An independent fan view of everything St Mirren Football Club. From, blogs, articles, stats and research dating back to 1877 right up to and including the current season; including a full history of the St Mirren shirt and kit, our greatest team, top goalscorers, penalty takers, transfer fees, and managers. we have it all covered. Additionally, we look at the other football clubs of Paisley, such as Abercorn and Dykebar FC as well as the historical ranking of every club in Scottish football.
Name: Eddie Blyth Date of Birth: 1925 (Died March 2016 aged 91) Place of Birth: Renfrew, Scotland Nationality: Scottish Position: Inside Forward Signed: April 1949 from Babcocks and Wilcox Departed: April 1955 (released) Debut: Final Match: Apps: 112 Goals: 18 Honours: Misc: None
Name: Jim Blair Date of Birth: 13th January 1947 (Died 6th April 2011) Place of Birth: Calderbank, Scotland Nationality: Scottish Position: Centre Forward Signed: August 1967 from Shotts Bon Accord Departed: July 1970 to Hibernian Debut: Final Match: Apps: 103 Goals: 49 Honours: 1967/68 Scottish Second Division Misc: None
Signed: February 1971 from Hibernian Departed: September 1972 to Norwich City Debut: Final Match: Apps: 66 Goals: 24 Honours: None Misc: None
Name: Richard Black Date of Birth: 18th February 1907 Place of Birth: Airdrie, Scotland Nationality: Scottish Position: Inside Forward Signed: November 1934 from Manchester United Departed: February 1937 to Morton Debut: Final Match: Apps: 23 Goals: 10 Honours: Misc: None
Name: Curtis Main Date of Birth: 20th June 1992 Place of Birth: South Shields, England Nationality: English Position: Forward Height: 6ft 1in Weight: 10.5st Signed: 7th June 2021 from Aberdeen (Freedom of Contract) Departed: 31st May 2023 Debut:13th July 2021 v Dunfermline (1-0) Final Match: 27th May 2023 v Rangers (0-3) Apps: 73 Goals: 13 Honours: None
Signed by Jim Goodwin in the summer of 2021 from Aberdeen, Main already had a reputation in Scotland as a hard-working and physical striker following his success with Motherwell under Stephen Robinson a few years beforehand.
After scoring on his Saints debut against Dunfermline with a fine header in July 2021 and again in the following League Cup fixture against Stenhousemuir, Main struggled to find the net again with the winner against Aberdeen in October 2021 at first credited to him before Marcus Fraser was given the nod when replays confirmed the Englishman didn’t touch the ball.
This lack of goals seemed to have a considerable effect on Main’s confidence, and it looked like he would return to England in January 2022 as he dropped out of the first team picture under Goodwin, however the Englishman remained at the club and as fate would have it, old mentor Stephen Robinson took over the team the following month and a turnaround in fortunes for a player arguably never seen before at the club occurred, as Main confounded his multiple critics with a string of displays that eventually put him firmly in the ‘fans favourite’ category.
2022/23 was a personal success for Main and although never really a prolific scorer throughout his career due to the unselfish nature of his style, he chipped in with 10 league goals and 9 assists, a decent return by any standards, but such was the quality of some of his displays, particularly during the wins at Tannadice, Pittodrie and Tynecastle where he was genuinely “unplayable”, the prospect of Saints keeping such an effective striker was diminishing almost by the match.
By the time Main had almost single handedly destroyed champions Celtic at Parkhead in May 2023 where he scored twice, hit the post and was close with another 2 headers, there was an inevitably that the Englishman would be leaving the club when his contract finished at the end of that month, and following the defeat to Rangers a week later in Paisley, Main had sadly played his last match for the club, but his transformation from unwanted squad player to essential first team hero was complete.
Name: Ethan Erhahon Date of Birth: 9th May 2001 Place of Birth: Glasgow, Scotland Nationality: Scottish Position: Central Midfield Height: 5ft 10in Weight: 10.4st Signed: 30th May 2017 from Youth Academy Departed: 31st January 2023 to Lincoln City (£350k) Debut: 28th April 2018 v Falkirk (0-1) Final Match: 28th January 2023 v Motherwell (1-0) Apps: 123 Goals: 4 Honours: 2 Scotland u21 Caps
Ethan Erhahon signed professional terms with the club in the summer of 2017 under the tutelage of Jack Ross, however the youngster had been at Saints since 2005 when he was just 4 years old and progressed through the various age groups within the academy in addition to being one of the first inductees of the national SFA Performance School.
Making his first team debut at the Falkirk Stadium on the final day of the promotion winning 2017/18 campaign still aged only 16 as a vital experience gaining stage of his development, the young midfielder found himself fast-tracked to the first team a few months later when the man who replaced Jack Ross, Alan Stubbs, was sacked after a dismal start to the 2018/19 season. With the transfer window shut and the squad having no left back, new manager Oran Kearney decided Erhahon could fill that role until the next signing period in 4 months time.
Despite having never played this position before, Erhahon performed admirably in this role as he made 23 appearances in his breakthrough season, scoring once against Alloa in the Scottish Cup, and collecting multiple Young Player of the Year awards in the summer of 2019.
During the 2019/20 pre-season, Jim Goodwin replaced Oran Kearney, meaning despite only turning 18 years of age, the youngster was now on his fourth manager as a professional at the club. Although he was used as a left back in the League Cup group stages, Goodwin returned the youngster to the under 20 side and he did not make a Premiership appearance the entire season, although this was a campaign cut short in March 2020 by COVID, by which time Erhahon had moved to Barnsley on loan where he joined their youth team for an assessment prior to a potential transfer which did not transpire as football shut down for several months.
The following season (2020-21) started and finished behind closed doors with Erhahon seemingly still not in the first team picture from the outset, until from nowhere in the sixth fixture of the league campaign, he started against Hibs at St Mirren Park on the 12th September 2020 in the centre of midfield and would be a regular in that position for the next two and a half years, where his probing passing and positional sense helped Saints shifting from a team almost always fighting relegation to a top six European football chasing side.
The youngster scored his first league goal for the club in November 2020 when he smashed a 30 yarder into the top corner at Pittodrie during a 2-1 defeat on a cold Friday night, and followed this up a few weeks later at home to St Johnstone in a 3-2 victory, but the Glasgow born midfielder only scored one more time for Saints, the following season at Livingston as he became more of a ‘protector’ in the side which contained attacking options from the middle of the park such as Jamie McGrath, Conor Ronan and Greg Kiltie.
The 2021/22 season was something of a watershed one for Erhahon, where he seemed to fall out of favour with Goodwin leading to specualtion about his future, but he returned to the first team when the 2013 League Cup winning captain moved to Aberdeen in February 2022 and Stephen Robinson took over as manager of the club. From here, Erhahon played his best football for Saints under the Northern Irishman, with his form improving considerably and importance to the first team growing to the point where his absence presented a significant loss for the starting XI.
With the club and player at stalemate over a new contract which was due to end in May 2023, Saints decided to cash in on their long term asset, and after seventeen years as part of the club, Erhahon signed for English League One outfit Lincoln City on the 31st January 2023 for a reported fee of £350k following 123 appearances in the black and white and 4 goals.
Name: Charles Dunne Date of Birth: 13th February 1993 Place of Birth: Lambeth, England Nationality: Irish Position: Centre Back Height: 6ft 2in Weight: 13.7st Signed: 2nd June 2021 from Motherwell (Freedom of Contract) Departed: 24th May 2024 (Freedom of Contract) Debut: 13th July 2021 v Dunfermline (1-0) Final Match: 18th May 2024 v Celtic (2-3) Apps: 91 Goals: 1 Honours: None
Dunne arrived in Paisley in the summer of 2021 after 4 injury blighted seasons at Motherwell where he had initially built a good reputation as a speedy and reliable centre back, before fitness issues meant he made only three appearances in his final two seasons at Fir Park.
Perhaps looked upon as a gamble due to these issues, Dunne had no real long term injury problems at Paisley apart from a hamstring injury during his first season, and played fairly consistently on the left side of Saints three centre backs, firstly under Jim Goodwin and then for the initial period under old mentor Stephen Robinson. At the outset, Dunne’s form was so good that Goodwin tipped him to join Jamie McGrath for an Ireland call up, but national manager Stephen Kenny thought otherwise and the London born defender remained uncapped during his time at Paisley.
During his second season at Paisley, with uncertainty over his future as Dunne stalled on a contract extension, the defender struggled for consistency post Christmas and eventually lost his place in the starting XI to new signing Richard Taylor, as the conclusion to the tense battle for European football drew to a close in the spring of 2023.
In the latter stages of the final match of the season against Rangers on the 27th May 2023, Dunne was brought on for Taylor, which looked to be Dunne’s 65th and final appearance for St Mirren. A few days later, on the 30th May, the club announced Dunne was leaving at the end of his contract to seek employment elsewhere after 2 relatively successful seasons in Paisley, however both parties made a surprising U-turn a fortnight later and the defender signed on for another season.
2023/24 would prove to be a difficult one for Dunne as he struggled to get much time on the pitch, in fact he managed only 740 minutes in the Premiership over 21 appearances, mainly as a substitute, the equivalent of 9 full matches. Dunne did manage his only goal for Saints however during this season, the opener at Rugby Park on a day to forget for everyone involved with Saints.
On the 23rd May 2024 it was announced Dunne would not be offered a new contract at Saints, and after 91 appearances for Saints, left the club.
Name: Joe Shaughnessy Date of Birth: 6th July 1992 Place of Birth: Galway, Ireland Nationality: Irish Position: Centre Back Height: 6ft Weight: 11st Signed: 20th July 2020 from Southend Utd (Freedom of Contract) Departed: 2nd June 2023 to Dundee (Freedom of Contract) Debut: 1st August 2020 v Livingston (1-0) Final Match: 27th May 2023 v Rangers (0-3) Apps: 111 Goals: 7 Honours: None
Joe Shaughnessy joined Saints in the summer of 2020 from English League One side Southend United after previous spells in Scotland with Aberdeen and St Johnstone and quickly established himself as a vital part of the starting XI during the season fans weren’t allowed in the stadiums due to COVID-19. However, despite not being able to see the players in real live action, Shaughnessy quickly became a fans favourite due to his leadership qualities and commitment as we viewed football from our TV screens.
The Irishman took over captain duties after Sam Foley left the club in early 2021 and as the team reached the semi finals of the two cup competitions and looked nailed on for a top 6 finish, it looked as though Shaughnessy would be making history as the leader of a team set to break down decades long barriers, however a late loss of form witnessed Saints cruelly miss out on all three targets.
Shaughnessy continued to captain the side during a rollercoaster 2021/22 campaign, and was often used as an emergency forward by Jim Goodwin late in matches when he managed to score a few crucial equalisers (twice against Hibs) but the side again lost form in the spring after Stephen Robinson had replaced Aberdeen bound Goodwin and top 6 once more eluded the club.
The captain however was at the heart of the late resurgence as Saints got roped into the most unlikely relegation scrap that was eventually safely negotiated, but after Stephen Robinson reshaped his squad in the summer of 2022, Shaughnessy found himself out of favour and didn’t start many matches as Saints finally made the top 6 in April 2023.
Despite not featuring as much during the season, Shaughnessy has remained as popular as ever with the supporters and despite an offer to remain at Paisley as a squad player, the Irishman decided to join newly promoted Dundee on a free transfer where he will play a more prominent role in the first team.
Name: Richard Tait Date of Birth: 24th May 1999 Place of Birth: Galashiels, Scotland Nationality: Scottish Position: Full Back/Wing Back Height: 5ft 11in Weight: 12st Signed: 18th June 2020 from Motherwell (freedom of contract) Departed: 31st May 2023 (freedom of contract) Debut: 1st August 2020 v Livingston (1-0) Final Match: 27th May 2023 v Rangers (0-3) Apps: 87 Goals: 3 Honours: None
Versatile defender Tait arrived at the club in the summer of 2020 from Motherwell, adding experience and solidity to the back four or five. Having spent most of his career in England prior to signing for the Steelman in 2016, Tait’s strong performances in Lanarkshire, particularly under Stephen Robinson, caught the eye and the defender was touted as a potential Scotland cap for a period as the ‘Well thrived at the hands of Saints current manager.
A popular and reliable player with the support, Tait operated with great commitment and efficiency in the wing back or full back position (on both sides) as well as occasionally deployed as a centre back if necessary, making him an important part of the squad, firstly under Jim Goodwin who had signed him, and then Stephen Robinson once he took over in early 2022.
Unfortunately, Tait suffered a serious injury in late October 2022, keeping him out of the majority of the season with his presence and versatility badly missed despite the relative success of the team on the park. A few days after his 34th birthday, Tait completed his close to 8 months rehabilitation by appearing in the final 20 minutes of the last match of the season, however it was announced on the 30th of May that Tait would be leaving the club after 87 appearances over 3 seasons.
Name: John Black Date of Birth: UNK Place of Birth: UNK Nationality: Scottish Position: Goalkeeper Signed: 1917 Departed: 1917 Debut: Final Match: Apps: 1 Goals: 0 Misc: WWI guest player from Clyde
Name: George Bissett Date of Birth: 25th January 1896 – 1946 Place of Birth: Cowdenbeath, Scotland Nationality: Scottish Position: Inside Forward Signed: 1917 Departed: 1917 Debut: Final Match: Apps: 2 Goals: 0 Misc: WWI guest player from Third Lanark
