St Mirren have a break from league action this week as they travel north tomorrow to take on Aberdeen in the fourth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup.
The Buddies will be looking to make an impression on the Premier League outfit, having extended their unbeaten run to seven, after last weeks 2-0 triumph away to Dumbarton, with in-form Cammy Smith netting the first, followed by captain Stephen McGinn's first goal of the season.
St Mirren will need to be at their very best as Aberdeen will be going into the game with confidence, as they currently hold second place in the Scottish Premiership; and having had their two week winter break, including a trip to Dubai, Derek McInnes' side will be fresh and raring to go in the more familiar Scottish climate.
This will be the first time the two sides have met in three years since Saints dropped out of the Premiership in 2015, with the last encounter finishing 3-0 to the Dons, after a brace from Adam Rooney and the third headed in from Mark Reynolds. Both scorers could feature this time around also, with Rooney scoring the only goal in Aberdeen's last victory over Partick Thistle, winning 1-0 at the end of December.
This could be the Saints fans first chance to catch a glimpse of their new signings. Creative midfielder Ryan Flynn, who was released from Oldham Athletic last week signed for St Mirren on Monday and midfielder Mark Hill who signed on loan until the end of the season from Celtic on Tuesday.
Saints progressed from the previous round after a resounding 7-1 victory away to Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale with four goals from Gavin Reilly and a goal a piece for Lewis Morgan, Jack Baird and Cammy Smith. This will be Aberdeen's first tie this year and they will no doubt be on the hunt for Scottish Cup glory, having narrowly lost out to a last minute winner against Celtic in last year's final.
It has been over a quarter of a century since either side won the coveted trophy, with St Mirren's last success coming in 1987 after Ian Ferguson's winner in extra time against Saints now league rivals, Dundee United.
Jack Ross and his side won a lot of plaudits for their performance in the tournament last year; in particular their gutsy effort against Celtic in the quarter final at Celtic Park, who then went on to win the tournament.
It is expected to be a tight affair with both teams flying high in their respective divisions. Kick off will be at 12.15PM and will be shown on BBC 1 Scotland for those not able to make the journey to Aberdeen. Whatever happens it will be a good test for Jack Ross and his team, and should hold them in good stead going forward for the rest of the season.
