 99th minute to see the points return to Paisley.

There were two changes from the side that lost agonisingly to Motherwell last weekend. Alex Gogic missed out due to suspension and was replaced by the returning Alex Iacovitti who made his first start since August after a lay-off with injury. Mikael Mandron also came into the starting eleven in place of Toyosi Olusanya.

Saints hit the front with just 10 minutes on the clock. Greg Kiltie drove down the left and found Mandron in the middle of the park around 25 yards from the St Johnstone goal. The forward found Phillips who had made a great run into the box and slotted coolly beyond Josh Rae to score his second goal for St Mirren. There was a brief VAR check for offside but Neilson had played the Irishman well onside. 

Killian Phillips celebrates our opener (Image: Willie Vass)

Saints were well worthy of the lead heading in to the half-time interval but didn't create many clear cut chances before the break. A floated Conor McMenamin ball over the top almost found Kiltie who would have gone one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but it had just too much on it which meant the forward couldn't bring it down to get a shot away.

St Johnstone drew level seven minutes after the restart. Nicky Clark slipped the ball to the unmarked Makenzie Kirk who took a touch before rifling a nice finish low into the far corner of the net from a tight angle.

Saints were dealt a major blow just after the hour mark when Richard Taylor had to be stretchered off with an injury. He was replaced by St Mirren Youth Academy graduate Luke Kenny, while Scott Tanser also made way for Declan John. Stephen Robinson made another double change five minutes later with the introduction of Roland Idowu and Olusanya in place of McMenamin and Mandron.

Phillips had a big chance for his and Saints' second on 71 minutes when a ball ricocheted into his path but he smacked over from close range.

St Johnstone should have hit the front when they won the ball in midfield and Kimpioka drove forward. He had options to his left and right but elected to go alone, only to be stopped by a brilliant challenge from Kenny.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, manager Stephen Robinson made his final substitution with Mooney, who only just  celebrated his 17th birthday on Wednesday, coming on for Kiltie as the Saints looked to turn one point into three.

But it was St Johnstone who took the lead when Kimpioka netted on 81 minutes. The forward played a one-two with Drey Wright and Elvis Bwomono tried to stop the ball reaching Kimpioka, but couldn't prevent it finding the striker who knocked beyond Ellery Balcombe from close-range. 

However, Saints looked like they grabbed a share of the spoils when Mooney showed great composure to draw us level with just two minutes of normal time remaining. O'Hara's cross to the back post found Iacovitti who headed back across goal. Rae couldn't gather under pressure from Phillips and Mooney slammed into the net to make it 2-2.

Evan Mooney celebrates after his first senior goal drew us level (Image: Willie Vass)

With seven minutes of added on time announced, St Johnstone captain Clark passed up a huge chance to put his side back in front when he sent a free header over from just a few yards over. 

There were huge appeals for a St Mirren penalty deep into stoppage time when an Idowu shot came off the hand of Jason Holt. Play carried on before referee Euan Anderson was sent over to the pitchside screen by VAR Steven McLean. After a quick check, the whistler pointed to the spot. Up stepped O'Hara but his effort was saved by Rae to the delight of the home support. However, the referee was advised that the St Johnstone goalkeeper had come off his line before the penalty was struck and ordered a re-take. This time Idowu was tasked with the spot kick and he rolled into the net, sending Rae the wrong way, to spark wild celebrations in the away end and ensure the points would be making their way back to Paisley.

Roland Idowu strokes home the winner from the penalty spot (Image: Willie Vass)

Full-Time: St Johnstone 2-3 St Mirren

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Iacovitti, Taylor (Kenny 64), Bwomono, O'Hara (c), Phillips, Tanser (John 64), McMenamin (Idowu 69), Mandron (Olusanya 69), Kiltie (Mooney 79)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Boyd-Munce, Smyth, Scott

St Johnstone: Rae, Mikulic, Sanders, Neilson (Keltjens 46), Holt, Clark (c), Wright, Sidibeh, Smith, Kirk, Kimpioka
Subs Not Used: Sinclair, Cameron, Carey, Essel, Kucheriavyi, McPake, Franczak, Brookfield

Referee: Euan Anderson
Assistant Referee: David Roome
Assistant Referee: Gordon McCabe
Fourth Official: Graham Grainger
VAR: Steven McLean

Attendance: 4,001

Stephen Robinson expects a difficult task at McDiarmid Park when he takes his Saints side to face St Johnstone in the William Hill Premiership.

The manager praised opposition number Simo Valakari who took over at the Perth side in October and admitted he anticipates a tight match against a good opponent. 

"I think they are a really good side," he told the media this morning.

"I've watched a lot of their games and they've played a 4-4-2 diamond which causes a lot of problems tactically as well and I believe Simo is putting his own stamp on the football club now.

It'll be a really tough game. There's nothing between the teams. It's a hard place to go to and to go up to Perth and get a result would be a big bonus for us."

Squad Update

Saints will be without Alex Gogic through suspension, while Charles Dunne remains unavailable with a hamstring injury.

Giving an update on the squad at today's press conference, the manager added: "Fully fit bar Charles who's still obviously not ready to go, but people are getting closer to full match fitness so a fully fit squad to pick from.

"It'll be somewhere in and around the Christmas period. It's an injury you've got to be very careful so we don't expect him to be available until the end of December. 

We've got Alex Iacovitti coming back to full fitness so that's a big plus for us. Alex gives you that aggression and leadership and is a real organiser.

"He's a wee bit old school, you need a variation and we feel when he's fully fit he'll provide that. He might have to be thrown in long before he's firing on all cylinders with our injury situation and suspensions."

Watch in full

The manager's full press conference is available to view now on St Mirren TV. 

The St Mirren FC 2025 Calendar signing will take place in the 1877 Club at The SMiSA Stadium on Wednesday 18th December 2024. 

Men's first-team players will be on hand from 5pm until 7pm (last entry at 6:45pm) to sign calendars and meet supporters. 

Calendars, which are now available at the St Mirren club shop, can be purchased on the night or from the club shop prior to the signing.

Please note that only calendars will be signed by the players, no other merchandise will be permitted to be signed on the night. 

Saints make the journey to Perth on Saturday to face St Johnstone in the William Hill Premiership.

St Johnstone vs St Mirren
William Hill Premiership
Venue: McDiarmid Park
Date: Saturday 14th December 2024
Kick-off: 3pm

Ticket Info

Tickets for the match are only on sale online with the exception of wheelchair and personal assistant (PA) tickets which can be purchased directly from St Johnstone. 

Adult - £25
Family Adult* - £20
Concessions** - £16
U12*** - £0

*One adult with max two U12. For the £20 family deal, all ticket holders enter via turnstile five.
**65 and over, U21 or full-time student
***Only with an adult

Ambulant disabled supporters must be in receipt of PIP/DLA and will be asked to verify this when purchased online.

Wheelchair Tickets

Wheelchair and PA tickets can be purchased directly from St Johnstone FC Ticket Office on 01738 459090. Adult/concession wheelchair tickets are £25/£16 respectively. PA ticket is included in the price. 

Follow the Action

If you can't make the match on Saturday, you can follow the action with updates on our X page.

International subscribers to St Mirren TV can watch the match live on tv.stmirren.com, while UK subscribers can listen to live audio commentary.

Supporter Info

• Turnstiles will open at 2pm. Please use T5-7
• Kiosks will be contactless and cash.
• Car parking available £5 per car. No cost for buses.
• Flags/banners should be within regulations and must have a fire certificate. No offensive or political flags will be allowed. Please display all flags/banners to the CCTV cameras before entering the stadium. Please do not hang over advertising boards or vomitory exits.
• No balaclavas or face coverings will be allowed on entering or within the stadium. Refusal of entry or ejection will occur if face coverings are seen.
• No pyro! No megaphones!
• No bags bigger than A4 allowed.
• No surfing banners or telescopic poles allowed.
• One Drum allowed and drum will be searched and must fit through turnstile.
• Searching will be in place.
• Any inebriated fans will not be allowed to enter the stadium.
• Fully no smoking/vaping stadium with no pass out at any point in time.

It's a battle of the Saints as St Mirren head to Perth on Saturday to face St Johnstone. 

Stephen Robinson's side are looking to bounce back after a frustrating 1-0 defeat at home to Motherwell last weekend. 

The Buddies sit in seventh place in the William Hill Premiership - four points ahead of Saturday's opponents. 

Match Details

St Johnstone v St Mirren
Competition: William Hill Premiership
Date: Saturday 14th December 2024
Kick-off: 3pm 
Venue: McDiarmid Park

The Opposition

St Johnstone picked up a point last time out after a 1-1 draw away to Aberdeen last weekend. Makenzie Kirk opened the scoring for the Perth side before they were pegged back in the second-half.

The Perth Saints were edged out in their last match at McDiarmid Park with Jason Holt's own goal seeing Simo Valakari's side lose 1-0 to Rangers. 

St Mirren defeated St Johnstone in the only meeting between the two this season. Taking place at The SMiSA Stadium, St Johnstone took an early lead through Benji Kimpioka. Scott Tanser's sensational effort, which won William Hill SPFL Goal of the Month for October, drew Saints level before second-half goals from Mark O'Hara and Jonah Ayunga saw us run out 3-1 winners. 

Scott Tanser celebrates goal against St Johnstone (Image: Allan Picken)

The Officials

Euan Anderson is the referee on Saturday. His assistants are David Roome and Gordon McCabe.

Steven McLean is the video assistant referee (VAR). 

Supporters should note that the St Mirren Ticket Office will be closed on Thursday (12th Dec).

Tickets for our next two matches, away to St Johnstone and Ross County, are available online. Click HERE for St Johnstone ticket info and HERE for Ross County ticket info. 

The Ticket Office will re-open on Friday (13th Dec) at 10am.

Tickets for our William Hill Premiership match away to Ross County on Saturday 21st December are on sale online.

These tickets will be digital only and available until kick-off. Please note there will be no physical sale of tickets on the day.

Ross County v St Mirren
Competition: William Hill Premiership
Date: Saturday 21st December 2024
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: The Global Energy Stadium, Dingwall

Ross County Ticket Prices

Adult - £28
Concessions* - £15
U18 - £10
U12** - £6

*Over 65, 18-21 (Student)
**Must be accompanied by an over 18

Ambulant disabled supporters are charged at the relevant age group with carer free of charge if proof is provided. Wheelchair users should contact Ross County directly on 01349 860 860. 

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

St Mirren Ticket Office email: tickets@stmirren.com 

St Mirren Football Club has today launched a new strategy as we aim to be the best community centred development football club in Scotland.

Tickets for our William Hill Premiership match away to St Johnstone on Saturday 14th December are on sale online.

Tickets for this match are only on sale online with the exception of wheelchair and personal assistant (PA) tickets which can be purchased directly from St Johnstone. 

St Johnstone v St Mirren
Competition: William Hill Premiership
Date: Saturday 14th December 2024
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: McDiarmid Park, Perth

St Johnstone Ticket Prices

Adult - £25
Family Adult* - £20
Concessions** - £16
U12*** - £0

*One adult with max two U12. For the £20 family deal, all ticket holders enter via turnstile five.
**65 and over, U21 or full-time student
***Only with an adult

Ambulant disabled supporters must be in receipt of PIP/DLA and will be asked to verify this when purchased online.

Wheelchair Tickets

Wheelchair and PA tickets can be purchased directly from St Johnstone FC Ticket Office on 01738 459090. Adult/concession wheelchair tickets are £25/£16 respectively. PA ticket is included in the price. 

There are a limited amount of accessible parking bays for visiting supporters to book in advance (£5 cash on the day). Please email dao@perthsaints.co.uk with your name and vehicle registration to book. 

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

St Mirren Ticket Office email: tickets@stmirren.com 

A last gasp goal consigned Saints to a disappointing defeat to Motherwell.

The game appeared to be heading for an instantly forgettable goalless draw, neither side doing anywhere near enough to win the game. However, in the final seconds of injury time Alex Gogic was shown a second yellow for a clip and when Lennon Miller swung in the free-kick, Tony Watt sent the away fans wild when his glancing header found the net.

Conor McMenamin had had the best Saints' chances up to that point, twice being denied by Aston Oxborough, while Ellery Balcombe in the opposite goal had dealt with efforts from Steve Seddon and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and looked to have done enough to ensure the spoils were shared until the late drama.

Marcus Fraser's red card against Dundee United being overturned meant Saints could start with the same team for the fourth game in a row. Lennon Miller, who had caused the Buddies problems when the sides met at Fir Park earlier in the season, captained the visitors, who also started one-time Saints loanee Tony Watt.

Conor McMenamin tried to catch Aston Oxborough out with an early Saints free-kick but it lacked the necessary pace to cause any real problems, Greg Kiltie then seeing his shot deflected wide. Motherwell threatened when Jair Tavares hit the bar after Ellery Balcombe had punched the ball away, although the whistle had already gone for a foul on the Saints keeper. It was then the hosts' turn to be denied by the woodwork as Kiltie set up McMenamin and his effort appeared to be tipped onto the bar by Oxborough, although the officials only gave a goal kick.

The Motherwell goalie dealt easily enough with Alex Gogic's header from a free-kick after Shane Blaney was booked for fouling Killian Phillips. It was then Gogic's turn to enter the book when he tripped Andy Halliday just outside the box, the former Rangers man curling the free-kick past the far post although one of his team-mates had strayed offside.

Saints almost made a spectacular start to the second half as McMenamin cut inside before stinging Oxborough's palms from distance. However, the scrappiness of the first half soon returned, what little flow there was being interrupted by a series of needles bookings. As the final quarter approached, Motherwell went close to breaking the deadlock when Halliday lifted the ball over the top and Steve Seddon met it perfectly on the volley, only to see his shot tipped onto the bar by Balcombe.

Mikael Mandron and Roland Idowu were introduced in place of  Kiltie and Toyosi Olusanya and the latter quickly won a free-kick, McMenamin's effort being saved by Oxborough. Moments later the Saints defence were caught out by a ball over the top and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos was through, however Balcombe was alert to the danger and blocked the shot.

As the game looked set to peter out, Gogic was shown a second yellow card in the final few seconds. Miller delivered a wonderful free-kick into the box and Watt was there to head home and snatch victory for the visitors.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-1 Motherwell

St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Bwomono (Ayunga 84), Phillips, O'Hara, Tanser, McMenamin, Olusanya (Mandron 68), Kiltie (Idowu 67)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Iacovitti, John, Boyd-Munce, Smyth, Mooney

Motherwell: Oxborough, Tavares (Kalete 77), Casey, Gordon, Blaney, Seddon, Wilson (Paton 72), Halliday (Nicholson 83), Miller, Watt, Stamatelopoulos (Moses 77)
Subs Not Used: Hegyi, O'Donnell, Balmer, Zdravkovski, Maswanhise

Referee: Dan McFarlane
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: Craig Ferguson
Fourth Official: Duncan Williams
VAR: Don Robertson

Attendance: 6,111