St Mirren's six-match unbeaten run came to an end at Tynecastle as the Buddies were narrowly beaten by Hearts. 

Stephen Robinson will be scratching his head as to how his side didn't take at least a point after a strong performance in the capital. 

The manager had to contend with suspensions to Marcus Fraser, Charles Dunne and Ethan Erhahon while Ryan Strain couldn't recover in time after his injury against Hearts on Saturday. There was a first start for January signing Richard Taylor with Declan Gallagher returning from a back spasm that ruled him out of last weekend's draw. Ryan Flynn also came into the side.

Saints had the first real chance of the game on 12 minutes when Curtis Main shot into the arms of Zander Clark. A Saints corner was only cleared to the edge of the box where Mark O'Hara headed back in. Two Hearts players collided as they looked to clear and it fell to an unmarked Main who turned and curled towards the far corner with Clark managing to gather.  A minute later Keanu Baccus fired wide 20 yards from goal after spinning away from the Hearts defence. 

Hearts had their first opportunity on 16 minutes with their captain Lawrence Shankland seeing a header saved by Trevor Carson. Shankland was fouled on the edge of the area by Declan Gallagher and it was the Hearts skipper who got his head on the end of Robert Snodgrass' ball in, but Carson was equal to the effort. 

Baccus was first to go into the book when referee David Munro said the Australian had caught Snodgrass on the halfway line. It was a harsh booking for the Saints midfield man as it looked like he didn't touch the former Scotland international. 

The home side took the lead just before the half-hour mark with Barrie McKay opening the scoring for Robbie Neilson's men. The Jambos winger started the move with a nice one-two before Andy Halliday received the pass from McKay and laid it back to the winger who fired into the corner of the net.

Saints were immediately dealt another blow as O'Hara picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Greg Kiltie. The substitute had a chance to restore parity on 36 minutes when he received the ball 20 yards from goal, but under pressure from the Hearts defence he fired wide. 

Taylor - on his first start for the Buddies - made a terrific challenge to deny Hearts a second a few minutes before the interval when Shankland had looked to get his shot away after finding space in the box. 

Hearts started the second-half well as they looked for a quick second to put the game beyond Saints. Andy Halliday will have felt he should have done better on 56 minutes when scooped over from 15 yards. Two minutes later, Taylor made another brilliant block from Josh Ginnelly. 

Snodgrass then went into the book for Hearts after catching Baccus late in the middle of the park. VAR checked for a potential red card but it remained a yellow. 

Saints were having a decent spell after the hour mark with Kiltie lashing inches over the bar on 65 minutes. Flynn's low cross was cleared only as far as Kiltie and the midfielder steadied himself before firing over from the edge of the area. 

Stephen Robinson made two changes on 67 minutes when he replaced Baccus and Alex Greive with Dylan Reid and Jonah Ayunga. The latter almost got the Buddies level just four minutes after coming on. The forward went on a brilliant driving run and had a go from 20 yards with Clark touching onto the post and behind for a corner. Main headed just over from the resulting corner. 

Jonah Ayunga almost made an instant impact after coming on as a sub with his effort coming off the post (Image: Craig Brown)

Saints should have drawn level with eight minutes of normal time remaining but for two great saves from Clark in the Hearts goal. The ex-St Johnstone man first denied Kiltie before he was quickly up to push away Main's strike. Hearts couldn't clear the danger with Ayunga then blasting into the side net. 

The Buddies had a strong appeal for a penalty turned down when Kye Rowles looked to have handled Scott Tanser's cross. VAR had a look but controversially said no penalty. 

Hearts almost grabbed a second on the counter as we headed into added time. Substitute Garang Kuol sent Stephen Humphrys one-on-one with Carson but the Jambos man somehow knocked wide. 

Saints kept pushing for an equaliser and were inches away from earning a point in the final seconds when Main dragged agonisingly wide on 95 minutes.

Full-Time: Hearts 1-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Carson, Gallagher, Shaughnessy (c), R.Taylor (Brophy 85), Flynn, Baccus (Reid 67), O'Hara (Kiltie 33), Gogic, Tanser, Greive (Ayunga 67), Main
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Campbell, Kenny, F.Taylor, Olusanya

Hearts: Clark, Hill, Sibbick, Rowles, Smith, Halliday (Forrest 87), Snodgrass, Cochrane (Devlin 60), McKay (Kuol 77), Ginnelly (Humphrys 77), Shankland (c)
Subs Not Used: Stewart, Grant, Kio, Atkinson, Oda

Referee: David Munro
Assistant Referee: Drew Kirkland
Assistant Referee: Andy Milne
Fourth Official: Graham Beaton

St Mirren make the journey through to the capital this evening to face Hearts at Tynecastle in cinch Premiership action. 

Hearts vs St Mirren
cinch Premiership
Venue: Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh
Date: Friday 13th January 2023
Kick-off: 7:45pm

Please do not travel if you are not in receipt of a valid ticket. This game is sold out and there will be no match day sales.

Those fans advised to collect tickets at Tynecastle, please make yourself known to Mark Gajic, Safety Manager. He will be outside the Roseburn Stand. Mark will be collecting tickets so there will be no need to go to the ticket office in the first instance.

Please bring valid ID (passport/drivers licence) in order for you to collect your tickets. No tickets will be given without proof of valid ID.

You can follow the action on our Twitter page @saintmirrenfc. 

UK subscribers to St Mirren TV can listen to live audio commentary as part of their subscription. St Mirren TV international subscribers can watch live on tv.stmirren.com as part of their subscription.

International subscriptions start at £14.99 per month or £149.99 per year for access to all of our cinch Premiership matches.

Please note there is no PPV for tonight's match. 

Access for the disabled section/ambulatory disabled fans, please approach a steward at the Roseburn Stand who will assist with accessing your relevant area/seats.

We have been allocated Upper M and Lower L of the Roseburn Stand. You will be asked to sit in your allocated seats for this match. Away turnstiles will open at 6.45pm. Kiosks will be contactless.

There is NO available space for parking or within the stadium boundary. Traffic restrictions in the following streets: McLeod Street, Russell Road, Tynecastle Terrace and Wheatfield St.

Flags can be laid across segregation area and the stewards will facilitate this.

• No balaclavas or face coverings will be allowed.
• No pyro.
• No bags bigger than A4 allowed.
• No surfing banners or telescopic poles allowed.
• Drum will be searched and must fit through turnstile.
• Searching will be in place.
• Any inebriated fans will not be allowed to enter the stadium.

Stephen Robinson's side head to Celtic Park on Wednesday night to face league leaders Celtic in the cinch Premiership. 

Tickets for our match against Celtic are available at the St Mirren Ticket Office. There are around 250 tickets remaining at the St Mirren Ticket Office for this match. 

Please note that we now only have restricted view tickets available and these are on sale at a discounted price of £29 for adults, £19 for concessions and £11 for U13s.

Celtic v St Mirren 
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Wednesday 18th January 2023
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Venue: Celtic Park

Celtic Ticket Info

Adults - £32
Concession* - £22
Under 13** - £14

*65 & over and U16s
**Under 13s must be accompanied by an adult

Wheelchairs users will be charged at £22 with carer free of charge. These are only available from the St Mirren Ticket Office.

Stephen Robinson met with the press this afternoon at the St Mirren Training Ground to preview tomorrow's cinch Premiership match away to Hearts. 

The manager spoke on how he hopes his side can replicate last weekend's first-half performance against Hearts, Friday night football and how his hard-working staff have helped cut costs following the release of the club's annual accounts for the year 2021-22. 

ST MIRREN FOOTBALL CLUB LTD. (THE) (the “Company”)

Company Registration No. SC005773

Notice of Annual General Meeting

NOTICE is hereby given that the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the Company will be held on the 26th day of January 2023 at the SMISA Stadium, St Mirren Park, Greenhill Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire, PA3 1RU at 7:30pm for the following purposes:

Ordinary business

1. To consider the Accounts for the year to 31 May 2022 and the reports of the Directors and Auditors.
2. To transact any other ordinary business of the Company. 

By Order of the Board

Date: 11/01/2023 

………………………….

Secretary

Registered Office: SMISA Stadium St Mirren Park, Greenhill Road, Paisley, Renfrewshire, PA3 1RU

Notes

A Member entitled to attend and vote at the meeting is entitled to appoint a proxy, in the terms set out on the attached, to attend and vote in his place. The proxy (in accordance with the terms of the existing Articles of Association) should be deposited at the Registered Office of the Company not less than 48 hours before the time of the Annual General Meeting.

Highest ever attendance rates since SMiSA Stadium opened

On Christmas Eve 2022, we had a match to remember with St Mirren’s 3-1 victory over Aberdeen, which played out in front of one of the largest crowds ever recorded at SMiSA Stadium since it opened over a decade ago.

The momentum has swept into the new year with the St Mirren v Hearts match also smashing records to rank in the club’s list of top attendance figures.

Chief Operating Officer Keith Lasley said: "With your continued dedication and support, St Mirren’s SMiSA Stadium will achieve the highest average attendance in a season. The stadium has become a fortress with supporters showing up in thousands, that support will help the drive forward throughout the rest of the season."

One way of making sure you are able to watch the St Mirren is by purchasing a half season ticket, which is the best way to support us reaching this target and the only way to guarantee you can attend the upcoming games.

St Mirren’s SMiSA Stadium has stood tall in trying times, acting as a base for many local initiatives and working alongside partner, Kibble to offer food drives and the set-up of a warmbank. The SMiSA Stadium was purpose-built for community, for you, and it has been heart-warming to see fans unite, fill the stands, and celebrate.

Half-season tickets have been reduced in price following our home matches against Aberdeen and Hearts. 

It's Friday night football for Saints this weekend as we take on Hearts for the second time in a week. 

Saints were originally scheduled to face the Jambos at Tynecastle in September, but that was postponed due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. 

The Buddies unbeaten run was extended to six matches following Saturday's 1-1 draw with Hearts at the SMiSA Stadium. Ryan Strain's early goal gave Stephen Robinson's men the lead, but Robert Snodgrass scored with a cross that evaded everyone in the box and found the net to grab a share of the spoils. 

Both sides are now unbeaten in their last six matches. 

Match Details

Hearts v St Mirren
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Friday 13th January 2023
Kick-off: 7:45pm
Venue: Tynecastle Park

Ticket Info

Our allocation of tickets for this match has sold out. The club has requested more tickets from Hearts but we were told this wouldn't be possible. 

International subscribers to St Mirren TV can watch the match live on tv.stmirren.com as part of their subscription. 

Previous

Last weekend's 1-1 draw at the SMiSA Stadium was the first time the two sides have squared off this season. 

Friday night will be our first trip to Tynecastle since our Scottish Cup quarter-final in March. Hearts took a 2-0 lead at Tynecastle, but a strike from Eamonn Brophy and our 2021/22 goal of the season from Connor Ronan brought Saints level. Ultimately, Hearts would go on to win 4-2. 

Ryan Strain celebrates after giving St Mirren the lead against Hearts on Saturday (Image: Allan Picken) 

The officials

The referee on Friday night is David Munro. He'll be assisted by Drew Kirkland and Andy Milne, while Graham Beaton is fourth official.

The Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) is Graham Grainger with Graeme Leslie the Assistant VAR. 

A number of our younger players are currently out on loan at clubs across Scotland. Here's a look at how some of them got on at the weekend. 

Jay Henderson scored his first goal for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in just his second appearance for the Highland side. After helping Billy Dodds' side to a 6-1 win over Cove Rangers on his debut last Monday, Jay scored the second goal in Inverness' 4-1 victory away to Arbroath on Saturday. Those wins have boosted the Caley Jags' play-off hopes as they sit four points off fourth place Partick Thistle with a game in hand. 

Kieran Offord was an unused substitute for Alloa Athletic in their 2-1 win over Queen of the South. The forward had played 64 minutes the week previous when Brian Rice's side drew 0-0 with Kelty Hearts. The Wasps sit joint fourth with Airdrieonians in cinch League One. 

Speaking of Aidrieonians, Dean McMaster was also an unused substitute for the Diamond in their 3-0 win over Peterhead at Balmoor Stadium on Saturday. Lewis Jamieson missed out due to injury. 

Ewan Thomson and Aiden Gilmartin missed out on action on Saturday as Cowdenbeath's match against Dalbeattie Star was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. 

Jay Henderson scored his first goal for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in just his second appearance for the Highland side (Image: ICTFC)

As part of extending our offering to fans we recently announced our plan to instal Executive Boxes at the SMISA Stadium.

Unfortunately, the detailed costings for the planned approach came in at almost double that first indicated. As such the Club Board has reluctantly decided to shelve the plans for now and investigate alternative options.

We will update fans in due course and thank everyone who has been involved in the project to date.