Richard Tait's debut goal secured an opening day win for St Mirren as football returned to St Mirren Park.

The full-back's header was enough for Saints, in competitive action for the first time since a 1-0 win over Hearts in March, to pick up all three points in Paisley.

The win means that the Buddies have won there last three home matches on opening day and extended our unbeaten run at home in the league to six matches.

There was very little of note in the opening stages with it taking until 20 minutes for either side to register any real opportunity with Livingston's Efe Ambrose having an effort from the edge of the area held by Jak Alnwick.

Saints took the lead with their first real opportunity on the half-hour mark. Jamie McGrath swung the most inviting ball into the box allowing Richard Tait, who had ghosted into the box, to bullet home a header from six yards out.

With a little over five minutes of the first-half remaining, Craig Sibbald cracked the Saints post with a powerful hit from range.  

Livingston started the second-half strongly with Alnwick getting the slightest touch on an Alan Forrest effort after the Livi winger had jinxed his way into the Saints box.

Nicky Devlin should have done better for the visitors six minutes later when he stuck a free header from close range over the bar. 

Ambrose had a shot from the edge of the area deflected over with Joe Shaughnessy, a colossus at the back on his Saints debut, clearing the resultant corner. 

Substitute Junior Morias should have wrapped the game up with eight minutes remaining. The forward was unmarked 10 yards from goal as he met an Jon Obika header but he smashed off the post. 

Again Saints could have put the seal on the points when Shaughnessy rose well to meet a pinpoint Cammy MacPherson cross but nodded wide.

Scott Pittman came close to an injury-time equaliser for the visitors with a strike from the edge of the box, but as they had done the whole match, the Saints defence stood up to block to secure a well earned three points and a much deserved clean sheet. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-0 Livingston 

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Tait, McGrath, Foley, MacPherson, McAllister (Morias 61), Obika, Durmus (Thorvaldsson 76)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Urminsky, Baird, Erhahon, Henderson, Jamieson, Jack

Livingston: McCrorie, Devlin, Fitzwater, Taylor-Sinclair (Souda 83), Guthrie, Ambrose, Bartley, Pittman, Sibbald (Robinson 68), Forrest (Kouider-Aissa 61), Dykes
Subs Not Used: Stryjek, Crawford, McMillan, Tiffoney, Hamilton, Pignatiello

Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: Alan Mulvanny
Assistant Referee: Kylie McMullan
Fourth Official: David Munro

Football returns at long last as St Mirren host Livingston at St Mirren Park in the opening day of the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership season.

Saints will be in action for the first time since our 1-0 win over Hearts in March which secured a ninth-place finish for Jim Goodwin’s side last season.

It’s been a long time and while matches will start behind closed doors, anyone who has bought a season ticket will be given free access to live streams of all home matches while COVID-19 restrictions are in place on our new St Mirren TV platform.

We’ve had a number of test events over the last few days with the final opportunities taking place tonight at 6pm-8pm and tomorrow from 1pm.

Non-season ticket holders based in the UK and Ireland will be able to watch the match via pay-per-view with the price set at £12.50 per match.

International supporters will also be able to tune in if they purchase an international subscription charged at £14.99 per month or £149.99 per year.

Customers who encounter any issues with the streaming platform on Saturday should contact tvsupport@stmirren.com. 

Six players could make their St Mirren debuts tomorrow with Jak Alnwick, Richard Tait, Joe Shaughnessy, Marcus Fraser, Nathan Sheron and Isak Thorvaldsson all having joined Saints in the summer.

The referee for tomorrow’s match is Don Robertson who is assisted by Alan Mulvanny and Kylie McMullan. The fourth official is David Munro.

We would like to remind fans not to turn up to the stadium tomorrow before the match.

St Mirren Football Club is back in action this Saturday as we host Livingston at St Mirren Park for the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership opener.

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 August.

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

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Manager Jim Goodwin.
Jim Goodwin - The St Mirren manager reflects on an unusual close season and looks ahead to the match-up with Livi.
Meet the New Guys - An introduction to some of Jim Goodwin's summer signings.
The Opposition – A look at Gary Holt's Livingston side.
Panda's Fun Page – Some puzzles to keep the youngsters entertained during the half-time break.
St Mirren Programme Archive - Derek Drennan looks back on programmes for Testimonial games of St Mirren players.
Centre Page Poster – A selection of pictures of the squad in pre-season training.
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 winger Ian Scanlon.
Football Bloody Hell - Alan Gallacher gives his slant on football in an era that has been dramatically changed by Covid-19.
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.

Our new platform St Mirren TV will be going live at 6pm today. The platform can be accessed via this link. This will be the new home of St Mirren TV and will include up to date articles, a library of footage and all media St Mirren related.

All season ticket holders will have three months free access to this, all that is required is for you to login (don’t try to register) on the site and your free three months will be activated.

Existing Buddievision members will have their subscription transferred over in the next 24 hours.

Live Streaming Access

We have been working with our streaming partners Stream Digital to develop our streaming access and we are all counting down the days until the game on Saturday.

Our new home matchday experience will be enhanced by our own matchday programme which will be hosted by the lifelong St Mirren fan Ali De Foy along with a host of special guests on each week. For Saturday’s game we will have the club legend and Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick and club captain Kyle Magennis joining Ali for pre-match analysis discussion. Post-match we will have our very own League Cup winner David Van Zanten joining Ali for analysis and reaction. David will also be providing commentary throughout the game and analysis at half time.

To access the stream season ticket holders will use their unique ID which will consist of their forename-surname-season ticket number. This is the 12-digit number on your season ticket card.

For example, our managers access would be:

Username: jim-goodwin-012345678910

Password: 012345678910

Please change your password once you have logged in. 

These unique ID’s will be used for every game that is streamed as part of the season ticket package. Each individual season ticket holder will have their own unique log in based on their season ticket details.

The club have been finalising their tests on the system today and from 6pm tonight the site will be live to allow everyone to test their access, this test will remain live until 10pm tomorrow. Please ensure that you take the opportunity to test your access to the site during these opportunities.

We'll have an update tomorrow on how non-season ticket holders can purchase pay-per-view passes via our new St Mirren TV platform. 

You will be able to access the stream on the majority of devices including desktop computers, laptops, Apple iPads and iPhones and Android devices. Unfortunately, games consoles are not supported.

Desktop computers, laptops

You must ensure that your browser is up to date and has JavaScript enabled too (most browsers update automatically). Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Firefox are recommended although other browsers may work.

Apple iPads and iPhones

You must have iOS 11.3 or higher installed and you must use Safari to watch the Live Broadcast on Apple devices.

Android devices

The live broadcast also works on most modern and up to date Android devices, including tablets, smartphones and Smart TVs.

If you require any further specific information, please contact tvsupport@stmirren.com

If you wish to buy a season ticket to stream the Livingston game, the deadline for this to be completed is by close of business on Thursday to allow for your access to be updated to view the game.

Season tickets can still be purchased however it will not be possible to have these included in the access to the Livingston stream thread, access to all subsequent games included in the virtual package will still be available.

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Marcus Fraser on a one-year deal.

The 26-year-old will #BeInThatNumber after agreeing the deal with Saints following the expiry of his contract at Ross County.

A Celtic youth academy graduate, Marcus is best known for his time at Ross County where he spent five-and-a-half years making almost 200 appearances while captaining the side for the previous two seasons.

Marcus becomes our sixth summer signing and will be available for selection ahead of this weekend’s Scottish Premiership opener against Livingston.

Speaking to stmirren.com after completing his move, Marcus said: "I think it’s a really good opportunity for me to come here and play games. 

"The last few months have been really strange for everybody but I'm looking forward to Saturday and I'll be ready to go if I'm called upon.

"The manager phoned me last week and we had a good chat. I had a good feeling about it and having come in to the club today I'm even more buzzing. 

"I'll give 100% every week, help my teammates around me and hopefully we can be successful as a group."

Saints manager Jim Goodwin said: "Marcus fits perfectly with the profile of players that we have brought to the club. 

"He's another one with great experience and played over 140 games in the Premiership with Ross County over the last few years. 

"He's a leader and I feel like I have leaders across the whole back four just now.

"It gives me some really good options across the backline and I'm delighted to get Marcus in."

All our attention turns to Saturday as football makes its return at long last.

The 2020/21 season gets underway with Saints playing host to Livingston at St Mirren Park in our first competitive match since our 1-0 win over Hearts in March.

It’s been a long time and while matches will start behind closed doors, anyone who has bought a season ticket will be given free access to live streams of all home matches while COVID-19 restrictions are in place.

Season ticket holders will be given a unique ID based on the name on their season ticket and the number, our managers access would be jim-goodwin-012345678910 We will have more details tomorrow on test events happening this week to ensure everything is in place for Saturday’s match.

We will require accurate email addresses from everyone, with a test email being sent out at 6pm this evening. If you do not receive a test email from us please contact info@stmirren.com with your full name, season ticket number (the number on your season ticket card) and an accurate email address. Please remember to check your spam folder for this test email.

Season ticket holders will also be given three months full access to our new St Mirren TV platform. We have been working hard with our partners at Stream Digital to develop the new site that will see us move away from our existing St Mirren TV and Buddievision platforms.

The new platform will be priced at £5.99 per month or £59.99 for UK & Ireland subscribers, while international subscriptions are set at £14.99 per month and £149.99 per year. International subscriptions will include all the benefits of UK membership as well as live streams from all home and away Scottish Premiership matches next season.

We can also announce that the SPFL has agreed to allow clubs the opportunity to sell pay-per-view passes for home matches whilst social distancing measures are in place. More details on this can be found in the FAQ below

There is still time for you to #BeInThatNumber and purchase a season ticket for season 2020/21. Your support in these difficult times have been exceptional and we hope to see you all at St Mirren Park in the not too distant future.

FAQ

How does the virtual season ticket work?

Season ticket holders will have access to all home matches live. Season ticket holders will use individual login details which will provide access to live match day broadcasts from St Mirren Park. We have also agreed a deal with our new partners at Stream Digital that will see our season ticket holders given three months free access to the full St Mirren TV platform.

How can I access live match broadcasts?

Season ticket holders will be given a unique ID based on the number on their season ticket card. It will follow the format of forename-surname-season ticket card number.

When will the new St Mirren TV platform be launched?

We continue to work with our partner Stream Digital and aim to launch the new platform on Wednesday of this week.

Do I need my #BeInThatNumber number to access matches?

No, the #BeInThatNumber numbers don’t have anything to do with your access to live streaming.

Are away matches included in my virtual season ticket?

No, away matches will not be included in your virtual season ticket.

Will there be a pay-per-view option?

Yes. We will be offering pay-per-view for home games excluding those that are shown live on Sky Sports.

What will the cost of pay-per-view be?

St Mirren will be charging £12.50 per game. 

How can pay-per-view be bought?

There will be an option to buy matches on a pay-per-view basis on our new St Mirren TV platform which will go live this week.

Do I need to register to watch pay-per-view?

Yes, you will need to register on our St Mirren TV platform to watch matches on pay-per-view.

Will pay-per-view continue once fans are allowed back into matches?

No, pay-per-view will no longer be available when social distancing measures come to an end and supporters are allowed back into the stadium.

Will pay-per-view be available for away matches?

Pay-per-view will be available for some away matches as other clubs confirm their intention to offer this service. Some clubs have yet to make a decision as to whether they will offer pay-per-view.

I live abroad. Can I watch pay-per-view matches?

Pay-per-view will only be available to supporters inside the UK and Ireland. Supporters based abroad will be able to watch all home and away matches live but will need a St Mirren TV subscription to do so.

I was a Buddievision subscriber. Will I get access to the new St Mirren TV?

Anyone who had an active Buddievision subscription will have it carried over to the new platform if they wish.

All at St Mirren Football Club were saddened to hear of the passing of Hugh McLaughlin, a key member of Alex Wright’s Second Division Championship winning team of 1967/68.

Hugh passed away peacefully on Tuesday 21 July at his home in Larkhall after a long illness and is survived by his wife Ilene, daughter Gillian, son Greg and his three grandchildren.

In January 2009 Hugh, together with teammate Bobby Duffy received an award from the Club at the St Mirren Park, Love Street Commemorative Dinner recognising his part in securing Saint’s first-ever league championship title.

Incredibly the pair did not receive medals at the time despite Alex Wright fielding only 21 players in the entire campaign, six of whom made five appearances or less. So the core of the squad and the Buddies’ success was 15 regulars – including Hugh and Bobby!

On the way to the title and promotion Hugh helped his teammates set a St Mirren FC record of 16 consecutive wins between 18 November 1967 and 30 March 1968. A record that still stands today.

Hugh’s family are in the thoughts of all at St Mirren Park.

Above: Hugh with the 1967/68 Second Division Championship winning squad.

Below: Hugh receives award from the club recognising his part in securing Saint’s first-ever league championship title.

St Mirren Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick said: "We have complied robustly with the official testing and hygiene regimen to the letter, using a private testing facility in accordance with the Scottish Government and the SPFL/SFA Joint Response Group protocols.

"Our players were tested on Monday 20th and have returned 100% negative tests on Wednesday 22nd July, however test results for seven of the coaching staff undertaken at the same time showed they were positive for Covid-19.

"We immediately implemented strict isolation protocols and made further arrangements for the coaching staff to be retested at NHS testing facilities on Thursday 23rd.

"I’m very pleased to report that six of the subsequent coaching staff tests have now come back negative this morning (Friday 24th).

"The remaining member of the coaching staff has confirmed as a positive test result and continues to be in strict isolation and has not come into contact with any member of the playing or coaching staff since Saturday 18th July. The club will continue to support and look after this staff member to ensure a full recovery.

"We are liaising closely with NHS Scotland, the SPFL and the SFA on next steps. We will also be undertaking an urgent review of the private testing arrangement which returned the initial false positive test results.

"In light of recent events the club’s planned friendly match at home to St Johnstone, scheduled to take place on Saturday 25th July, has been cancelled.

"Our priority throughout the pandemic has always been the safety and wellbeing of our staff and players, and to ensure we placed public safety at the forefront of our thoughts and actions. This will continue to be the club's top priority as a safe start to the football season is essential."

We can confirm our testing regimen has identified several members of our coaching staff have tested positive for COVID-19. We immediately contacted the health authorities, and the SPFL and the SFA have also been informed.

Thus far no members of the playing staff have tested positive and we are taking all possible precautions to ensure there is no further spread. We will provide an update in due course.

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce that Gennaro Glass and Glazing will become the club’s first ever official sleeve sponsor.

Gennaro is a family company with over 70 years experience in glass & glazing and is able to offer a highly professional and comprehensive service to all customers, large and small. Based in Paisley, they are one of the leading manufacturers in the UK of Fire Rated products such as windows and doors.

The new deal will see the Gennaro logo on the sleeves of all first team home and away tops in the coming season.

Gennaro director, Kevin Beattie said: "We are delighted to become a official sponsor of the club and look forward to seeing our brand proudly displayed on the kit."