Saints travel to Dumbarton tomorrow afternoon for the third meeting of the two sides in the Ladbrokes Championship this season.
The Buddies have yet to win against the Sons this season with a draw and a loss in the two meetings between the teams. In September, the now departed Ryan Hardie scored a first half equaliser cancelling out Andy Stirling's early effort. While, as has often been the case when the two sides face off, Garry Fleming was the scourge of St Mirren in November when his 63rd minute goal gave Dumbarton a 1-0 win at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
St Mirren's last win against Dumbarton came in February 2016 when Lawrence Shankland scored in the second half to secure a 1-0 win for the Buddies.
Jack Ross' side will look vastly different to the one that has faced Dumbarton already this season after an overhaul in the playing staff during the January transfer window. The manager has confirmed that Ben Gordon and Rocco Quinn are still out on the injured list while Lewis McLear is doubtful due to a hamstring problem. He also confessed that Stephen Mallan is currently 50/50 after a problem with his knee.
New signings Adam Eckersley and Harry Davis will be in line to make their debuts after signing deals with the club on transfer window deadline day. Saints will also be lining up with a new captain after the announcement that Stephen McGinn will now be skipper.
One of the players that left the club in January was Calum Gallagher who joined Stephen Aitken's men. Gallagher made 54 appearances during his time at St Mirren scoring eight goals. Gallagher has featured twice off the bench for the Sons since signing. Another ex-Saint likely to feature for Dumbarton is Stuart Carswell who left the Buddies in the summer.
There doesn't tend to be much between the Saints and the Sons when the two meet with neither team winning by more than a one goal margin since The Buddies came down to the Championship last season so another close encounter could be on the cards.
MANAGER'S THOUGHTS
"We play against a team that's in as good a form as anybody in this league. The run they've been on recently has been terrific and they deserve a huge amount of credit for it."
"We need to go and put a consistent run together and if we can do that then we'll have a positive end to the season. I believe in the group and I think it's a stronger group now."
"Adam is someone I've worked with previously at Hearts and played a big part in Hearts winning the Championship. He was a popular player amongst the players and supporters. It's a big asset for us.
"Harry's played a couple of hundred games at a good level in England and he's a good age. He's up here determined to prove how good he is and the incentive for him is that he can become a hero if he's part of a side that goes and gets us out of the situation we find ourselves in. They both come into the squad for the game."
