Jim Goodwin gives his reaction to St Mirren's goalless draw at home to Aberdeen this afternoon.

Pretty football was rarely on display in Paisley as Saints and Aberdeen played out a goalless draw.

The Dons had the better of the first half and could have had a penalty when Conor McCarthy appeared to pull back Sam Cosgrove at the edge of the box. Despite the visitors being on top, it was the Buddies who should have been in front at the break as Jon Obika intercepted a slack backpass only to hit the post.

Saints improved after the break with Ilkay Durmus and Tony Andreu going closest with Aberdeen chances few and far between as the spoils ended up being shared.

Durmus and Andreu were back in the team in place of Paul McGinn and Kyle Magennis, the latter out for the season after he suffered a horrific knee injury against Rangers during the week. There was some good news on the bench though with Kirk Broadfoot returning to the squad after recovering from injury. Cosgrove led the attack for the visitors, who handed a debut to new signing Matty Kennedy.

Junior Morias had an early shot blocked for the Buddies, with Ash Taylor heading wide from a corner at the other end. Buddies keeper Vaclav Hladky is normally pretty reliable with his feet but sold Akin Famewo short with a pass that allowed Niall McGinn to pounce with the goal gaping, the on-loan Norwich City defender getting enough of himself in the way of the forward's shot to divert it over for a corner. Another uncharacteristic mistake from the Saints goalie allowed McGinn to get a cross in but Hladky recovered just in time to gather the ball as Cosgrove lurked dangerously.

The chance in the opening few minutes was pretty much all the Buddies had to show for their efforts in the opening quarter, Cammy MacPherson failing to find the target from long range in a rare attack. The Dons fans were screaming for a penalty moments later as McCarthy pulled back Cosgrove, however the officials were unmoved. Replays suggested it was a foul, the main issue being whether it was inside or out of the area. Another great chance for the visitors came when a corner wasn't properly cleared and the ball found Scott McKenna just inside the box, the big defender seeing his scooped shot deflected over off McCarthy.

With all the Dons pressure, a Saints goal would have been totally against the run of play – yet one should have come five minutes before the break. Dylan McGeouch was short with a back-pass and it was picked off by Obika who had plenty of time to steady himself as he bent a shot around Joe Lewis only to see it agonisingly hit the post before being hacked to safety. It was the closest either side had come and the Buddies had another chance just before the interval, McCarthy heading a MacPherson free-kick straight at Lewis.

Durmus fired an early sighter well over as hostilities resumed, Lewis then getting down well to save Andreu's shot from the winger's cross. Hladky was barely troubled when Cosgrove's header from a corner found the target before Saints had another chance, Morias' long throw being knocked down to skipper Sam Foley whose volley failed to find the target. Durmus had scored the winner when the sides met in Paisley at the start of the season and he seemed determined to do some more damage, this time curling a shot over the bar from a tight angle.

The visitors hadn't threatened much in the second half but some neat passing found Lewis Ferguson at the edge of the box only for him to shoot wide. Some frantic defending just about got Saints off the hook at a free-kick as Aberdeen pushed on, sub Ryan Hedges lashing a shot wide and Hladky saving Funso Ojo's long range effort. However, while they had plenty of the ball, they created few chances and on the basis of the second half Saints fully deserved their point.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-0 Aberdeen

St Mirren: Hladky, Flynn, McCarthy, Famewo, Waters, MacPherson, Foley (c), Andreu (Cooke 80), Durmus (P.McGinn 90), Morias, Obika
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Broadfoot, Erhahon, Henderson, Mullen

Aberdeen: Lewis, Logan, McKenna, Taylor, Considine, Ojo, McGeouch (Hedges 72), Ferguson, N.McGinn (Anderson 85), Kennedy, Cosgrove
Subs Not Used: Cerny, Devlin, Campbell, Gallagher, Main

Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: David Doig
Assistant Referee: Ralph Gordon
Fourth Official: Grant Irvine

Attendance: 5,302

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

Tickets for our William Hill Scottish Cup at home to Motherwell will go on-sale tomorrow morning (Saturday 25th Jan) from 10am. 

Season ticket holders seats will be reserved until midnight on Tuesday 4th February after which time seats will be released and sold on a first come first served basis.

St Mirren v Motherwell
William Hill Scottish Cup
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Saturday 8th February 2020
Kick-off: 3:00pm

Prices
Adults - £20
Concessions - £10
12 and under - £5

We are sorry to confirm that Kyle Magennis will face a significant spell on the sidelines after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in Wednesday night's match against Rangers.

The St Mirren Academy graduate has made 107 appearances for Saints since making his debut in 2016.

All at St Mirren wish Kyle all the best in his recovery. 

Our match day programme, published in partnership with Curtis Sport, will be available from the Club Shop ahead of Sunday’s game.

This issue, for the Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Aberdeen, is a 52 pager with a £3 cover price.

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Jon Obika.
The Gaffer - Jim Goodwin looks back on recent games and ahead to the match-up with Aberdeen.
Last Time Out - Allan Picken's pictures from St Mirren's 3-0 Scottish Cup win against Broxburn Athletic.
The Opposition – Brian Corry casts an eye over Derek McInnes' Aberdeen side.
St Mirren Programme Archive - Derek Drennan highlights programmes from St Mirren's matches in the now defunct Drybrough Cup.
100 Seasons at the Top - Cairters Corner looks back on St Mirren's fortunes over the 1960s.
They Played in the Stripes – David Cochran tells the tale of Bobby Torrance's St Mirren career.
Matchday Gallery - Pictures of the post match presentations from the recent home match against Broxburn Athletic.
English Title Winners - Liam Harding highlights Chelsea's top league successes.
Centre Page Poster – Ryan Flynn.
Fans Corner - Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info, dates for fans to keep in their diary and introducing our match mascots.
Player Kit Sponsors 2019/20 – Check in to see who is sponsoring your favourite player's shirt for the season.
Stats and Picture Quiz - Player appearance stats and picture quiz on players who graduated from the St Mirren Academy to the first team.
Panda's Fun Page – Some puzzles to keep the youngsters entertained during the half-time break.
Football Bloody Hell - Alan Gallacher debates if there is a right way or wrong way to play football.
Marketing Matters – Campbell Kennedy updates on the latest events and happenings at the club's Commercial Department.
St Mirren Fixtures & Results 2019/20 – A handy reference page of all the fixtures and results for this season.
Team Lines – The two squads and match officials for Sunday’s match.

To buy this issue or to place your programme subscription for the 2019/20 season click HERE.

The St Mirren Fans Council Panda Club is back for this Sunday's match against Aberdeen with the fun all starting at 11:00am.

The St Mirren Fans Council Panda Club is held within the Airdome two hours prior to kick off at every home game on a Saturday or Sunday, with exception of matches against Celtic and Rangers.

Our great team of friendly coaches take the kids, aged between 3-12 years, for fun, games & tournaments with prizes and surprises aplenty!

AND after all that the kids get a ticket to watch the game with our coaches for FREE!

We have a new Panda Club Membership package available which is a one-off fee of £75 for the season and will provide each child with a healthy Buddie snack box at each game PLUS a goody bag, training top and membership card. 

Alternatively, parents can pay £5 per child per two hour session. Season ticket holders and families with more than one child will qualify for a 20% discount.

For more information on the St Mirren Fans Council Panda Club please call us on (0141) 889-2558 EXT 6124 or e-mail communitytrust@stmirren.com 

If you live outside the UK & Ireland, St Mirren TV is your way to watch Paisley’s Premiership club live in action each and every home match day.

This service, which is delivered by media students from the University of the West of Scotland, will cover all of St Mirren’s home games.

As usual the St Mirren TV team will be presenting all the action from the Simple Digital Arena when Aberdeen are the visitors for Sunday's Ladbrokes Premiership match.

If you want to tune in here is the info you will need:

St Mirren vs Aberdeen
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Sunday 26th January 2020
Kick-off: 12:30pm GMT

To access this match day service:

1 Day Pass – €6.99 EUR
Season Pass – €69.99 EUR

To view Terms & Conditions and get started with St Mirren TV please click HERE.

For technical support with St Mirren TV please e-mail tvsupport@stmirren.com

First Scorer Competition

Paisley Panda is pleased to confirm that 'First Scorer' will be back for the game on Sunday against Aberdeen.

'First Scorer' lets fans predict in advance of the game who they think will score St Mirren's first goal in Sunday's match against The Dons.

From all of those who guess correctly, a winner will be picked at random and they will win a box of a dozen doughnuts which will be delivered to their seat right after the goal is scored!

To enter all you have to do ahead of the game is post your prediction of the first St Mirren scorer on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #Saints1stgoal.

The lucky winner will then be contacted to confirm which stand they will be in with the row and seat number so that the prize can be delivered to them.

Man of the Match Vote

We are giving fans the opportunity to vote for the man of the match and also put two lucky fans in with the chance of winning a £10 voucher for the Club Shop.

Every home game we’ll throw open the voting on the 60 minute mark for 20 minutes where votes can be cast on Facebook and Twitter. All you have to do is use the hashtag #SMFCMOM followed by the name of the player you are voting for, eg '#SMFCMOM OBIKA'.

With 10 minutes of the game remaining all the votes will be counted then the Stadium Announcer will confirm the winning player over the tannoy system.

From all the fans who nominate the winning player one will be picked at random from the Facebook account and another from the Twitter account and they will each be awarded a £10 voucher for the Club Shop. The winners will be notified through the account they posted from and they must collect their voucher immediately after the match.

So get yourself ready on the hour mark of Sunday's match and get voting with #SMFCMOM.

Bung a Baw

Paisley Panda will host the ever-popular match day competition 'Bung a Baw' during the half-time break of Sunday’s match against Aberdeen.

To take part in 'Bung a Baw' fans need to purchase a small foam ball which is numbered and they will then have a chance to throw their ball towards our club mascot Paisley Panda in front of the Family Stand. Each person will have 60 seconds to do this and the winner will be the person who has thrown the ball closest to the feet of the Panda. The winner will be confirmed over the PA system.

The competition is sponsored by Glen-Bun Bakery who are supplying a full tray of yummy cakes as the prize for the contest winner.

The competition this week is FREE to enter. The balls will be available from sellers inside the Family Stand in the 30 minutes leading up to kick-off and then again in the first 5 minutes of half-time before the competition starts (subject to availability). Each ball is numbered and participants will also get a ticket with the corresponding number which they will use to claim the prize if they win.

'Bung a Baw' continues to be very popular so Paisley Panda advises that you get in early on Sunday to get your ball to take part.

As well as taking care of 'Bung a Baw', Paisley Panda will be giving away sweets to the kids in and around the stadium courtesy of the Black and White Army website.

St Mirren vs Aberdeen
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Sunday 26th January 2020
Kick-off: 12:30pm

The match day officials for Sunday's match against Aberdeen are as follows:

Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: David Doig
Assistant Referee: Ralph Gordon
Fourth Official: Grant Irvine

If you are thinking about coming to The Simple Digital Arena for the first time on Sunday please click HERE for all the info you will need to make sure your match day experience runs as smoothly as possible.

Match Details

The game kicks-off at 12:30pm.

Season Tickets ARE valid for this game.

Match is all ticket – tickets will be on sale (subject to availability) UNTIL KICK OFF.

On the match day St Mirren fans can purchase their tickets (subject to availability) at the St Mirren Ticket Office from 10:00am to kick-off time (12:30pm).

We also have a Ticket Booth sited at the West Stand beside turnstiles T11-14 on a match day.  The Ticket Booth is only for the purchase of tickets (subject to availability) for the West Stand, and also the pick-up point for pre-ordered tickets for the West Stand.  The Ticket Booth will be open from 11:00am to 12:30pm (kick-off).

Aberdeen fans can purchase their tickets (subject to availability) from the window at the away end of the ground (North Stand) from 11:00am to kick-off time (12:30pm).

Tickets can also be purchased from the Online Ticket Shop and downloaded straight to your phone. The process is straight forward with digital tickets accessed through your smfctickets.co.uk account.

The St Mirren Ticket Office (Main Stand) opening hours in the build up to this match are as follows:

Fri, 24th Jan: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Sat, 25th Jan: CLOSED
Sun, 26th Jan: 10:00am to 12:30pm (kick-off)

The Ticket Booth (West Stand) opening hours in the build up to this match are as follows:

Sun, 26th Jan: 11:00am to 12:30pm (kick-off)

Ticket Office Phone No: (0141) 840-6130
St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com

Matchday Club Policies (click links for more info)

Unacceptable Conduct

Supporters Code of Conduct

Ticket Information

Visitor Information

A first-half Jermain Defoe strike was enough to give Rangers a narrow win over St Mirren in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The veteran striker showed his predatory instincts when he struck on 34 minutes to give the Gers all three points at Ibrox.

It was far from a memorable match with neither side creating many clear cut opportunities throughout the 90 minutes. Saints game plan to frustrate Rangers largely worked but despite efforts to have a go in the final stages of the match, the Buddies couldn't get the goal they craved to grab a share of the spoils. 

Jim Goodwin's men were dealt an early blow when stand-in captain Kyle Magennis had to be stretchered off in the opening 10 minutes. The midfielder went down inside the Rangers half with what appears to be a knee injury and had to be replaced by Ilkay Durmus. Magennis is set for a scan which will determine the damage he has suffered with the manager confessing he is looks set for significant spell on the sidelines. 

It took Rangers until 25 minutes to really create anything of note. Vaclav Hladky did well to save from Ryan Kent after the Rangers winger danced his way into the Saints penalty area. The ball found its way to Steven Davis on the edge of the area but the midfielder's clipped ball into the box was too high for Defoe. 

But just under 10 minutes later the Ibrox side were ahead. Borna Barisic's low ball across the box deflected off Junior Morias and found its way to an unmarked Defoe who guided home from close range.

Rangers almost added a second right on the stroke of half-time with a number of men in blue looking to get a final touch on the ball in a stramash but Saints goalkeeper Hladky gathered.

It took over 22 minutes after the interval for anything of note to take place in the second-half. Nikola Katic rose the highest to meet a Davis corner. The Croatian defender headed it across the box with Defoe lurking at the back post but the striker couldn't meet it to double Rangers' advantage. 

Saints started to commit more forward and with just 15 minutes remaining went close to grabbing an equaliser. Conor McCarthy, making his first Ladbrokes Premiership start, nodded just wide after getting on the end of a Cammy MacPherson free-kick.

Rangers twice could have wrapped the game up in the closing minutes with substitute Sheyi Ojo seeing an effort deflected just wide while fellow sub Scott Arfield shot straight at Hladky from close range.

In the end one was enough for Rangers to ensure all the points remained in Glasgow.

Full-Time: Rangers 1-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hladky, Flynn, McCarthy, P.McGinn, Famewo, Waters, Magennis (Durmus 7), Foley, MacPherson (Mullen 87), Morias (Andreu 77), Obika
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Erhahon, Henderson, Mullen, Cooke

Rangers: McGregor, Flanagan, Katic, Goldson (c), Barisic, Kamara (Arfield 69), Jack, Davis, Aribo (Ojo 80), Kent, Defoe
Subs Not Used: Foderingham, Edmundson, Ojo, Halliday. Jones, Patterson

Referee: Nick Walsh
Assistant Referee: Alan Mulvanny
Assistant Referee: Graeme Leslie
Fourth Official: Steven Kincaid

Attendance: 49,297