St Mirren made it five home wins in a row for the first time since they moved into the Paisley 2021 Stadium as they defeated Hearts Colts in the IRN-BRU Cup.  

Gavin Reilly scored either side of half-time to put Saints in firmly in control before Rory Currie snatched a late goal for the young Jambos. Substitute John Sutton put the game to bed just a few moments later to secure St Mirren's place in Tuesday's third round draw. 

The Buddies got off to a flying start with ex-Hearts man Reilly opening the scoring on eight minutes. It was a fine finish from the ex-Hearts man as he curled the ball beautifully beyond Kelby Mason from the edge of box after a neat passage of play.   

Saints were on top and could have had a second when debutant Dale Hilson found Conor O'Keefe in space on the left side. The young winger, making his first Saints start, steadied himself for the shot before hitting it straight into the arms of Mason. 

The Hearts goalkeeper did well to deny Reilly in similar circumstances not long after, holding the striker's low drive on 20 minutes. 

It was then the turn of Saints keeper Ross Stewart to be put to work as he tipped Hearts skipper Angus Beith's powerful effort from outside the box over the bar. 

In truth though, that Beith chance aside, the Buddies dominated the first half and Reilly will feel he should have had his second before he did. On 33 minutes, Hilson did brilliantly well to pull down Gregor Buchanan's cross-field pass and keep it in play on the left touchline. He raced into the box, seeing an attempt from the angle blocked by Mason. The ball fell invitingly for Reilly with it ready to be passed into the back of the net, but he somehow managed to put it over. 

A quick move just before half time could have almost got Hearts level heading into the break. Currie played the ball to Callum Morrison who whipped a dangerous looking ball into the Saints box with Lewis Moore just failing to get on the end of it. 

Half Time: St Mirren 1-0 Hearts Colts

The Buddies doubled their lead soon after the interval when Reilly grabbed his and Saints' second. Just as was the case in the win over Dundee United last week, it was the perfect start to the second period as the striker burst on to a neat through ball from captain Stephen McGinn and lashed it home for his eighth St Mirren goal. 

Hearts Colts tried to find a way back into the match and were lucky still to be in the contest when Ian McShane swung a free-kick just by the right hand post on the hour. 

A third goal would have surely killed off the match, but this young Jambos side were a determined bunch. Again Beith who went close to getting on the scoresheet for the visitors with the captain curling a shot just wide after being laid off by Currie. 

They would get the goal they craved with just under 10 minutes of the match to go. Substitute Aidan Keena found himself in good space in the box only to have his attempt deflected by for a corner. The Buddies failed to deal with the set piece with Keena flinging the ball back into the danger area. It came off the leg of Jack Baird and landed in the path of Currie who managed to put the ball into the back of the net.  

But any hopes of a comeback were dashed for the visitors when John Sutton added a third for Saints on 83 minutes. This time Reilly turned provider as he clipped the ball from the byline into the six-yard box to meet the head of Sutton who nodded home. 

Both sides had chances in the final few moments with Ross Stewart saving well with his feet to deny Jamie Brandon and Gavin Reilly seeing a shot inside the box blocked as he seemed set to grab a hat-tick. 

In the end it was a fine effort from a young Hearts side, but it's Saints who deservedly progress into the next round of the cup. 

Full Time: St Mirren 3-1 Hearts Colts

St Mirren: Stewart, Stelios, Baird, Buchanan, Eckersley, McGinn, McShane (Sutton 71), Hilson (Stewart 54), Smith, O'Keefe (Kirkpatrick 61), Reilly
Subs Not Used: Samson, Whyte, Erhahon, Duffy

Hearts Colts: Mason, Brandon, Sandison, B. Gadja, Hamilton, Petkov (Cochrane 88), Morrison, Beith, Currie, Paton (Keena 49), Moore
Subs Not Used: W.Gadja, Irving, Reid, Ritchie

Referee: Craig Charleston 
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan 
Assistant Referee: Iain Snedden

Attendance: 1,130

St Mirren make three changes to the side that defeated Dundee United last week. 

Ross Stewart is between the sticks in place of Craig Samson who takes a seat on the bench. 

Lewis Morgan misses out due to international duty, while Liam Smith is struggling with a knock and they are replaced by Dale Hilson and Conor O'Keefe.

It's a Saints debut for Hilson who has been out with an injury since signing in the summer, while it's also a first start for academy player O'Keefe.

There's also a place on the bench for 16 year-old prospect Ethan Erhahon.

Kick-off is at 3pm and we'll have all the action covered on our Twitter and Facebook pages. Saints fans outside the UK and Ireland can watch the match live on St Mirren TV. 

St Mirren: Stewart, Stelios, Baird, Buchanan, Eckersley, McGinn, McShane, Hilson, C.Smith, O'Keefe, Reilly
Subs: Samson, Whyte, Kirkpatrick, Erhahon, Stewart, Sutton, Duffy

The transfer window slammed shut last night with no players in or out at St Mirren on the final day.

It has, however, been a productive window for Saints with 12 players joining the Buddies over the summer months.

It was announced at the end of the season that Andy Webster, Ben Gordon and Jordan Stewart would all leave the club after their deals expired. Norwegian utility player Pal Fjelde also departed when his contract came to an end.

Webster hung up his boots after a career that saw him capped 28 times for Scotland and play for the likes of Hearts, Rangers, Dundee United, Wigan, Coventry and Saints among others. A few weeks after calling time on his playing career, Webster joined the St Mirren Youth Academy as a coach.

Gordon signed with League One side East Fife, while Stewart was picked up by Clyde. Fjelde moved on to Faroese club 07 Vestur.

Just days after securing our place in the Ladbrokes Championship with a 1-1 draw against Hibernian at Easter Road, Adam Eckersley put pen to paper as he agreed a new two-year deal with the club. He was closely followed by fellow defender Jack Baird who extended his deal by one-year a few days later.  

Gary Irvine and captain Stephen McGinn both triggered clauses in their contracts that saw them renew their deals by another year.

Stephen Mallan left St Mirren for English Championship side Barnsley for an undisclosed fee in May. The 21 year-old had been with the Saints youth academy before making his first team debut in 2014. With over 100 appearances, the midfielder made the move down south after playing a pivotal role in keep the Buddies in the Ladbrokes Championship.

Despite this, Saints were boosted by the news that Josh Todd and Gary MacKenzie had both agreed new one-year deals.

On the same day that the Buddies renewed MacKenzie’s deal, Cammy Smith joined the club on a permanent deal. Smith had originally joined Saints on loan in January from Ladbrokes Premiership runners-up Aberdeen. After impressing in his temporary spell, he joined on a two-year deal following the expiry of his Dons contract.

A day later, Kyle Hutton agreed to mutually terminate his deal despite having a year left after falling out of favour at Saints.

There was delight for St Mirren when Kyle Magennis extended his deal to the year 2020. The midfielder had made a huge impression after making his debut in the first team under Jack Ross. 

The manager continued to work hard to bring players in before pre-season with four players joining in the space of two days. Two Ross Stewarts were signed from Albion Rovers - one a striker, the other a goalkeeper. Jordan Kirkpatrick, who had worked with Jack Ross at Alloa, joined on a free after scoring 17 goals from midfield for the Wasps. Another centre half was added to the side also when Gregor Buchanan signed after leaving fellow Ladbrokes Championship side Dumbarton.

Ex-Saints goalkeeper Craig Samson re-joined the club at the start of June and said he felt he had unfinished business at the Buddies.

Fan favourite Stelios Demetriou agreed a contract extension five days later much to the delight of St Mirren supporters.

The next day, Gavin Reilly was snapped up after leaving Premiership side Hearts. The manager had worked with the striker during his time with the Jambos, while assistant manager James Fowler was Reilly’s gaffer at Queen of the South.

U20s player Nathan Flanagan agreed a one-year deal with the first team before joining East Fife on loan. Fellow academy player Darren Whyte also signed a first team contract while Lewis McLear was let go after five years with Saints.

Ian McShane joined from Ross County on a two-year deal a few days before Saints’ first competitive game of the season against Stranraer in the Betfred Cup. He was closely followed by ex-Queen of the South forward Dale Hilson after he penned a six-month deal in June following a brief trial period.

Harry Davis, who had impressed at the Buddies last season before injury cut short his loan spell from Crewe Alexandra, joined the club permanently at the start of August after agreeing a one-year deal.

A few days later, midfielder Rocco Quinn agreed to terminate his contract with a little under a year remaining on his deal.

Jack Ross and James Fowler agreed a three-year contract extension on August 4, tying them to the club until 2020.

Rocco Quinn’s departure allowed Saints to free up funds to sign well-travelled Darryl Duffy. The striker signed a one-year deal after four years playing in India.

Scotland U21 international Liam Smith became the last addition to the squad when he joined on a season-long loan from Hearts on 14 August.

James Fowler will be the man in the dugout tomorrow with Jack Ross serving his one match suspension. 

The gaffer has accepted his punishment following a breach of Disciplinary Rule 203 in the recent win away to Livingston. 

That means assistant manager, James Fowler will lead the team in the IRN-BRU Cup tie against Hearts Colts at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. 

While Fowler has experience of being the main man from his time in charge of Queen of the South, he isn't expecting his role to be much different than usual tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to it," he told stmirren.com.

"Obviously the manager will be at the match as well so I'm sure we'll discuss lots before to make sure we are prepared.

"It won't really change much for me, it'll just be me giving a few more instructions to the players.

"My role will just be to make sure the players are clear on what we want and that they are at it from the first minute."

Tomorrow is the first time Saints have played a Colt team since their addition to the Challenge Cup last season.

The inclusion of Colt teams to the IRN-BRU Cup has proved to be a controversial decision.

And Fowler confessed that, while he understands the rationale behind it, he doesn't believe it has worked. 

It's probably not ideal to be honest," he said.

"I can get the thinking behind it in terms of trying to progress young players.

"I think they originally thought that Celtic and Rangers would take good crowds to these games, but it seems to have been proved that that hasn't been the case.

"We still need to try and find a solution to progress our young players and make sure they are playing competitive football, but I'm not sure this cup is the best way to do that."

Saints are expected to play a strong team tomorrow as they look to continue the momentum that has been building over the last few weeks. 

Fowler also believes that it provides one or two fringe players the chance to come in and establish themselves in the first team.

I think when it's a midweek game you maybe think about resting a few, but being a Saturday I think it will be a balance in what we do.

"There is maybe one or two boys that haven't had much game time that might feature and it allows them to keep the competition for places high.

"We are in this competition and we want to try and progress through. We want to keep the momentum going and we want to make sure we keep winning."

You have till 2:00pm on Monday, 4th September to apply for a youth group ticket for next Tuesday's UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match between Scotland and the Netherlands at the Paisley 2021 Stadium

While you can buy tickets at just £5 for adults and £2 for concessions, the youth group offer, which covers 5 adults and 20 youths, is only £30. For more info on the youth group offer or to download a booking form CLICK HERE.

Scot Gemmill’s side begin their quest to qualify for the 2019 finals in Italy on Tuesday, 5 September, kick-off 7:30pm, at home to the Dutch.

Scotland will also face England, Ukraine, Latvia and Andorra in Group 4, with the group winner advancing to the finals automatically.

There are also play-off places available for the four best runners-up from each of the nine groups.

Supporters can secure their tickets now by calling the St Mirren Ticket Office on (0141) 840-6130.

You can also buy tickets by visiting the ticket office in person: Paisley 2021 Stadium, 75 Greenhill Road, Paisley, PA3 1RU

Scotland Supporters Club members can take in the match FREE of charge on production of their membership card.

It's new territory for Saints once again in the IRN-BRU Cup as the Buddies face off against Hearts Colts for a place in the third round. 

After defeating East Kilbride in the first ever meeting of the two last time around, St Mirren face Hearts Colts in the second round tomorrow. It's the first time Saints have come up against a Colt side since their inclusion as participants in the IRN-BRU Cup began last season. 

The Buddies almost came a cropper at the first hurdle of this competition when East Kilbride scored with 10 minutes remaining to take a shock lead in Paisley. St Mirren had squandered chance after chance before Dominic McLaren headed the Lowland League side ahead. Saints seemed to be heading for the exit, only for Ross Stewart to score his first goal in Paisley on 87 minutes to level the scores. Lewis Morgan netted in the 92nd minute to ensure the game wouldn't go to extra-time and sent Saints through. 

Hearts Colts also did things the hard way in the last round as they battled from 2-0 down to knock out Fortmartine United. Archie MacPhee and Max Berton had the Highland League side in control going into half time. Dario Zanatta pulled a goal back soon after the interval before grabbing a dramatic equaliser deep in stoppage time to take the game to extra time. Just when it looked to be heading to penalties, Harrison Paton popped up to send the young Jambos into the second round. 

The second round is as far as Hearts Colts would reach last season in their first year of the IRN-BRU Cup. After overcoming Stirling Albion 3-2, the Jambos were knocked out after a 2-0 loss away to Elgin City. 

By comparison, Saints have reached the final twice in their last three showings in this cup with a semi-final finish in the other. The Buddies defeated Albion Rovers, Hibernian, Ayr United and The New Saints on the way to meeting Dundee United in the final. It wasn't to be though as United edged the match by 2-1 to lift the trophy for the first time.  

St Mirren are expected to go with a strong line up as they look to keep up the momentum that has been building over the last few weeks. Indeed a win at home tomorrow would see Saints win five matches in a row at the Paisley 2021 Stadium for the first time since moving in in 2009. 

Saints are without Lewis Morgan who is on international duty, while Liam Smith picked up a slight knock in last week's 3-0 win over Dundee United. Gary MacKenzie, Harry Davis and Kyle Magennis remain sidelined, but Dale Hilson and Josh Todd have put themselves into contention after featuring for the U20s during the week. 

The Hearts U20s sit atop of the SPFL Development League at present with a 1-1 draw with Dundee and a 4-1 win over Hibernian seeing them on top by virtue of goal difference. However, they were bolstered by the presence of over age players who won't be available to them tomorrow.

St Mirren will go into the match as favourites, while it will be sure to prove a valuable learning experience for the young Hearts side as they aim to cause a shock against a senior side. 

If you live outside the UK & Ireland, St Mirren TV is your way to watch Paisley’s top football side 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 Paisley 2021 Stadium when Hearts Colts are the visitors on Saturday afternoon.

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

St Mirren vs Hearts Colts
IRN-BRU Cup, 2nd Round
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 2nd September 2017
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

St Mirren vs Hearts Colts
IRN-BRU Cup, 2nd Round
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Saturday 2nd September 2017
Kick-off: 3:00pm

The match day officials for Saturday’s IRN-BRU Cup, 2nd Round match against Hearts Colts are as follows:

Referee: Craig Charleston.
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan.
Assistant Referee: Iain Snedden.

If you are thinking about coming to the Paisley 2021 Stadium for the first time on Saturday 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 NOT valid for this game.

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

On the match day fans can purchase their tickets (subject to availability) at the St Mirren Ticket Office from 10:00am to kick-off time (3:00pm).

Tickets can also be purchased from the Online Ticket Shop.

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

Fri, 1st Sep: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Sat, 2nd Sep: 10:00am to 3:00pm (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

 * Students must have valid ID as proof of status.

Visitor Information

Over the course of the summer the tunnel area at the Paisley 2021 Stadium has undergone a bit of a makeover. 

Gone are the old pictures that adorned the walls, while the previous white background has been painted black. 

In the coming weeks we will be moving on to the next phase of the revamp, with a new design going up thanks to the help of our friends at Rearo. Not only will they be helping with the design, but they will also be providing the laminate panels to go on the wall.

Now we want your help! We want supporters to send in their suggestions for the wall. Whether it be iconic moments, matches or players, we want you to let us know what you'd like to see on the tunnel wall.

To send in your suggestions get in touch with us through the website or use the hashtag #smfctunnel on Twitter. 

Some season-long matchday car parking passes are still available for the St Mirren Car Park at a cost of £60 which covers all first team home matches (including cup and friendly matches).

The car park offers secure car parking behind the West Stand on matchdays. If anyone wishes to purchase the seasonal pass they should contact the stadium reception on (0141) 889-2558.

We also offer parking on a match-by-match basis at a cost of £5 per match. These passes will be available on a first come first served basis (subject to availability). The passes can be purchased at the entrance to the Black/White car park on matchdays.