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.
UEFA CUP WINNERS CUP 2nd Round, 2nd Leg 4th November 1987 St. Mirren Park, Paisley
St. Mirren 0-2 Mechelen
Ohana 33 Ohana 49
ATT: 14,368
Referee: E Halle (Norway)
With just a home win separating St Mirren from the Quarter Finals of the European Cup Winners Cup, a record crowd for a European tie of just under 15,000 turns out to try and roar the Paisley men to success, but their heroes were second best all match to an underrated and fine Belgian side, who would win 2-0.
The ‘favourites tag’ afforded to Saints beforehand was perhaps naivety on behalf of the media, and once injuries and unavailable players for the home side were considered, even before a ball was kicked the Paisley men were up against it.
With both natural left sided defenders Derek Hamilton and David Winnie out injured, Tommy Wilson had to fill in at left back as Robert Dawson came in on the right side. Dawson’s former Stirling Albion teammate Keith Walker deputised for the suspended Ian Ferguson, with both players only turning professional a few months beforehand. Paul Chalmers started in attack with Frank McGarvey still unavailable due to personal reasons.
Mechelen on the other hand were missing suspended captain and Belgian international Lei Clijsters, however they still started the match with seven capped players, and the gulf in class was evident for much of the match, particularly with Israeli winger Eli Ohana giving Dawson a torrid time throughout the game.
Ohana would in fact net twice, 12 minutes before half time and a few minutes after, with the first strike a fine solo goal and the second a tap in after the ball hit the post. These were the only goals Saints would lose in the entire tournament at the end of their 4 matches played, but they were more than enough to sink the dream of Saints playing in the last 8.
The Belgians would go onto win the tournament at the end of the season, and eventually 12 of their squad that played against Saints would be international players, with a total of 254 caps gained over the next decade. It was no disgrace losing to the Belgians, but the disappointment was still high, especially during a period when smaller Scottish clubs reaching the latter stages of European tournaments was far from being a fantasy.
UEFA CUP WINNERS CUP 2nd Round, 1st Leg 21st October 1987 Achter de Kazerne, Mechelen
Mechelen 0-0 St. Mirren
ATT: 6,746 (250 Saints fans)
Referee: L Hartman (Hungary)
After becoming the first team from the UK to visit Belgium since the Heysel Disaster in 1985, Saints presence in the Low countries means the the match is given a category A security listing by the Belgian government, with a restriction on traveling supporters and the allocation of armed police.
The Belgians are in fine form and top their league, however Saints are labelled favourites to make the quarter finals and manager Alex Smith believes the Paisley side have a stronger squad than their continental counterparts.
The 0-0 draw may seem to back this up as it is a fine result for St Mirren, however Saints withstand heavy pressure, particularly near the end and rely on Campbell Money and the woodwork to keep the Belgians out.
Crucially for Saints, Ian Ferguson is booked and will miss the return leg in Paisley. With Frank McGarvey still refusing to train with the club, this severely limits the attacking options for Alex Smith who is also without midfielder Abercromby through injury.
The Belgian Government praise St Mirren supporters following the match for their behaviour as a clear distinction continues to be drawn between the behaviour of Scottish and English fans abroad.
TEAM LINEUPS
MECHELEN
NO
ST. MIRREN
PREUD’HOMME Michel
1
MONEY Campbell
DE MESMAEKER Paul
2
WILSON Tommy
SANDERS Koen
3
WINNIE David
RUTJES Graeme
4
FITZPATRICK Tony 63
CLIJSTERS Lei
5
GODFREY Peter 77
THEUNIS Paul 46
6
COOPER Neil
CLUYTENS Bert
7
LAMBERT Paul
HOFKENS Wim
8
FERGUSON Ian
OHANA Eli
9
CHALMERS Paul
KOEMAN Erwin
10
WALKER Keith
DEN BOER Piet
11
CAMERON Ian
DE WILDE Pascal 46
12
HAMILTON Brian 63
JASPERS Raymond
13
DAWSON Robert 77
DE NIL Alain
14
McDOWALL Kenny
EMMERS Marc
15
SHAW George
DROUGUET Pierre
16
FRIDGE Les (GK)
THE MATCH
THE TRIP
Stadium: Achter de Kazerne, Mechelen, Belgium 1987 Capacity: 16,000 Record Attendance: 18,477 (1989) 1987 City Population: 75,622 Distance From Paisley (air): 494 miles – 1.5 hour flight Distance From Paisley (road): 648 miles – 14 hours drive Times Played at Stadium: 1 (1 draw)
THE STADIUM
Match Poster – Click on Image to purchase
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