St Mirren moved off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership as Jamie McGrath scored his third goal in as many games to seal a win over Motherwell at Fir Park.

Saints leapfrogged Hamilton Academical and Ross County with their fourth league win of the season to move into 10th spot.

Jim Goodwin's men started brightly and weren't far from opening the scoring with just 40 seconds of the game played. Ilkay Durmus drove into the Motherwell box and sent a low ball across which Jon Obika flicked just wide. 

The hosts passed up a great chance a few minutes later. Chris Long fired across the face of the Saints goal with Callum Lang sliding in at the far post, but the striker's effort went well over.

Saints took the lead on 13 minutes as Jamie McGrath made it three goals in three. Ethan Erhahon slid a delicious ball through the heart of the Motherwell defence sending Obika through on goal. The forward's attempt was saved by the feet of Jordan Archer and fell nicely for McGrath allowing the Irishman to slam into the empty net from 18 yards. 

Buoyed by the goal, the Buddies were playing some nice football and almost doubled their lead eight minutes later. Connolly got in ahead of Liam Grimshaw to meet a cross from the left, but his header drifted agonisingly wide.

Callum Lang had a go from range but the low strike was easily held by Jak Alnwick who had a quiet afternoon to that point. 

The start of the second-half was scrappy with only a Tony Watt header which was easily gathered by Alnwick all either side had to show in the opening 20 minutes of the second 45. 

Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson responded by bringing on Devante Cole, Jake Hastie and Liam Polworth for Lang, Long and Bevis Mugabi, while Jim Goodwin brought on Lee Erwin for Jon Obika.

Cole and Polworth both went close for the hosts within the space of a minute. The former shot straight at Alnwick from an angle before Polworth nodded over from close range. 

With a little over 10 minutes remaining Polworth forced Alnwick into action with the Saints goalkeeper down well to push away the midfielders effort from the edge of the box. 

Saints were able to hold firm and extend their unbeaten run to nine matches as well as picking up a valuable three points.

Full-Time: Motherwell 0-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy (c), Tait (Mason 73), Connolly (MacPherson 73), McGrath, Doyle-Hayes, Erhahon, Durmus, Obika (Erwin 60)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Flynn, McAllister, Foley, Morias, Dennis

Motherwell: Archer, O'Donnell, Mugabi (Polworth 67), Gallagher, Grimshaw, O'Hara (Lamie 78), Maguire, Campbell, Watt, Lang (Hastie 56), Long (Cole 56)
Subs Not Used: Chapman, Johnston, McGinley, Devine, Crawford

Referee: Euan Anderson
Assistant Referee: Andrew McWilliam
Assistant Referee: Ross MacLeod
Fourth Official: Alan Newlands

St Mirren's Scottish Premiership clash against Hibernian at Easter Road on 23rd December 2020 will now kick-off at 6pm after an agreement between both clubs. 

The match was due to kick-off at 7:45pm, but the decision has been made to bring forward kick-off. 

Hibernian v St Mirren
Scottish Premiership
Easter Road, Edinburgh
Wed 23rd December 2020
6pm kick-off

St Mirren's home match against Celtic (originally scheduled Saturday 23rd January 2021) will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Due to TV coverage, the match has been rescheduled for Sunday 24th January with a 4:30pm kick-off.

The full details for the rescheduled fixture are as follows:

St Mirren v Celtic
Scottish Premiership
The SMiSA Stadium, Paisley
Sunday 24th January 2021
Live on Sky Sports, 4:30pm kick-off

St Mirren Football Club can today confirm that it will be appealing the decision of the SPFL tribunal on Thursday December 3rd 2020.

The club is unable to make any further comment on this matter until the proceedings are complete, at which point we will update our supporters.

St Mirren head to Lanarkshire on Saturday to take on Motherwell for the first time this season in the Scottish Premiership.

The Buddies are unbeaten in their last three Scottish Premiership matches and eight in all competitions. A 1-0 win away to Livingston was sandwiched between home draws with Dundee United (0-0) and Aberdeen (1-1) along with a 2-1 win over Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup.

Motherwell go into Saturday's match on the back of a 3-0 loss to Hibernian at home on Saturday. The Steelmen's last Premiership victory was at the end of October when Stephen Robinson's men defeated Livingston 2-0 at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Match Details

Motherwell v St Mirren
Competition: Scottish Premiership
Date: Saturday 12th December 2020
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: Fir Park

Can I watch the match?

Saturday's match is live on Motherwell's pay-per-view site for £12 if you live inside the UK & Ireland.

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

Previous

Saints are unbeaten in their last two matches at Fir Park. 

Jim Goodwin's men defeated the Steelmen in Scottish Premiership action at Fir Park in February. Jon Obika levelled early in the second-half after Motherwell had taken the lead through Liam Donnelly. Ilkay Durmus netted a late winner to give Saints all three points.

The Buddies had knocked Motherwell out of the Scottish Cup on penalties a week previous following a 4-4 draw. 

Manager's Thoughts

"We're in a great place at the moment.

"Motherwell, although they haven't hit the heights of last season, still pretty much have the same squad and they are capable on any day of beating anyone.

"We've got to be aware of the threat Motherwell carry, but we've also got to remind ourselves of how well we are playing and how much of a threat we are carrying at the moment.

"To do what we did to Aberdeen back-to-back gives us great confidence and belief. We have to take confidence from those particular games and carry it into another difficult game against Motherwell.

"We feel as if everyone is back to 100% fitness and injury wise we've got no concerns. It's a great place for me to be as manager when we have real competition for places."

Who are the officials?

Euan Anderson is the man in the middle on Saturday. He's assisted by Andrew McWilliam and Ross Macleod. Alan Newlands is the fourth official. 

The St Mirren Charitable Foundation along with other SPFL clubs are bringing Christmas cheer to those that need it most this year with a new-look initiative designed to support socially isolated older people.

Festive Friends is now into its fifth year, but with life looking very different this holiday season, the SPFL Trust has teamed up with 37 ATCs to launch a new ‘at home’ version of the programme.

And critically, funding previously announced from James Anderson and the SPFL Trust’s second anonymous donor mean that a total of £87,700 will be committed to this year’s campaign.

That means that the SPFL Trust will be able to more than DOUBLE the number of people clubs are able to support.

As such, more than 2,400 people will receive a socially distanced doorstep visit to their home and a Christmas hamper, delivered by a friendly face from their local SPFL club.

It's been a tough year for everyone due to Covid-19, but of course it has been especially difficult for the elderly who are at higher risk of social isolation.

ATCs will receive referrals through existing programmes, external partners and public agencies, as would normally happen for Festive Friends.

Ordinarily, Festive Friends takes place at SPFL club stadia across the country. Participants enjoy a tasty Christmas lunch, fun and games, a club gift, as well as the means to get there and home. Almost 4,000 people have enjoyed an event in the last four years.

Physical distancing rules mean that isn’t possible in 2020, so clubs are flipping the entire operation, and will head into their communities to make thousands of doorstep visits.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will also be assisting ATCs with deliveries throughout the festive period. In each SFRS delivered hamper, there will be fire safety advice leaflets for the elderly and vulnerable.

St Mirren Charitable Foundation Chief Executive Gayle Brannigan said: "Although we will miss the amazing event we normally have at the stadium, we are delighted to be able to take Festive Friends on the road and visit our guests from a safe distance.

Our partners at the Salvation Army will once again make our festive dinner and we will deliver this along with a gift and special hamper, provided by the SPFL Trust, to each and everyone on our list.

"Nominations are now open for you to refer someone you know who will be alone on Christmas Day and we need help in securing the items for our hampers so please get in touch with foundation@stmirren.com.

"It’s been a challenging year for everyone, but particularly those who are vulnerable & isolated, let’s give them something to look forward to."

SPFL Trust interim chief executive Warren Hawke comments: "This year has been challenging for us all, not least for those who are experiencing social isolation. Festive Friends has been such a successful programme that has grown year on year, and so we recognised that we needed a new approach to keep the programme going, in 2020.

Festive Friends At Home, is about more than just sending out Christmas hampers; it’s about delivering compassion, patience and kindness at the end of a year when it’s never meant more."

"We’d like to thank James Anderson and our second donor for their support in delivering this initiative. Their generosity will enable us to reach more people than ever before."

Assistant Chief Officer Stuart Stevens is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Director of Service Delivery: "This winter will be incredibly difficult for many people across Scotland who are isolated from friends and family.

Not only is it more important than ever that we show compassion and kindness and reach out to those people who are isolated during the festive season, as a Service we also know that the risk of fire in homes can greatly increase at this time of year - particularly for those living alone.

"That’s why every hamper delivered by SFRS will include essential fire safety advice and guidance, and our staff are more than happy to speak to people for more advice or just for a socially distanced door-step chat.

"We’re therefore delighted to support this very worthwhile cause, working closely with our partners in the SPFL Trust and football clubs across Scotland.

"We would encourage everyone to safely contact friends, families and neighbours in line with your local Covid-19 guidance and make sure that no-one is alone this Christmas."

Allan McManus gives an academy update and thanks SMiSA for their recent donations to the St Mirren Youth Academy.

St Mirren had to settle for just a point despite a dominant display against 10 man Aberdeen this afternoon.

The Buddies had a host of chances against Derek McInnes' side but couldn't find a winner after Lewis Ferguson was sent off early in the second-half.

Just like last week's win over Aberdeen, Saints started well and fashioned the first chance with just three minutes on the clock after a neat passage of play. Ethan Erhahon fed the ball to Jon Obika on the half-way line with the forward flicking into the onrushing Ilkay Durmus. The Turkish winger broke forward before lashing a shot towards the top corner which Joe Lewis had to be at full-stretch to tip over. 

Dylan Connolly should have opened the scoring on 10 minutes. The Irishman was picked out in space by his compatriot Jamie McGrath but slammed over from close range.

Connolly went close 10 minutes later when he was sent racing clear on goal by McGrath. Aberdeen goalkeeper Lewis was out quickly to narrow the angle along with Greg Leigh. Connolly got his effort away but was denied by the legs of Lewis.

On the half-hour mark Saints had another opportunity. McGrath's corner was headed out only as far as Durmus who caught the volley sweetly, but it was straight at Lewis who pushed over.

Despite having the better of the chances it was the visitors who took the lead. Jonny Hayes managed to find space at the back post to meet Matty Kennedy's cross to head home.

It wasn't the scoreline that Saints merited for their first-half display, but just before the break the Buddies were given a chance to level from the penalty spot after the ball came off the hand of Tommie Hoban. McGrath stepped up and sent Lewis the wrong way to score his second in a week against the Pittodrie side.

Aberdeen were dealt a blow early in the second-half when Lewis Ferguson was given his marching orders following a second yellow card. 

Saints looked to press home the man advantage and created chance after chance. Substitute Cammy MacPherson curled a free-kick just wide two minutes after his introduction, while Conor McCarthy was inches away from getting on the end of a wonderful Durmus cross two minutes later. 

On 70 minutes, St Mirren had two chances in a minute. MacPherson was at the heart of both - first slipping Durmus in with a super touch only for the winger to tamely strike into the arms of Lewis. Then the goalkeeper spilled MacPherson's low drive, but McGrath couldn't turn home the loose ball. 

With five minutes remaining MacPherson was so close to the winner when he curled towards the far post. It looked like it was creeping in but went agonisingly over. 

Aberdeen had a big chance to snatch the win on 87 minutes. The returning Joe Shaughnessy missed a clearance which allowed Curtis Main to slide in Ryan Edmondson. The striker ran through into the Saints box but shot straight at Jak Alnwick.

And then twice in injury time it was St Mirren who should have found a winner. Kyle McAllister slid the ball through for Richard Tait whose shot was blocked by Lewis and then, with almost the last kick of the ball, Lee Erwin should have burst the net but had his effort blocked on the line by the Aberdeen defence. 

Full Time: St Mirren 1-1 Aberdeen

JIM GOODWIN POST-MATCH REACTION.

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, McCarthy, Shaugnessy (c), Tait, Connolly (Dennis 78), Erhahon (MacPherson 64), Doyle-Hayes, McGrath, Durmus (McAllister 78), Obika (Erwin 58)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Mason, Flynn, Foley, Morias

Aberdeen: Lewis (c), Hoban, Considine, Leigh, Taylor (Logan 45), Hedges (Ojo 60), Hayes (Devlin 79), McCrorie, Ferguson, Kennedy (Edmondson 79), Cosgrove (Main 64)
Subs Not Used: Woods, McLennan, Hernandez, Campbell

Referee: Bobby Madden
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: Paul O'Neill
Fourth Official: Alan Muir

Saints are back in league action this Saturday as we host Aberdeen at the SMiSA Stadium for a Scottish Premiership match-up.

We have a limited edition run of programmes, published in partnership with Curtis Sport, for the behind closed doors Scottish Premiership fixture played on Saturday 5th December.

This issue is a 32 pager with a £3 cover price.

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Ethan Erhahon.
Jim Goodwin - The St Mirren gaffer's thoughts on last weekend's cup tie against Aberdeen and his take on the upcoming Premiership fixture against the Dons.
The Opposition – A look at some of the key players in Aberdeen's squad.
St Mirren Programme Archive - Derek Drennan reviews programmes for first team and reserve team fixtures against Aberdeen.
Centre Page Poster – Richard Tait.
Player Kit Sponsors 2020/21 – Check in to see who is sponsoring your favourite player's shirt for the season.
Marketing Matters – Campbell Kennedy updates on the latest events and happenings at the club's Commercial Department.
Yesterday's Saints – David Cochran looks back on the St Mirren career of Brian 'Bubbles' Hetherston.
Football Bloody Hell - Alan Gallacher pays tribute to Diego Maradona.
St Mirren Fixtures & Results 2020/21 – A handy reference page of all the fixtures and results for this season.
Team Lines – The two squads and match officials for Saturday's match.

To buy this issue or to place your programme subscription for the 2020/21 season click HERE.

We welcome Aberdeen to the stadium this Saturday for a second weekend in a row.

To add to the virtual match day experience of Saints fans, our friends at Pie Sports have a special discount offer to make sure you can enjoy the obligatory pie and bovril while watching our live stream.

Pie Sports are kindly offering all Saints fans a 10% discount on orders placed ahead of this Saturday’s clash with Aberdeen. To take advantage of this, simply visit www.piesports.com and use the code 'saints1' when ordering.

Fans should note that delivery is available to selected postcode areas only and orders should be placed as soon as possible to ensure delivery on Friday or Saturday – follow 'PieSports' on Facebook or Twitter for more information. Enjoy your pie and bovril – thanks again to our friends at Pie Sports!

*Unfortunately, no supporters will be invited to enjoy a socially-distanced half time pie with any Saint, past or present. Supporters are encouraged to enjoy their PieSports half time pie and bovril from the comfort and safety of their own home with their own household.