UEFA Conference League, 2nd Qualifying Round, L1
25th July 2024
Hlíðarendi Stadium, Reykjavik, Iceland
Valur 0-0 St. Mirren
A. Jóhannsson 81
ATT: 1,200
Referee: Damian Kos (Poland)
VAR: N/A
- Saints play their first match in European competition since 1987, gaining a credible draw against the Icelandic title chasers who were halfway through their season.
- Club debuts were given to goalkeeper Ellery Balacombe and midfielder Oisin Smyth who started, with Dennis Adeniran and Roland Idowu joining them from the bench.
- Jaden Brown made his first start for the club after his loan from Lincoln City was made permanent, with James Scott appearing as a sub following his transfer from Exeter sign during the summer, also after a loan spell the previous season.
- Saints were without the suspended Shaun Rooney, as well as injured trio Iacovitti, Kiltie, and McMenamin, however look very sharp despite lack of competitive action.
- The visitors spurn multiple great opportunities to take a lead back to Paisley, however are content to take a draw in front of around a restricted 300 or so Saints fans in attendance.
| No | VALUR | No | SAINTS | RATING |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Schram | 1 | Ellery Balcombe | 8 |
| 2 | Gunnarsson  62 | 42 | Elvis Bwomono | 7 |
| 3 | Helgason | 22 | Marcus Fraser | 7 |
| 4 | Antonssonn | 13 | Alex Gogić  | 8 |
| 5 | Jonsson | 5 | Richard Taylor | 8 |
| 6 | Pedersen 84 | 21 | Jaden Brown | 8 |
| 7 | Sigurdsson 73 | 6 | Mark O’Hara  (C) | 7 |
| 8 | Larusson | 8 | Oisin Smyth 57 | 6 |
| 9 | Haraldsson 73 | 15 | Caolan Boyd-Munce 17 | 6 |
| 10 | Palsson | 9 | Mikael Mandron 68 | 6 |
| 11 | Sigurdsson | 20 | Toyosi Olusanya 68 | 7 |
| SUBS | ||||
| 12 | Agustsson | 23 | Dennis Adeniran  17 | 7 |
| 13 | Kristinsson | 12 | Roland Idowu 57 | 7 |
| 14 | Saevarsson 62 | 7 | Jonah Ayunga 68 | 7 |
| 15 | Johannsson 73 | 14 | James Scott 68 | 7 |
| 16 | Tryggvason | 3 | Scott Tanser | |
| 17 | Eyjolfsson | 27 | Peter Urminský | |
| 18 | Unnarsson 84 | 24 | Lewis Jamieson | |
| 19 | Heimisson 73 | 26 | Luke Kenny | |
| 20 | Omarsson | 30 | Fraser Taylor | |
| 21 | Stephensen | 33 | Evan Mooney | |
| 22 | Finsen | 34 | Ethan Sutherland | |
| – | 31 | Shay Kelly | ||
| – | 19 | Shaun Rooney | SUSP | |
| – | 4 | Alex Iacovitti | INJURED | |
| – | 10 | Conor McMenamin | INJURED | |
| – | 11 | Greg Kiltie | INJURED | |
| VALUR | TEAM STATS | SAINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | SHOTS | 14 |
| 9 | ON TARGET | 5 |
| 56% | POSSESSION | 44% |
| 7 | FOULS | 11 |
| 0 | YELLOW CARD | 3 |
| 1 | RED CARD | 0 |
| 2 | OFFSIDES | 1 |
THE TRIP
Stadium: Hlíðarendi, Reykjavik, Iceland
2024 Capacity: 2,465 (1,201 for UEFA competition)
Record Attendance: 18,243 (1968)
2024 City Population: 130,000
Distance From Paisley (air): 828.5 miles – 2h 25 mins flight
Distance From Paisley (road and sea): 2,691 miles – 100 hours (4 days 2 hours)
Record at Stadium: P1 D1
THE STADIUM
