Two goals in two minutes for St Johnstone put St Mirren out of the Scottish Cup at the semi-final stage.

After an evenly fought first half, goals from Chris Kane and Glenn Middleton gave Callum Davidson’s men a lead the Buddies could not quite come back from.

With less than ten minutes to go Conor McCarthy pulled one back and despite throwing all they had in the closing stages St Mirren were unable to get the crucial equaliser.

St Mirren began the match on the front foot, pressing from Jamie McGrath earning an early opening but the cross went beyond the head of Lee Erwin.

There were two more near misses for the Buddies in the opening ten minutes, as a cross from Ilkay Durmus and free kick from Jak Alnwick were both inches out of reach for their targets.

Referee Willie Collum then waved away the Buddies protests when a volley hit by Kristian Dennis appeared to strike Jamie McCart’s hand.

From a hand in the St Johnstone box to one in St Mirren’s box. Alnwick was called upon at the other end and pulled off a stunning save to deny Rooney’s 20-yard effort.

Erwin had the best chance of the first half getting to a Dennis cross first but could only direct the ball at Zander Clark in the St Johnstone goal.

St Johnstone started the second half well on top, but it was the Buddies who had the better of the chances. Ethan Erhahon’s incisive pass found Dennis inside the box. The striker struggled to get the ball under control though and both Dennis and Erwin lashed efforts into St Johnstone defenders.

St Johnstone continued to threaten from range, Wotherspoon’s turn and hit going just wide.

The Buddies then spurned a great chance to take the lead just after the hour mark, Durmus skinning Rooney easily but Quaner was unable to turn home the fizzed cross.

The missed chances were then punished. With 20 minutes left to play, Kane turned home a cross from substitute Glenn Middleton.

Middleton struck immediately after to double St Johnstone’s advantage, hitting a free kick into the top corner.

It could have been three soon after, a great reaction save from Alnwick denied Rooney from close range.

St Mirren kept pushing forward and with the introduction of Brophy had plenty of firepower available.

It was through Brophy that the Buddies forced their way back into the tie, the striker winning a free kick. The resulting cross swung in by McGrath and bulleted home by McCarthy. Brophy almost hauled St Mirren level straight after but his curling effort went wide.

Then it was Quaner’s turn to try to force a leveller but his volley from McCarthy’s knockdown flew high over the bar.

The Buddies threw everything forward in the final minutes but couldn’t get the equalising goal.

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-2 St Johnstone

JIM GOODWIN POST-MATCH REACTION

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy (c), Tait (Connolly 68), Doyle-Hayes, Erhahon (Brophy 76), Durmus, McGrath, Dennis (Quaner 57), Erwin
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Finlayson, Flynn, McAllister, Henderson, Obika

St Johnstone: Clark, Booth, McCart, Kerr, Gordon, Rooney, Bryson, McCann, Wotherspoon, Melamed (Middleton 66), Kane (O'Halloran 86)
Subs Not Used: Zlamal, Brown, Conway, Gilmour, Robertson, Ferguson

Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: Sean Carr 
Assistant Referee: Calum Spence
Fourth Official: Craig Napier

Ahead of tomorrow's Scottish Cup semi-final, the club would like to remind supporters to please continue to follow the Scottish Government's Covid-19 guidance.

All of Scotland is currently at Covid-19 Protection Level 3. To find out more about the current guidance please follow this link.

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce that Marcus Fraser has agreed a two-year contract extension.

The defender joined St Mirren in July on a one-year deal and has become a mainstay in the Saints side this season with his consistent performances seeing him become a firm fans favourite.

The 26-year-old has made 45 appearances for Jim Goodwin’s men - scoring three goals including a late winner in our Scottish Cup clash against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

The new deal sees Marcus tied to the club until summer 2023.

Speaking to the press after signing his new contract, Marcus said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed this season.

"I have played a lot of games, the team has done well and I have fitted into that so I am really looking forward to the next two years."

Manager Jim Goodwin said: "I am really pleased to get Marcus tied down for another couple of seasons.

"He has been a star performer for us from day one and he will no doubt be in the running for a player of the year award as well.

"It is a step in the right direction and to extend the contracts of those players who deserve to be rewarded is something we have been trying to do since the turn of the year.

"I am delighted with him and he’s a great professional and a great example for the rest of the group.”

Our final home league match of the season will take place on Sunday 16th May when we play host to Dundee United at the SMiSA Stadium. 

As we do every year we will be remembering all the St Mirren supporters that have sadly passed away throughout season 2020/21. 

If you would like the name of someone who has passed away this season to be included on the big screen during the applause or on the website then please email scoreboard@stmirren.com by Friday 14th May.

Our thoughts to all the families who have lost loved ones throughout the season. 

It's Hampden for St Mirren again as Saints get set for the Scottish Cup semi-final.

A nail-biting penalty shoot-out win over Kilmarnock saw Saints reach the semi-final after wins over Inverness and Hamilton Academical in the previous rounds.

It's the first time the Buddies have reached the semi-final in both the League and Scottish Cups since 1981/82. 

St Johnstone, who won the League Cup in February, road to Hampden began with a 1-0 win over Championship side Dundee at Dens Park. They followed that up with a 2-0 victory over Clyde at McDiarmid Park two weeks later before knocking Rangers out with a penalty shoot-out win at Ibrox. 

St Mirren haven't reached the Scottish Cup final since 1987 when an injury time Ian Ferguson goal saw Saints defeat Dundee United to win the national cup for a third time. 

Ironically, Dundee United were also the side that St Johnstone beat in their only Scottish Cup final back in 2014. Current St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson was assistant manager when the Perth side defeated United 2-0 at Celtic Park.

Match Details

St Mirren v St Johnstone
Competition: Scottish Cup
Date: Sunday 9th May 2021
Kick-off: 2:15pm
Venue: Hampden Park

How to watch the match

Sunday's match is available on both BBC One Scotland and Premier Sports. 

International subscribers can watch on tv.stmirren.com as part of their subscription.

Previous

The two Saints have met three times this season - all in Scottish Premiership action.

Jim Goodwin's side have won one of the three matches - defeating St Johnstone 3-2 at the SMiSA Stadium in December.

The Perth Saints won both matches at McDiarmid Park this season by a 1-0 scoreline. 

The officials

The referee on Sunday is William Collum. Sean Carr and Calum Spence are the linesmen. The fourth official is Craig Napier. 

Voting is now open for the St Mirren Goal of the Season 2020/21 award sponsored by Gennaro Glass & Glazing.

Jamie McGrath features twice for strikes against Rangers and Hamilton Academical as does Kristian Dennis for goals against Celtic and Hamilton. 

St Mirren Youth Academy graduates Ethan Erhahon and Cammy MacPherson round off the list with goals against Aberdeen and Livingston respectively. 

Voting is open at this link until 12noon on Friday (7th May). 

More news on the Player of The Year awards for 2020/21 will be announced in due course. 

A disappointing afternoon at the SMiSA Stadium saw St Mirren beaten by Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Premiership.

Goals either side of half-time from Ross Callachan and David Moyo had the Lanarkshire side 2-0 ahead. Jamie McGrath pulled one back for Saints but it wasn't enough to prevent the Buddies from a first defeat against Accies since December 2018.

Jim Goodwin had initially made four changes from the side that won at Kilmarnock on Monday night. In came Daniel Finlayson, Ethan Erhahon, Cammy MacPherson and Collin Quaner in place of Conor McCarthy, Ilkay Durmus, Jamie McGrath and Lee Erwin. But defender Marcus Fraser dropped out in the warm-up and was replaced by McCarthy.  

It was the relegation-threatened Accies who were the brighter of the sides despite a scrappy opening to the match. Joe Shaughnessy made a good block on 12 minutes to deny Moyo, while Kyle Munro had a header cleared off the line a minute later. 

Quaner, making just his second start for St Mirren, had the first real opportunity for the home side in the opening 20 minutes when he dragged a shot wide from 20 yards. And four minutes later it was his good work that allowed Kristian Dennis to get a shot away from the edge of the box. The striker's effort was straight down the throat of Kyle Gourlay who held with ease. 

The visitors took the lead on 28 minutes when Callachan knocked home from close-range. Ex-Saint Lee Hodson hooked the ball over his shoulder where Callachan flicked into the far corner beyond the outstretched Jak Alnwick. 

The Buddies had two half-chances as the first-half drew to a close. MacPherson had a shot from distance deflected over while McCarthy curled wide from the edge of the box following the resultant corner. 

Accies doubled their lead just before the hour. Saints lost the ball in the middle of the park with the ball fed wide to Bruce Anderson. The striker went for goal himself but it came off his strike partner Moyo and trickled over the line.

Jim Goodwin responded by making a triple substitution. Jamie McGrath, Ilkay Durmus and Lee Erwin replaced MacPherson, Richard Tait and Quaner. The Saints looked livelier after the changes and almost immediately pulled a goal back. Dennis sprung the offside trap but didn't connect with the ball fully which allowed Gourlay to make a wonderful one-handed stop. 

But within a minute of that chance, the visitors almost made it 3-0 with Callachan thundering a ferocious effort off the cross bar.

The Buddies did reduce the deficit with just under 20 minutes of the game remaining. Durmus' cross was deflected into the path of Jay Henderson in the middle of the box. His touch teed it off nicely for the oncoming McGrath who powered home his 16th goal of the season. 

Saints should have grabbed a share of the spoils on 84 minutes when Henderson passed up a glorious opportunity to level. Erwin's terrific cross-field pass found the Saints academy graduate one-on-one with Gourlay but he smashed over. 

Focus now turns to next weekend's Scottish Cup semi-final as Saints head to Hampden to face St Johnstone next Sunday.

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-2 Hamilton 

JIM GOODWIN POST-MATCH REACTION

St Mirren: Alnwick, McCarthy, Finlayson, Shaughnessy (c), Tait (Durmus 61), Henderson, Doyle-Hayes, Erhahon, MacPherson (McGrath 61), Dennis (McAllister 71), Quaner (Erwin 61)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Mason

Hamilton Academical: Gourlay, Odoffin, McMann (c), Hamilton, A.Martin, Hodson, Mimnaugh (Stanger 89), Munro (L.Smith 87), Callachan (Thomas 90), Anderson (Trafford 88), Moyo
Subs Not Used: Scully, Stirling, C.Smith, Redfern

Referee: John Beaton
Assistant Referee: David Roome
Assistant Referee: Drew Kirkland
Fourth Official: Gavin Duncan

KICK-OFF: Kristian Dennis takes kick-off for St Mirren.

10 mins - Scrappy opening 10 minutes at the SMiSA Stadium with no real chances for either side. MacPherson sends in a good ball from the right with Dennis sliding in but Kyle Gourlay manages to gather at the second attempt. [0-0]

12 mins - Good block from Shaughnessy to deny David Moyo. [0-0]

13 mins - Kyle Munro effort head off the line by the Saints defence.

13 mins -  Yellow! Ross Callachan booked for a foul on Jay Henderson. [0-0]

15 mins - Ross Callachan gets in ahead of Daniel Finlayson but stabs the effort wide. [0-0]

17 mins - Hakeem Odoffin's volley deflected over the bar. [0-0]

20 mins - Quaner drags a shot wide from the edge of the box. [0-0]

24 mins - Good break from Saints as Quaner drives forward. The German knocks the ball wide to Dennis who cuts inside and drives an effort straight into the arms of Kyle Gourlay. [0-0]

28 mins - GOAL! Ross Callachan gives the visitors the lead as he flicks home from Lee Hodson's cross. [0-1]

32 mins - Yellow! Erhahon is booked. [0-1]

36 mins - David Moyo's cross comes off the bar and goes over. [0-1]

40 mins - MacPherson drives forward and has his strike from 20 yards deflected over. [0-1]

41 mins - McCarthy curls wide from the edge of the box. [0-1]

HALF-TIME: St Mirren 0-1 Hamilton Academical

RESTART: Second-half underway. [0-1]

58 mins - GOAL! Saints give the ball away in the middle of the park. Bruce Anderson breaks into the box with his initial shot turned home by David Moyo. [0-2]

61 mins - SUB! Triple change for Saints as Jamie McGrath, Ilkay Durmus and Lee Erwin replace Cammy MacPherson, Richard Tait and Collin Quaner. [0-2]

62 mins - CHANCE! Brilliant one-handed save from Kyle Gourlay denies Dennis. [0-2]

63 mins - Almost 3-0 to Hamilton as Ross Callachan crashes a strike off the bar. [0-2]

66 mins - Bruce Anderson breaks the offside trap but has his effort saved by Alnwick. [0-2]

71 mins - GOAL! Saints pull one back! It's a 16th goal of the season for Jamie McGrath as he slams home from just inside the box. [1-2]

71 mins - SUB! Kyle McAllister is on for Kristian Dennis. [1-2]

73 mins - Close! Jay Henderson flashes a strike just over. [1-2]

82 mins - Ilkay Durmus smashes well over from a tight angle. [1-2]

84 mins -  CLOSE! St Mirren should be level after Lee Erwin's brilliant pass finds Jay Henderson one-on-one with the goalkeeper but the Saints academy graduate slams over. [1-2]

88 mins - Sub! Double change for Hamilton with Lewis Smith and Charlie Trafford on for Kyle Munro and Bruce Anderson. [1-2]

89 mins - Sub! George Stanger replaces Reegan Mimnaugh. [1-2]

90 mins - Three additional minutes. [1-2]

90 mins - Sub! Nathan Thomas replaces Ross Callachan. [1-2]

FULL-TIME: St Mirren 1-2 Hamilton Academical

St Mirren: Alnwick, McCarthy, Finlayson, Shaughnessy (c), Tait (Durmus 61), Henderson, Doyle-Hayes, Erhahon, MacPherson (McGrath 61), Dennis (McAllister 71), Quaner (Erwin 61)
Subs: Lyness, Mason

Hamilton Academical: Gourlay, Odoffin, McMann (c), Hamilton, A.Martin, Hodson, Mimnaugh (Stanger 89), Munro (L.Smith 87), Callachan (Thomas 90), Anderson (Trafford 88), Moyo
Subs: Scully, Stirling, C.Smith, Redfern

Referee: John Beaton

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin has named his starting eleven for the match against Hamilton Academical this afternoon.

The Saints boss makes four changes to the side that won away to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup on Monday night.

Daniel Finlayson makes his first St Mirren start, while Ethan Erhahon, Cammy MacPherson and Collin Quaner also come into the starting lineup.

Conor McCarthy, Ilkay Durmus, Jamie McGrath and Lee Erwin all drop to the bench. 

*UPDATE*

Saints forced into a late change before kick-off as Conor McCarthy replaces Marcus Fraser.

St Mirren: Alnwick, McCarthy, Finlayson, Shaughnessy (c), Tait, Henderson, Doyle-Hayes, Erhahon, MacPherson, Dennis, Quaner
Subs: Lyness, Mason, Durmus, McGrath, McAllister, Erwin

Today's match is live on tv.stmirren.com for season ticket holders while non-season ticket holders can watch the match on ppv.stmirren.com for £12.50.

Saints are back in league action this Saturday afternoon at the SMiSA Stadium where we host Brian Rice's Hamilton Academical side for a Scottish Premiership fixture.

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 1st May.

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

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Jon Obika.
Jim Goodwin - The Saints gaffer looks back on recent matches as well as looking ahead to Saturday's fixture against the Accies.
The Opposition – We run the rule over Brian Rice's Hamilton Accies squad.
St Mirren Programme Archive - Derek Drennan reviews the programme for the Boxing Day 1953 fixture between Accies and Saints.
Centre Page Poster – Joe Shaughnessy.
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 1959 Scottish Cup winner Jackie Neilson.
Football Bloody Hell - Alan Gallacher picks the Scotland squad for this summer's European Championship.
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.