St Mirren raise the Championship flag tomorrow as the Ladbrokes Premiership season gets underway at long last. 

The Buddies host Dundee at the Simple Digital Arena this afternoon with Alan Stubbs taking charge of his first Premiership match as Saints manager. 

St Mirren are unbeaten so far this season having won one and drawn three in the Betfred Cup stages. 

Saints' campaign began with a 0-0 draw at Rugby Park on Friday 13th July. The Buddies impressed but couldn't find the breakthrough goal to gain all three points. A bonus point was earned after a penalty shoot-out victory. 

Next up was a home match against Lowland League side The Spartans. Saints were stunned as the Edinburgh side scored either side of half-time to take a shock 2-0 lead. But substitutes Stephen McGinn and Danny Mullen got St Mirren level. The game went to penalties with Saints picking up a bonus point again. 

The Buddies drew for a third game in a row when they were held to a 0-0 draw at Hampden by Queen's Park. And for a third game in a row, Saints picked up a bonus point following penalties.

Alan Stubbs got his first win as St Mirren manager last Saturday as Saints emphatically defeated Dumbarton 6-0. Cammy Smith scored a double, while Hayden Coulson grabbed his first goal for the Buddies. Ross Stewart, Stephen McGinn and Jim Kellermann rounded off the victory that was enough to see Saints qualify from Group H and set up a last 16 tie against Aberdeen. 

Dundee also qualified for the next round of the Betfred Cup after three wins and a loss in Group D. The Dark Blues defeated Stirling Albion 4-0, Peterhead 2-0 and Brechin City 2-0 to gain nine points. Neil McCann's side finished second in the group after a 1-0 loss to Dunfermline allowed the Championship side to go through as group winners.

This is the first meeting of two in competitive action since Saints defeated Dundee at Dens Park in the Scottish Cup in January 2017. Rooted at the bottom of the Championship, the Buddies stunned Dundee with goals from John Sutton and Jack Baird giving us a well deserved 2-0 win. 

The last Premiership meeting came back in January 2015 at the Simple Digital Arena. Kenny McLean put Saints in front, but second half goals from Gary Irvine and Iain Davidson saw the Dark Blues pick up all three points. 

Saints will still be without Gary MacKenzie, Adam Eckersley and Jordan Kirkpatrick due to injury, but other than that Alan Stubbs has a full squad to pick from.

It'll be a big occasion for The Buddies being back in the top league for the first time since 2015 and raising the Championship flag. There will be the hope of getting the season off to a flyer with all three points, but Dundee will have their own ideas and it'll be a tough test for both sides at a busy Simple Digital Arena. 

ACTIVITIES 

It's set to be a fun-filled day at the Simple Digital Arena as we raise the Championship flag before kick-off. Check out all the goings on here. 

St Mirren supporters are encouraged to arrive at the Simple Digital Arena in plenty of time this afternoon as we raise the Championship flag before today's match.

It's set to be a fun filled day at the Simple Digital Arena with a range of activities taking place before kick-off.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of 'flag day'. 

10:00: Ticket Office opens

The St Mirren ticket office will open at 10am and remain open until 3pm.

1:45: Family Stand

Paisley Panda with support from SMiSA and the SMFC Fans' Council present a range of activities to improve the matchday experience for families and all younger Buddies.

Although all the activities will be taking place behind the Family Stand they are available to all fans regardless of what stand you are sitting in for the match.

Some of the activities lined up for this afternoon are as follows:

* Music from Jordan Stewart.

* Face painting.

* Balloon modeller who has a special Panda design.

* Paisley Panda giving out free sweets courtesy of Black and White Army.

2:45: Display and flag unfurling

There will be a large display in the West Stand organised by the singing section in W7. Supporters are encouraged to be in their seats before the team takes to the field. 

Each seat in the West Stand will have a piece of material on it and we'd ask that supporters in the West Stand raise their material as the team enters the pitch.

After the team enters the park at approximately 2:50pm the flag unfurling will take place. 

Saints chairman Gordon Scott will be doing the honours as we remember last season's title win. 

3:00: Kick-off

The Premiership season gets underway as Saints take on Dundee. 

Please note that the Stadium, Ticket Office and Club Shop will all be closed this coming Monday (6th August). 

Anyone wishing to buy tickets will still be able to do so online. 

The Stadium, Ticket Office and Club Shop will all be open as usual on Tuesday.

St Mirren's first away match of the Ladbrokes Premiership season has been rescheduled from Saturday 11th August to Sunday 12th August due to Rangers' involvement in the UEFA Europa League. 

The Buddies travel to Ibrox a week on Sunday for the 3pm kick-off.

Sunday 12th August 2018
Rangers v St Mirren
Kick-off: 3:00pm
Ibrox Stadium

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

This issue, for the Ladbrokes Premiership fixture against Dundee, is a 48 pager with a £3 cover price.

This latest edition includes the following:

Front Cover – Danny Mullen.
The Boss - St Mirren manager Alan Stubbs looks ahead to the match against The Dark Blues and delivers his pre-match message for the fans.
Last Time Out – A gallery of pictures from the recent BetFred Cup match against Dumbarton.
The Opposition – Brian Corry has a look over Neil McCann's Dundee side.
Matchday Announcements - Bulletin Board of info, dates and events in the world of St Mirren.
Decade of Football at Greenhill Road - As the stadium comes up on its tenth anniversary we look back at memorable games and events at our new home - we start with the 4-0 victory against Celtic on 24th March 2010.
St Mirren Greats – David Cochran looks back on the St Mirren career of Alexander 'Sandy' Wylie.
Year of Young People 2018 - Street Stuff kids get involved in the Year of Young People 2018.
Action Shot & Q&A (Centre Pages) – Club Captain Stephen McGinn. Stephen also shoots back answers for our quick-fire questionnaire.
Kit Sponsors 2018/19 – Check in to see who is sponsoring your favourite player's shirt for the season.
Premiership Round-Up - A rundown on St Mirren's opponents in this season's Ladbrokes Premiership.
SMiSA – The latest news from the St Mirren Supporters Trust.
Paisley Panda's Fun Corner – Some puzzles to keep the youngsters entertained during the half-time break.
Football, Bloody Hell – Alan Gallacher looks back at the changes in personnel since last season and ahead to St Mirren's return to the Premiership.
Marketing Matters – Campbell Kennedy updates on the latest events and happenings at the club's Commercial Department.
Fans Corner - Ticket prices, travel clubs update, match info and dates for fans to keep in their diary. And Fan's Music Pick!
St Mirren Fixtures & Results 2018/19 – 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 2018/19 season click HERE.

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 Dundee are the visitors for Saturday afternoon's Ladbrokes Premiership fixture.

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

St Mirren vs Dundee
Ladbrokes Premiership
Venue: The Simple Digital Arena, Paisley
Date: Saturday 4th August 2018
Kick-off: 3:00pm BST

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

Come along to The Simple Digital Arena tomorrow afternoon and join in with the Matchday Experience which kicks-off at 1:45pm in and around the Family Stand.

Building on the successful initiatives that have seen St Mirren win the accolade of Most Family Friendly Ground in the Scottish Supporters Association Fan Awards, the Club's SLO and Paisley Panda with support from SMiSA and the SMFC Fans' Council present a range of activities to improve the matchday experience for families and all younger Buddies.

Although all the activities will be taking place behind the Family Stand they are available to all fans regardless of what stand you are sitting in for the match.

Some of the activities lined up for tomorrow are as follows:

* Music from Jordan Stewart.

* Face painting.

* Balloon modeller who has a special Panda design.

* Paisley Panda giving out free sweets courtesy of Black and White Army.

So come along early and get involved in the fun activities before getting ready to back the Buddies in the Ladbrokes Premiership match against Dundee. #BackTheBuds

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 SMITH’.

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.

So get yourself ready on the hour mark of Saturday’s game against The Dark Blues and get voting with #SMFCMOM.

Paisley Panda will host the ever-popular match day competition ‘Bung a Baw’ at Saturday’s match against Dundee.

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 The Linwood Farm Restaurant who are supplying a family meal voucher as the prize for the contest winner.

Each ball will cost £1 to buy. 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 tomorrow to purchase 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.

Paisley Panda has also teamed up with the St Mirren Club Shop so you will be able to buy hats and scarves for the game from the 'Bung a Baw' stands.

Paisley Panda is pleased to confirm that ‘First Scorer’ will be back for the game on Saturday against Dundee.

‘First Scorer’ lets fans predict in advance of the game who they think will score St Mirren's first goal in Saturday’s match against The Dark Blues.

From all of those who guessed 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.