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.
cinch PREMIERSHIP 27th December 2023 SMISA Stadium, Paisley
St. Mirren 0-1 Kilmarnock
Watkins 25
ATT: 7,534 Referee: E Anderson VAR:
• Saints suffer only their second home defeat of the season to 4th placed Kilmarnock, continuing their awful record against Derek McInnes as a manager, which now reads just 3 wins in 36 matches over three clubs, and just 1 league win in 30. • Marley Watkins is the match winner with a 25th minute effort which seems to take Zach Hemming by surprise and fly past his shoulder into the net. • Again, the wind plays a big part in the match, limiting the chance of entertainment to a minimum and an almost sold-out stadium. • Saints remain in 5th but Hearts have now opened a significant gap to 3rd.
cinch PREMIERSHIP 23rd December 2023 Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh
Hearts 2-0 St. Mirren
Shankland 33 Shankland 49
ATT: 18,717 Referee: N Walsh VAR:
• Saints taste defeat at Tynecastle to hand the advantage to Hearts in the battle for third place, with the Paisley sides poor form away for form now becoming a concern with a sixth straight defeat on the road. • Equally concerning for Robinson is the lack of goals, with only three scored in the last eight matches and in six of these games the team drew a blank. • Former Saints striker Lawrence Shankland however is not struggling for goals and his double eased the home side to victory and took his total to 15 for the season. • It was a day to forget for Saints who struggled to impose themselves in the match, not helped by an erratic and inconsistent referee, and by the end of the match the Paisley side had slumped to 5th, their lowest position of the season so far.
cinch PREMIERSHIP 16th December 2023 SMISA Stadium, Paisley
St. Mirren 0-0 Mothewell
ATT: 5,837 Referee: C Napier VAR:
• Saints drop 2 home points to relegation threatened Motherwell as they miss out on the opportunity to put further pressure on Hearts for the third-place spot. • The match is defined by the poor weather, with the wind making the game almost farcical at times. • The key moment in the match is a penalty kick awarded to Saints early in the second half after handball by Steven O’Donnell, however Mark O’Hara misses his second penalty of the season as Liam Kelly saves his effort and the rebound is caught in the wind, denying O’Hara an easy tap in. • After offering little threat for over an hour, Motherwell spring into action in the last quarter missing multiple chances to steal a win, but poor finishing and Zach Hemming denies the Lanarkshire side.
cinch PREMIERSHIP 9th December 2023 SMISA Stadium, Paisley
St. Mirren 2-0 Ross County
Taylor 51 Ayunga 56
ATT: 5,402 Referee: C Scott VAR: A Dallas
• Saints get back to winning ways after three straight defeats with a comfortable victory over Ross County. • Richard Taylor grabs his first goal in Saints colours to open the scoring, although it is reported as an own goal at the time, television evidence the following day confirms the defender got the last touch. • Jonah Ayuna scores his first goal since returning from long term injury after a powerful shot flew past the County keeper, and he linked up superbly well with Stav Nahmani who was enjoying a rare start. • Thierry Small starts his first game since returning to the club in August, the latest to try the right wing back position, and has a fine match. • The win returns Saints to third place, although 5th placed Hearts have a game in hand and are only 2 points behind.
cinch PREMIERSHIP 25th November 2023 SMISA Stadium, Paisley
St. Mirren 1-0 Livingston
KELLY OG 37
ATT: 5,632 (203 Away fans)
Referee: D Munro
VAR: A Dallas
Saints return to winning ways with a narrow but deserved victory over bottom club Livingston to keep the side 3rd in the league.
The home side are boosted by the return of Jonah Ayunga, appearing for for the first time since being injured against Motherwell in January and the forward almost had a dream return when his header first half header hit the crossbar.
The match is settled by an own goal from former Saints defender Sean Kelly, the third time this campaign an ex-Buddies player scored into his net in favour of his old club, with Joe Shaughnessy and Kyle Magennis also guilty.
Victory is secured thanks to a brilliant stoppage time save from Zach Hemming, who turns away a crisp Nouble volley low at his near post.
Saints fall to their biggest defeat of the season so far with a shock heavy loss to recently promoted Dundee.
On the eve of the match, Stephen Robinson reveals that a sickness bug has affected most of the first team and only a few players are at full fitness, with Mark O’Hara missing out completely.
This illness appears to be evident throughout the match, as an unusually lacklustre and lethargic Saints are well beaten by a rampant home side.
The Dens Park side score 2 in each half to inflict Saints biggest top flight defeat at the ground since 2000.
Saints snatch a point thanks to a late goal from substitute Lewis Jamieson, his first goal for the club.
Jamieson becomes the first forward player from the club youth system to score for Saints first team since David McKenna in 2004.
During a hard fought match, Saints twice came from behind to claim the point with Mark O’Hara scoring his first goal since the opening league match of the season, also against Hibs.
Josh Campbell had initially give the away side the lead early in the match, with Joe Newell re-establishing this with 21 minutes remaining after O’Hara had netted a penalty following a VAR decision that Richard Taylor had been fouled at a corner by Jordan Obita.
Premiership 1st November 2023 Celtic Park, Glasgow
Celtic 2-1 St. Mirren
McMENAMIN 7 TURNBULL18 OH 83
ATT: 58,168
Saints fall to defeat at Parkhead, eventually succumbing to late Celtic pressure after an inspired second half performance in goal from Zach Hemming.
After a bright start, Conor McMenamin heads in his first goal for the club after only seven minutes from a Greg Kiltie cross.
Saints held onto the lead for only 11 minutes however, when David Turnbull fired in a shot from the edge of the box high past Hemming.
Turnbull wasted an opportunity to give Celtic a first half lead though, when his penalty struck the post after VAR had decided the ball struck Gogic on the arm after he deflected a shot over the bar.
Despite some outstanding work from Hemming, substitute Oh scored the winner with just seven minutes left when he stabbed the ball past the Saints keeper.
Premiership 28th October 2023 SMISA Stadium, Paisley
St. Mirren 4-0 St. Johnstone
BACCUS 36 MANDRON 48 MANDRON 70 KILTIE 90
ATT: 5,552 (332 away)
Referee: D DICKENSON
VAR: A DALLAS
Saints get back to winning ways after the defeat at home to Rangers in the last fixture, 3 weeks ago due to an international break and a postponed match at Dingwall, with a comprehensive win over bottom club St Johnstone.
Ryan Flynn replaces the suspended Ryan Strain at right wing back, for his first start of the season, with Mandron preferred to Olusanya up front.
After an uneventful first half hour, the match bursts into life when Keanu Baccus curls in a magnificent 25 yard shot to open the scoring.
Mikael Mandron scores a second half double as the home side threaten to run riot against the beleaguered visitors.
Greg Kiltie completes the scoring late on to solidify Saints third place spot, although they remain joint second with all but one fixture played in the first round of matches.
St Johnstone sack their manager Steven McLean following the match.
No.
PLAYER
RATING
1
Zach HEMMING
7
8
Ryan FLYNN 87
7
5
Richard TAYLOR 87
8
13
Alex GOGIC
8
22
Marcus FRASER
8
3
Scott TANSER
8
17
Keanu BACCUS 77
8
6
Mark O’HARA
7
11
Greg KILTIE
8
10
Conor McMENAMIN 61
7
9
Mikael MANDRON 87
9
21
Alex GREIVE 87
7
20
Toyosi OLUSANYA 61
7
15
Caolan BOYD-MUNCE 77
6
18
Charles DUNNE 87
6
2
James BOLTON 87
6
27
Peter URMINSKY
UNUSED SUB
19
Stav NAHMANI
UNUSED SUB
16
Thierry SMALL
UNUSED SUB
24
Lewis JAMIESON
UNUSED SUB
23
Ryan STRAIN
SUSPENDED
7
Jonah AYUNGA
INJURED
34
Ethan SUTHERLAND
NOT SELECTED
TEAM RATING
7.3
St Johnstone: Mitov, Jaiyesmi (Gallacher 73), Brown (Kane 55), Gordon (c), Considine, Robinson, Sprangler, Smith (MacPherson 55), Kucheriavyi (Turner-Cooke 65), Costelloe, Clark (May 65) Subs Not Used: Richards, McGowan, Olufunwa, Jephcott
Premiership 8th October 2023 SMISA Stadium, Paisley
St Mirren 0-3 Rangers
STRAIN 29
Tavernier 30 (P)
Sima 71
Tavernier 90
ATT: 6,984 (1500 away)
Referee: N WALSH
VAR: S KIRKLAND
Saints fall to their first defeat of the league season at the hands of struggling Rangers who had sacked manager Michael Beale the previous week. Former Saints target Steven Davis was in charge of the Ibrox side, assisted by former Saints manager Alex Rae.
Richard Taylor and Toyosi Olusnaya return to the starting XI, replacing Charles Dunne and Mikael Mandron.
After an even first 28 minutes, the match hinges on an incident inside the Saints six yard box after Ryan Strain cleared a dangerous cross. After VAR consultation, it is clear that the Saints man handled the ball in the act of doing so and is sent off. James Tavernier converts the penalty, the eighth he has taken against Saints and the fifth he has scored.
Saints cope well with the man loss for around 40 minutes, but after making multiple attacking substitutions in the last quarter of the game to try and salvage something, are hit on the counter attack to 2 late Rangers goals.
Saints drop to third on goal difference as Rangers draw level on points.
KELLY OG 37
46
46
STRAIN 29