Jim Goodwin gives reaction to Saints' narrow 2-1 loss at home to Celtic this afternoon.

Saints play host to Celtic in a Boxing Day clash at the Simple Digital Arena.

FORM

St Mirren - DDWLLL

Celtic - WWWWWW

The Buddies are unbeaten in their last three having beaten Hamilton Accies and drawn with Livingston and St Johnstone. 

Saints last win at home was last month when Sam Foley's late strike gave Jim Goodwin's side a 2-1 win over Ross County.

Celtic's 2-1 win over Aberdeen on Saturday was the Hoops' 10th straight Ladbrokes Premiership win. 

Neil Lennon's side have only dropped five points so far this season drawing 1-1 away to Hibernian while losing 2-0 to Livingston - both in October.

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Celtic were 2-0 winners when the sides met at Celtic Park in October with Mohamed Elyounoussi and James Forrest scoring for Neil Lennon's men. 

That was also the scoreline when the Hoops last visited Paisley with Timothy Weah and Ryan Christie netting back in March.

St Mirren's last league win over Celtic was the famous 4-0 win in 2010 where Andy Dorman and Steven Thomson each scored a brace to defeat Tony Mowbray's Hoops side. 

The Buddies last picked up a point against Celtic with a 0-0 draw at the Simple Digital Arena in September 2018 in what was ex-manager Oran Kearney's first match in charge.

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot, Gary MacKenzie and Kyle McAllister are all set to miss out for Saints.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"Celtic have been playing extremely well and even in the games they're not playing so well they still manage to find a way to win the game. 

"It's going to be extremely difficult we know that. I think we have to take a little bit of hope from what Livingston did back in October albeit they have won every domestic game since then.

"There is always a chance. You've got to go into it with a bit of belief knowing that it is going to be a long afternoon but also believing that you are going to get opportunities. 

"We have to make sure we go into the game well-organised and difficult to beat but also try to impose our game on them as well. It's trying to find that balance of being hard to beat but being adventurous enough to commit enough bodies forward where we can try and hurt them."

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 Celtic are the visitors for Thursday's Ladbrokes Premiership match.

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

St Mirren vs Celtic
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Thursday 26th December 2019
Kick-off: 3pm 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

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

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

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Cammy MacPherson.
The Gaffer - Jim Goodwin looks back on recent games and ahead to the match-up with Celtic.
Last Time Out - Stuart Gillespie's report on the recent match against Livingston, pictures by Allan Picken.
The Opposition – Brian Corry runs the rule over the Celtic squad and manager.
St Mirren Programme Archive - Derek Drennan looks back on the programme for the 1959 Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic.
100 Seasons at the Top - Cairters Corner on St Mirren's fortunes in the years following the end of the Second World War.
They Played in the Stripes – David Cochran looks back on the St Mirren career of Andy Dorman.
English Title Winners - Liam Harding tells the tale of Brian Clough's title winning run with Derby County.
Centre Page Poster – Ilkay Durmus.
Fans Corner - Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info and dates for fans to keep in their diary and fans music pick.
Player Kit Sponsors 2019/20 – Check in to see who is sponsoring your favourite player's shirt for the season.
Panda's Fun Page – Some puzzles to keep the youngsters entertained during the half-time break.
Football Bloody Hell - Part one of Alan Gallacher's annual quiz looking back on St Mirren over the last 12 months.
Stats and Picture Quiz - Player appearance stats for the season and picture quiz on St Mirren players who made at least 300 appearances for the club.
Street Stuff - The Festive timetable for the Street Stuff programme. 
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 Thursday’s match.

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

St Mirren vs Celtic
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Thursday 26th December 2019
Kick-off: 3:00pm

The match day officials for Thursday’s Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Neil Lennon's Celtic side are as follows:

Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: Douglas Ross
Assistant Referee: Andrew McWilliam
Fourth Official: Barry Cook

If you are thinking about coming to the Simple Digital Arena for the first time on Thursday 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 3:00pm.

Season Tickets ARE valid for this game.

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

Tickets are on-sale now at the St Mirren Ticket Office and online to Season Ticket holders wishing to buy additional tickets or those registered on the ticketing website.

Family Stand season ticket holders have until 2:00pm on Monday 23rd December to secure tickets for our match against Celtic on Boxing Day at the reduced price of £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.

Any Family Stand season ticket holder who doesn't purchase by 2:00pm on Monday 23rd December will have to pay full price of £27 for adults and £17 for concessions.

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

Wed, Dec 25th - CLOSED
Thu, Dec 26th - 10:00am - 3:00pm (kick-off)

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

Please note that the Club Shop is also open the same hours as the Ticket Office.

Ticket Prices

Adult - £27
Over 65 - £17
13-17 - £17
Under 12s - £17

Matchday Club Policies (click links for more info)

Unacceptable Conduct

Supporters Code of Conduct

Visitor Information

The St Mirren Reserves are in SPFL Reserve League action this afternoon (23rd December) as they play host to Motherwell.

Kick-off is 2pm at the St Mirren Training Ground and entry is FREE! 

To find out more about the SPFL Reserve League please click here.

Family Stand season ticket holders have until 2pm on Monday 23rd December to secure tickets for our match against Celtic on Boxing Day at the reduced price of £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. 

Any Family Stand season ticket holder who doesn't purchase by 2pm on Monday 23rd December will have to pay full price of £27 for adults and £17 for concessions.

St Mirren vs Celtic
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Thursday 26th December 2019
Kick-off: 3pm

Ticket Prices

Adults - £10
Concessions/13-17 - £5

*Children with under 12 season tickets will be moved free of charge with a paying adult/concession season ticket holder.
**Wheelchair users free of charge.

Please note these cannot be purchased online. They can only be purchased by visiting the ticket office or over the phone.

Jim Goodwin gives his take as the Buddies battled out a goalless draw with St Johnstone in our final away game of 2019.

St Mirren go on their final away trip of 2019 as the Buddies head to Perth to face St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

FORM

St Mirren - DWLLLW

St Johnstone - WDLDLW

The Paisley Saints go into tomorrow's match having picked up four points from their last two matches.

A first away win of the season against Hamilton two weeks ago was followed up by a 3-3 draw at home with Livingston last Saturday.

Jim Goodwin's side came from 3-1 down to earn a point thanks to two second-half goals from Jon Obika. That draw was enough to keep Saints in ninth place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

St Johnstone moved level on points with the Buddies on Saturday after a 1-0 win away to Hearts. Callum Hendry scored with 15 minutes remaining to give Tommy Wright's men a valuable three points and their first win on the road in almost a year.

The Perth side sit in 10th position - three points ahead of Hamilton and Hearts with 15 points from their opening 16 matches. 

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St Mirren came out on top in the 'Battle of the Saints' in October when the two sides met at the Simple Digital Arena.

Goals from Obika and Danny Mullen gave the Buddies a 2-0 win over Tommy Wright's side - the first St Mirren victory against St Johnstone since 2014.

The Buddies last win against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park was the aforementioned 2-1 win in 2014 where goals from Jason Naismith and Adam Drury gave the Paisley Saints all three points. 

St Johnstone were the victors on both occasions when the Buddies visited McDiarmid Park last season. Matty Kennedy and David Wotherspoon scored in a 2-0 win in October 2018, while Chris Kane netted the only goal in a 1-0 triumph in March. 

TEAM NEWS

Kirk Broadfoot and Gary MacKenzie are still out for Saints.

Sam Foley and Paul McGinn trained yesterday but only have a 50/50 chance of featuring. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"St Johnstone are coming into the game on the back of similar results to us.

"They look as if they have made themselves a bit more rigid in terms of the full-backs not seeming to join in as much as they did in the early part of the season. That almost allows the front three to go and play high and not worry about their defensive responsibilities.

"The front players are dangerous. They are very good, have good pace and can cause any teams problems. 

"McDiarmid Park has always been always been a difficult venue in my time as a player and I imagine at this time of the year that the pitch will be quite heavy as well. It'll be a battle again which is something the boys have shown in the last couple of games that they are not afraid to go and do."

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce that The Energy Check are our new official energy supply partners.

We are also delighted to announce that the energy firm have agreed a deal to become our new shorts sponsors for the next three years - starting with the Boxing Day match against Celtic.

The club will work closely with The Energy Check over the next three years to improve energy efficiency and energy management while also helping The Energy Check increase their brand exposure.

St Mirren Commercial Manager, Campbell Kennedy said: "I’m delighted to have The Energy Check on board as our new energy supply partners and short sponsors for the next three years.

"This has been in the works for a number of months and I’m pleased to have everything signed and sealed.

"It's a partnership that will benefit both parties as the club look to become more energy efficient, while also helping to raise The Energy Check's brand awareness.

"The Energy Check will also offer deals to supporters and other club partners so I'm excited to welcome them to the club and look forward to a fruitful working relationship."

Ryan Callaghan, The Energy Check Corporate Partnership Manager, said: "I am delighted to announce that we will be partnering with St Mirren FC. We will be working closely with the club on a commercial and operational agreement.

"The Energy Check shares the same values as St Mirren and focuses heavily on community engagement. We will be planning various events to engage with the club’s Charitable Foundation to assist in making a positive change.

"This is something we’re extremely excited for as it will not only be a great way to build new relationships but an opportunity to facilitate communication and interaction between organisations and their community for a range of social outcomes.

"This deal also reflects the club’s goal of becoming more energy efficient and will serve as an effective way of saving money by lowering energy costs."