St Mirren won away to Dumbarton for the first time since 1996 to end the first quarter of the season on top of the league. 

Goals from Gavin Reilly and John Sutton saw the Buddies win 2-0 and extend their lead at the top to three points. 

Saints looked in the mood from the off - almost taking the lead with less than two minutes gone. Adam Eckersley swung a ball in from the left to the far end of the box where it met Ross Stewart. The striker, making his first league start for St Mirren, had ex-Saints goalkeeper Scott Gallacher beaten only for experienced Sons defender Andy Dowie to head off the line. 

Dumbarton quickly broke up the field as they looked to grab an early opener, but Mark Stewart glanced his header wide. 

The match's frantic pace wasn't about to slow down with Stephen McGinn going close to breaking the deadlock on four minutes. A short corner routine found the captain in acres of space inside the box. He took a touch to compose himself before seeing his effort blocked by the feet of Gallacher. 

Both goalkeepers were made to work in the early exchanges with Craig Samson making a terrific save to deny Dimitris Froxylias. The Cypriot winger was found on the right before cutting inside and curling an effort towards the far post with Samson's fingertips clawing the ball wide. Froxylias went close again on 19 minutes when he curled a similar attempt by the post. 

Sandwiched between those Froxylias effort's, Gallacher had to be alert when a snap shot from Cammy Smith bounced in front of the keeper. He did well to push it wide before Jack Baird headed just by the post from the resultant corner. 

After an opening 20 minutes in which it was hard to catch breath the game hit a bit of a lull until 33 minutes when Gavin Reilly looked destined to open the scoring. He was slipped in by Cammy Smith but the slightest of touches from Gallacher sent his shot wide. 

Reilly wouldn't be denied though as he opened the scoring three minutes later. McGinn, who looked like he could have gotten a shot away from the edge of the box, sent a nice ball out to the left to Adam Eckersley. The left back chipped the ball into the path of Reilly who got ahead of the Dumbarton defence to nod beyond Gallacher to give Saints a deserved lead. It was the striker's 10th goal since joining from Hearts in the summer and gave the Buddies the advantage going into the break. 

Half Time: Dumbarton 0-1 St Mirren

The home side started the second half the better of the two as they attempted to get back into the match. 

Christian Nade picked out ex-Saints loanee Tom Walsh in a good position inside the box only for the winger to fire over. Mark Stewart then spurned a decent opportunity when he hit an effort straight at Craig Samson. Sons were then awarded a soft free kick when Froxylias went down, but the Cypriot swung the ball beyond the post. 

Ian McShane, who arguably had his best game in a St Mirren jersey, almost caught out Gallacher with a free kick. It was driven low with the goalkeeper spilling the ball and Dumbarton managing to get it clear. 

The hosts then had a succession of corner kicks as they looked to grab an equaliser on the hour mark. Twice, Craig Samson had to tip the ball over the bar before Saints eventually dealt with the pressure. 

Lewis Morgan, back from international duty with the Scotland U21s, almost grabbed the all important second for Saints when he drove forward and unleashed a hell of a shot from 25 yards out. It was a fierce effort which had to be pushed wide by Gallacher.

Saints would get that second goal on 70 minutes to give themselves a cushion. Substitute John Sutton rose above the Sons defence to bullet home his 45 goal in the black and white of St Mirren to all but seal the three points. That goal took the stuffing out of Dumbarton and effectively killed the game. 

There was a nice moment for Kyle Magennis as he made his return to first team action after injury in pre-season to a thunderous ovation from the Saints support. 

St Mirren saw the match out and ended the first set of fixtures this season with seven wins from nine while extending their lead at the top of the table. 

Full Time: Dumbarton 0-2 St Mirren

St Mirren: Samson, L.Smith, Baird, Buchanan, Eckersley, Morgan (Magennis 84), McShane, McGinn, C.Smith, R. Stewart (Sutton 55), Reilly (Stelios 87)
Subs Not Used: Stewart, MacPherson, Kirkpatrick, Duffy

Dumbarton: Gallacher, Wardrop, Dowie, Barr, McLaughlin, Froxylias, Wilson, Hutton, Walsh (Johnston 84), M.Stewart (Roy 75), Nade (Morrison 75)
Subs Not Used: Ewings, Gallagher, Prior

Referee: Alan Newlands
Assistant Referee: Gordon Crawford
Assistant Referee: Scott Leslie

Attendance: 1,178

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

Welcome to Show Racism the Red Card’s annual Fortnight of Action. Many of you will have seen the campaign within football for many years, the SPFL and its member clubs have been supporting the campaign since it started in Scotland.

In addition to increasing the awareness of SRtRC’s work in Scotland, the Fortnight of Action from 6th – 20th October shows commitment at the highest level of Scottish football to eradicate racism and discrimination of any form from our game.

We believe that it is vital to highlight the anti-racism message at this time of year as it runs alongside Football Against Racism in Europe’s (FARE) Football People Weeks.

All professional clubs will show their support over one weekend on Friday 14th October and Saturday 15th October. Clubs will be united in calling for an end to racism in football and society. Players in over 40 European Countries are involved in similar events as part of FARE network against racism and discrimination.

Show Racism the Red Card has received excellent support from football clubs, football authorities and football fans the length and breadth of Scotland – we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all. We have heard of many instances where supporters have been proactive in promoting the anti-racism message, making it clear that racism and discrimination are not welcome at their club. We urge fans to continue to support the anti-racism message; it is the responsibility of us all to ensure that it is carried out beyond the Fortnight of Action and beyond the terraces.

Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive of the SPFL said:

“Football is a powerful medium to break down barriers and promote tolerance. Our clubs have supported Show Racism the Red Card since season 2003/04 and once again, this united action in support of the campaign sends out the positive message that football is a game to be enjoyed by all."

The campaign will continue to speak to all football clubs, the football authorities and the police to eradicate all forms of racist behaviour.

The SPFL and its clubs deplore all forms of racism and any racist behaviour will not be tolerated at the SPFL.

Over the past year Show Racism the Red Card has faced major funding difficulties but we strive to continue our work. We are working with grassroots football, community groups, schools, the police and prison service to ensure that going forward Scottish society and Scottish football is fair and inclusive for all.

Football is a sport that is followed by people across the world and football matches should be an enjoyable experience for all, whatever their background. We all have a part to play in challenging racism in football and society.

Show your support for tackling racism: 

Follow us on twitter @SRtRCScotland

Like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/theRedCardScotland

www.theredcardscotland.org

St Mirren are on the road tomorrow as they make the short trip across the Erskine Bridge to face Dumbarton. 

It's a return to Ladbrokes Championship action for Saints after the disappointment of last Saturday's IRN-BRU Cup exit. 

The Buddies took the lead in last weekend's cup tie against Raith Rovers with Gavin Reilly scoring his ninth goal of the season on 63 minutes. But the Kirkcaldy side responded instantly with Lewis Vaughan levelling with a neat strike from the edge of the box a minute later. Late goals from Greig Spence and Bobby Barr saw Raith win 3-1 and progress to the quarter final. 

Ironically, it's tomorrow's opponents Dumbarton who will meet Rovers in the last eight. They secured their place with a 2-1 win over League One side Stranraer last Friday night with goals from Craig Barr and Mark Stewart putting them into a comfortable lead before Stephen Okoh grabbed a late consolation for the visitors. That win kept up Sons' decent run of form with Stevie Aitken's side victorious in four of their last six matches in all competitions. It was also their fourth win at home on the bounce with victories over Gap Connah's Quay, Brechin City and Inverness preceding the win over Stranraer. 

The wins over Brechin and Inverness were Dumbarton's first and second wins of the season and see them currently sit seventh in the Ladbrokes Championship on nine points. They've only lost one of their four home league matches this season - a 4-0 loss to Dunfermline in August. 

That indicates that Saints are likely be in for a tough challenge tomorrow despite sitting atop of the Championship. The Buddies 2-1 win over bottom side Brechin two weeks ago saw them return to the top of the league - a point ahead of Dundee United. Six wins from the first eight league games have Saints in a healthy position, despite disappointing losses away to Morton and Dunfermline. St Mirren's solitary league win on their travels this season came at the Tony Macaroni Arena where Jack Ross' side won 3-1 despite being reduced to ten men. 

Dumbarton have almost been a bogey side for Saints since relegation to the Championship in 2015. St Mirren have only beaten Dumbarton once in the last eight matches between the two - a 1-0 win at the Paisley 2021 Stadium on February 2016.

However, while Dumbarton defeated St Mirren once last season, the Buddies were unbeaten in the two clashes at the Your Radio 103FM Stadium. The first meeting of the two was one of those as Saints travelled across the Erskine Bridge last September. Andy Stirling gave Dumbarton an early lead before a Ryan Hardie header before half time saw Saints pick up a point.

Jack Ross was just getting his feet in the door when Dumbarton came to Paisley for the first time last season. It was a chance for St Mirren to make up ground at the bottom of the Championship, but it was the Sons who left the Paisley 2021 Stadium with all three points when Garry Fleming capitalised on a defensive error to score the game's only goal on 63 minutes.

The next meeting saw a much changed St Mirren side travel over the Clyde to face Stevie Aitken's side. There were debuts for Harry Davis, Adam Eckersley and Stelios Demetriou while Stephen McGinn made his first start since returning to the club. But even a new look Saints team couldn't take three points at the Rock. The Buddies took the lead ten minutes before the break when David Clarkson got on the end of a Cammy Smith cross. Dumbarton levelled a little over ten minutes into the second half through Christian Nade. St Mirren looked likely to pick up all three points when debutant Harry Davis rose above the Dumbarton defence to head home only for the stubborn Sons to grab an equaliser on 80 minutes to pick up a point. 

The final clash last season took place in April at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. Saints, aiming to take a step closer to securing their Championship status, took the lead when Kyle Magennis scored early on. However, Lewis Vaughan equalised less than ten minutes before the interval to draw Dumbarton level. Saints passed up a glorious chance to re-take the lead before half time when Rory Loy had a penalty saved by Alan Martin and the game ended 1-1. 

St Mirren will come up against a number of familiar faces tomorrow with no less than five ex-Saints in the Dumbarton squad. Scott Gallacher, Kyle Hutton, Stuart Carswell, Tom Walsh and Calum Gallagher have all worn the black and white of St Mirren at some point over the last two years, but now all ply their trade with the Sons, while Dumbarton winger Dimitris Froxylias is close friends with Stelios Demtriou. Gregor Buchanan will also be familiar with a number of Sons players having played their for two seasons.

Saints are still without long-term absentees Harry Davis and Gary MacKenzie, while Gary Irvine is out after picking up a knock against Raith last week. Ladbrokes Championship Player of the Month, Lewis Morgan returns to the side after international duty as does Liam Smith.

Tomorrow's match signals the end of the first quarter and the Buddies know a win will see them close out the first set of fixtures on top of the league. Meanwhile, Dumbarton will be eager to keep up their good form against St Mirren and further extend their winning run at home. 

Tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 14th October), St Mirren head over the Erskine Bridge to face Dumbarton in a Ladbrokes Championship match-up at the YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium.

The info on Travel Clubs heading to the YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium for the match is as follows:

Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus

The bus for Dumbarton will leave at 1:45pm.

We have some seats left. There are no bus tickets available in the Bankhouse but if anyone wants one they can contact Fraser Burns on 07788 291 571 or get him on Facebook or Twitter. .

Chivas Travel Club

The bus will leave from the Court Bar at 1:45pm for ‘The Rock’.

Not many bus tickets left so probably best to call the Court Bar for availability.

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

The bus for the trip to Dumbarton will leave Abercorn Street at 1:45pm.

This bus is sold out.

North End Travel Club

The bus to Dumbarton will leave The Sneddon at 1:45pm.

Bus tickets are on sale in The Brewer’s Tap, £6 each

* Must provide valid proof of status.

Additional Information for Travelling Fans

Tomorrow, Saturday 14th October, St Mirren head over the Erskine Bridge to face Dumbarton in a Ladbrokes Champions match-up.

Entry to this match is all-ticket and the ticket prices for the fixture at Your Radio 103FM Stadium are confirmed above.

There will be no sale of tickets on the day of the match. Tickets are available from the St Mirren Ticket Office up till 2:00pm today (Friday 13th October).

The referee tomorrow is Alan Newlands and he will be assisted by Gordon Crawford and Scott Leslie.

Please note that there are roadworks on the Erskine Bridge this weekend so please allow enough time for your journey to Dumbarton.

For directions to the Your Radio 103FM Stadium click here

Stelios will be coming up against a player he considers a brother when St Mirren travel to Dumbarton on Saturday. 

The Cypriot has been close friends with Sons' Dimitris Froxylias since childhood, but confessed that will go out the window during the battle for three points this weekend. 

Froxylias had been staying with Stelios after joining Dumbarton on deadline day.

However, Stelios said he won't be after any secrets ahead of the clash after his pal flitted last weekend.

He moved out last weekend," Stelios told stmirren.com

"We are good friends. We grew up together, played together for a few years, but on Saturday we are opponents and both of us will fight for our team. 

"To be honest I have a good record playing against him so hopefully that record will continue at the weekend.

"We are like brothers, but for 90 minutes I'll forget about that." 

The Cypriot full back knows it's important for the side to bounce back from the IRN-BRU Cup disappointment of last weekend.

Stelios is, however, more than aware of the difficulty Dumbarton will pose having made his Saints debut at the Your Radio 103FM Stadium in a 2-2 draw back in February.

But he says the players will work hard to try and earn a win.

"After last weekend the boys are disappointed with the result and to be out of the cup.

"Now we are back to our main focus on the league. It's going to be a difficult game but our target in every single game is to win. 

"We've shown we are good coming back from bad results and that's what we want to do at the weekend. 

"It was my first game and it was one of the toughest places to go and play. We all know how good Dumbarton are at getting results.

"We've shown we are not afraid and our target is three points. If we want to meet our targets this season then we have to start by meeting our quarterly targets. We need to just focus on the game, work hard in training and then go to try and get three points."

This Saturday (14th October), St Mirren head over the Erskine Bridge to face Dumbarton in a Ladbrokes Championship match-up at the YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium, then a week later Saints make the trip to the Forth Valley to face Falkirk at the Falkirk Stadium.

The info on Travel Clubs heading to the YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium and the Falkirk Stadium for the matches is as follows:

14/10/2017 - Dumbarton v St Mirren

Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus

The bus for Dumbarton will leave at 1:45pm.

Bus tickets are now available in The Bankhouse.

Chivas Travel Club

The bus will leave from the Court Bar at 1:45pm for ‘The Rock’.

Bus tickets now on sale from the Court Bar.

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

The bus for the trip to Dumbarton will leave Abercorn Street at 1:45pm.

Bus tickets now on sale behind the bar.

North End Travel Club

The bus to Dumbarton will leave The Sneddon at 1:45pm.

Bus tickets are on sale in The Brewer’s Tap, £6 each

21/10/2017 - Falkirk v St Mirren

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

The bus going to Falkirk will leave Abercorn Street at 1:30pm.

Bus tickets will go on sale behind the bar from Saturday 14th October.

North End Travel Club

The bus for the Falkirk game will leave The Sneddon at 1:30pm.

Bus tickets will be on sale on the bus going to the Dumbarton game and afterwards in The Brewer’s Tap, £7 each

Chivas Travel Club

The bus will leave at 1:30pm from the Court Bar.

Bus tickets now on sale from the Court Bar.

Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus

The bus to Falkirk will leave at 1:30pm.

Bus tickets will be available in The Bankhouse from Saturday 14th October.

Allan McManus, the Head of Youth at the St Mirren, says recent call-ups at different international levels is great for the club and testament to the hard work of the players. 

Speaking to stmirren.com on a range of topics across the youth academy including the U20s and progression to the first team for a number of players, Allan believes it's great for the club to be producing players at different international levels. He also praised the players themselves for their efforts to develop as footballers. 

St Mirren have seen academy graduates like John McGinn, Stevie Mallan and Lewis Morgan make the full and U21 squads, while current academy players such as Ben Cameron and Ethan Erhahon has been selected to represent Scotland at U16 and U17 level. 

It's fantastic for the club but it's also fantastic for these boys. They have worked hard and they deserve it.

"At the club we give them the platform but ultimately the level they end up playing at is down to how hard they work to improve their game.

"It's fantastic for a club like ours that we have managed to produce young international players and long may that continue." 

Despite losing 4-2 to Aberdeen last night in the SPFL Development League, the U20s have been on a fine run of form recently with three wins from their last five matches.

While Allan confessed he does feel that performances can improve, he's been happy with results and believes the ability to win whilst not playing at their best can stand these players in good stead if and when they make it to first team level.   

The results have been decent though I still think the performances can get better. 

"But all credit to the boys, they've shown that they can win games in different manners which is very important because you don't always win games at first team level playing pretty, attractive football - sometimes you need to grind out results.

"We played very well with a lot of attacking football against Hearts a few weeks ago, but last week against Dundee United we had to win the game in a slightly different manner. 

"It's been particularly pleasing for Ethan Erhahon and David Wilson to have made the step up to the 20s as they can still technically play for the 17s. They've come in and done very well.

"David has looked very composed in goal and Ethan has obviously come in and done very well and got his rewards at the weekend getting his opportunity at first team.

"That's the carrot for all the players at U20s. If they work hard and show the manager glimpses of what they can do then the manager will give them that opportunity. If they keep working hard and keep listening and learning then hopefully more of them will get a chance in the future."

Indeed Ethan made his first team bow in Saturday's match against Raith Rovers at just 16 years-old.

The youngster played the full 90 minutes and, despite Saints' loss, Allan was pleased to see him get that first opportunity and urged him and others to keep working hard and more chances will follow.

I was delighted for him," Allan said. "I think he played well and he grew in confidence in the second half.

"He is a very assured young lad in his ability and if he keeps his head down and keeps listening to the manager, James [Fowler], myself and Andy [Webster] then he could have a big future.

"There are other boys who are there or thereabouts and if they go about their business in the right manner then we could have another few in about it."

Another youth academy player who earned game time at the weekend was Cameron MacPherson when he replaced Gary Irvine as a substitute on 56 minutes.

It was the 18 year-old's second appearance for the first team having made his debut as a substitute in the 2-0 win over Dundee in the Scottish Cup in January.

It's been frustrating for Cammy because he has been pretty much training with the first team on a consistent basis but has had an injury.

"He's just starting to rediscover his fitness and form so it'll be pleasing for him to get some minutes under his belt.

"He's going to have to kick on a wee bit as well and show he is worthy to be in the first team in a regular basis."

It was new car day for Manager Jack Ross, Head of Youth Allan McManus, Chief Executive Tony Fitzpatrick and Commercial Manager Campbell Kennedy.

They all received top of the line St Mirren branded Infiniti Q50 S Sports from the Infiniti Centre Glasgow in Renfrew yesterday. 

Infiniti has served as St Mirren's official car sponsor for almost five years with the deal renewed this summer for another year.  

Infiniti Glasgow Centre Manager, Iain Smith said: "We're absolutely delighted to be continuing our partnership with St Mirren. One thing we love about St Mirren is that it is very much part of the community and as a local business that's very important to us. It's great to see the guys in nice new cars all liveried up with the St Mirren banners. It's been a great relationship and long may it continue it."

St Mirren Commercial Manager, Campbell Kennedy said: "We'd like to thank Infiniti for their continued support. The cars we received all look fantastic with the club branding and we'll enjoy getting use of them." 

Gregor Buchanan says it's important to get back to winning ways after Saturday's defeat against Raith Rovers. 

The Buddies record winning run at the Paisley 2021 Stadium came to an end as they were knocked out of the IRN-BRU Cup after losing 3-1 to the Kirkcaldy side. 

Saints are looking to bounce back as they travel to Dumbarton this weekend in the Ladbrokes Championship. 

The defender spent two seasons at the Sons and is more than aware of the difficulty his current side will face when they make the journey across the Erskine Bridge.

But while he says he is looking forward to seeing some familiar faces his focus is on winning three points for St Mirren.

"I think disappointment was obviously the main emotion after Saturday," he told stmirren.com

"Every competition we are in we want to progress in it, but it's important we bounce back as quickly as possible.

"I had a good time there and the supporters of Dumbarton knew I gave my everything for them.

"It's a really tough place to go and their form at home in the league is probably why they have survived so many seasons in the Championship. Everybody knows they're not a club you can just expect to turn up and take three points.

"It's a really difficult place to go but I'm looking forward to it and the main focus is to win the game.

"It'll be nice to meet some folk there before the game but as soon as that whistle goes I am a St Mirren player.

"We are top of the table and if we keep winning matches we'll stay there. That's the main objective for us and on Saturday it's important for us to get back to winning ways."

Full time on Saturday will signal the end of the first quarter of fixtures with the Buddies knowing a win at the Your Radio 103FM Stadium would see them finish the first set of fixtures top of the league. 

Buchanan admits the side will be pleased with how that first quarter has gone if they can win on Saturday given how tough this league can be.

It's important to set targets because it gives you something to work towards," he said.

"If we win on Saturday and are sitting top of the league we'll be quite happy. We'll go on from there and work towards the next quarter. 

"I think Brechin showed how difficult the league is when they came to our place and made it very difficult for us to win the game. The Championship has been like that for years and there's an element of everybody can beat everybody.

"It's important to get as many points on the board as quick as possible. We need to keep the run going while we have it and long may it continue."