St Mirren earned a hard-fought point away to Falkirk this afternoon as they drew 0-0 with the Bairns at The Falkirk Stadium.

Both sides had chances throughout the 90 minutes to get themselves a goal, but neither could make a breakthrough as they shared a point. 

The point keeps the Buddies top of the Ladbrokes Championship ahead of next weekend's Renfrewshire derby. 

It was Saints who created the first opening on ten minutes when Ian McShane slid the ball through to Cammy Smith inside the box after a neat passage of play from the Buddies. The forward took the ball in well and forced Falkirk goalkeeper Robbie Thomson into a good save from the angle. 

A smart corner routine ten minutes later saw McShane and Smith link up to create the next big chance of the match. McShane played it short to Smith who got beyond his man to the byline before cutting it across the box where he found Gavin Reilly. The striker, who scored his tenth goal of the season last weekend, couldn't get a clean connection on the ball as he clipped it just by the post. 

St Mirren had started well but the hosts gradually began to grow into the game during the first half. Nathan Austin should have given Bairns the lead on 34 minutes when he found himself one-on-one with Craig Samson. He burst into the box but somehow managed to rattle his effort into the side-net.

The striker almost had the chance to redeem himself a few moments later as Myles Hippolyte attempted to slip him in but Samson was quickly off his line to snuff out the danger. 

Austin had another huge opportunity to open the scoring five minutes before the interval. James Craigen played the ball deep to the back post where Austin met it with the header but nodded into the ground with the ball bouncing over the bar. 

Saints would end the half strongly and would have felt unlucky not to have nabbed the lead heading into the break. First, Lewis Morgan swung in a brilliant corner that was begging to be met by a player in the red and white of St Mirren, but no one was forthcoming. And then, two minutes later, the winger was denied from a stunning opener when his powerful effort from the edge of the box was brilliantly pushed wide by Thomson.

Half Time: Falkirk 0-0 St Mirren

Morgan had St Mirren's first chance of the second half when he came on to a lay-off from Gavin Reilly, but curled the ball over from 20 yards. 

Hippolyte, who was booked for pulling Morgan back in the first half, was penalised for a foul on Cammy Smith deep in the Falkirk half. The ball was swung into the box where Gregor Buchanan got on the end of it but flicked his header wide. 

A minute later both sides had good openings to take the lead. Reilly worked himself into a good position but his shot didn't have enough power in it as it was held by Thomson. Immediately from that shot Falkirk broke up the field with Hippolyte going mightily close as he cannoned an effort inches over the bar.

The last two chances to snatch a winner came from Cammy Smith who could count himself unlucky not to have scored with either. He picked the ball up in the centre of the park on 89 minutes and had a go from distance which whistled by the far post. Then, deep into stoppage time, a ball over the top from Adam Eckersley found the 22 year-old inside the box only from Thomson to come off his line quickly and block the shot. 

That was the last opportunity of the game for either side with Saints picking up a point ahead of next weekend's derby clash against Morton at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

Full Time: Falkirk 0-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Samson, L.Smith, Buchanan, Baird, Eckersley, McGinn (MacPherson 79), McShane, Morgan, Magennis (Sutton 51), C.Smith, Reilly (Kirkpatrick 74)
Subs Not Used: Stewart, Stelios, McCart, Stewart

Falkirk: Thomson, McGhee, Muirhead, Balatoni, Grant, Harris (Dunne 59), McKee, Kerr, Craigen (O'Hara 82), Hippolyte, Austin (Miller 79)
Subs Not Used: Mutch, Gasparotto, Shepherd, Gallacher

Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: Graham Chambers
Assistant Referee: Greg Soutar

Attendance: 5,080

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

St Mirren are on their travels again this weekend as they make the journey to face Falkirk in the Ladbrokes Championship.

The Buddies ended the first quarter of fixtures with a 2-0 win away to Dumbarton last weekend. Goals from Gavin Reilly, his 10th of the season, and John Sutton saw the Saints win at Dumbarton for the first time since 1996 and pick up three points to meet their target of 21 points from the first nine fixtures.

The first quarter began against tomorrow's opponents Falkirk who Saints faced on the opening day of the 2017/18 league season in August. Nathan Austin gave the visitors an early lead in Paisley before fans favourite Stelios Demetriou levelled before half time. Cammy Smith and Gavin Reilly were on target after the interval to give St Mirren a first opening day win since 2006 and a first triumph over the Bairns since a 3-1 victory in 2009. 

Despite a strong Betfred Cup group stage, defeat to Saints signalled the beginning of a challenging start to the league season for Falkirk. One of the title favourites, no wins in their first seven league matches saw the club part ways with manager Peter Houston in September.

Ex-Saints manager Alex Smith was appointed as caretaker at the age of 77 - making him the oldest boss in European football. Smith guided the side to a first league win of the season against Morton at Cappielow, before defeating Dunfermline 2-0 in the IRN-BRU Cup.

Paul Hartley was appointed permanent manager earlier this month and took charge of his first match last weekend as the Bairns battled out a 0-0 draw with Inverness at the Falkirk Stadium. That stalemate was Falkirk's fifth league game at home this season without a win. This week, Hartley supplemented his backroom team with the appointment of Jimmy Nicholl as assistant manager, while Tam Ritchie joined as fitness coach.

A familiar face to Saints is that of Falkirk striker Rory Loy. The forward joined St Mirren on loan from Dundee in January and played a vital role in keeping the Buddies in the Championship – scoring seven goals including the vital equaliser against Hibernian on the final day of the season. However, the striker hasn't featured for the side since their 2-0 loss to Livingston in September.

Ironically, it was Loy who opened the scoring for St Mirren the last time the Buddies faced Falkirk at the Falkirk Stadium. Still trying to secure Championship status, Loy fired Saints ahead after just five minutes. Lee Miller equalised for the hosts on 20 minutes before a wonderful finish from Stephen McGinn gave St Mirren a second half lead. But Falkirk substitute Bob McHugh gained the home side a point with his finish on 77 minutes. 

Saints last win away against the Bairns was the aforementioned 3-1 win in 2009. Craig Dargo, Billy Mehmet and Tom Brighton scored as the Buddies came from behind to win in the then SPL. Manager Jack Ross started for the Buddies that afternoon as did current club captain Stephen McGinn.

The captain is, however, a doubt for St Mirren tomorrow after picking up a knock in last weekend's win over Dumbarton. Saints are also still without long term absentees Harry Davis, Gary MacKenzie and Josh Todd, but Gary Irvine and Jamie McCart are available for selection after injury ruled them out last week. 

Tomorrow's match will be a difficult one for Saints as they look to maintain the gap they have built at the top of the table. But with seven wins from nine in the League, there is a confidence about this Saints side that they can beat anyone on their day. Falkirk, whose desire to kickstart their season under Hartley will make them a tough prospect tomorrow, will want to avoid losing more ground in their hopes of making the play-offs as they currently sit 10 points off fourth place Dundee United. 

It is with great regret that we have learned that former club admin worker Kathleen Steel passed away earlier this week.

Kathleen was a well-know face at both the stadiums on Love Street and Greenhill Road through her time working at the club through the 1990s and 2000s up to her retirement five years ago.

Kathleen's funeral will take place on Wednesday (25th October) at 2pm at the Woodside Crematorium in Paisley.

Our thoughts and condolences are with Kathleen's family at this time.

Tickets for St Mirren’s trip to Tannadice Park to face Dundee United in a Ladbrokes Championship fixture on 4th November are now on sale from the St Mirren Ticket Office. 

The match and tickets info is as follows:

Dundee United vs St Mirren
Ladbrokes Championship
Venue: Tannadice Park, Dundee
Date: Saturday 4th November 2017
Kick-off: 3:00pm

Ticket Prices

Adult - £20
Over 65* - £10
FT Student* - £10
Under 18* - £10
Ambulant Disabled* - £10
Wheelchair Supporter with Carer - Free

* Proof of status must be shown.

Anyone requiring wheelchair access must contact the St Mirren Ticket Office.

The St Mirren Ticket Office opening hours for the remainder of this week are as follows:

Fri, Oct 20th – 10:00am - 2:00pm
Sat, Oct 21st – CLOSED

St Mirren Ticket Office Tel: (0141) 840-6130.

St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com.

Tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 21st October), St Mirren make the trip to the Forth Valley to face Paul Hartley's Falkirk side at the Falkirk Stadium.

The info on Travel Clubs heading to the Falkirk Stadium for the match is as follows: 

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

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

Bus tickets are now on sale behind the bar.

North End Travel Club

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

Bus tickets are on sale 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.

The bus for this match is now sold out.

* Must provide valid proof of status.

** Anyone requiring wheelchair access must contact the St Mirren Ticket Office by no later than 2:00pm on Friday 20th October.

Additional Information for Travelling Fans

Tomorrow, Saturday 21st October, St Mirren make the trip to the Falkirk Stadium to face Paul Hartley's Falkirk side in a Ladbrokes Championship match-up.

Entry to this match is pay-at-the-gate and the gate prices for the fixture at the Falkirk Stadium are confirmed above.

The referee tomorrow is Don Robertson and he will be assisted by Graham Chambers and Greg Soutar.

For directions to the the Falkirk Stadium click here

The St Mirren Fans Council's planned Casino night for Saturday 21st October has been postponed indefinitely. 

Anyone who had bought a ticket for the event and has not yet received a refund are advised to contact the Fans Council.  

Liam Smith says St Mirren expect a difficult match when they travel to Falkirk on Saturday.

The Bairns have struggled this season with just one win from their first nine league matches.

That disappointing start saw Falkirk, one of the early promotion favourites, part ways with manager Peter Houston last month.

Ex-St Mirren manager Alex Smith took charge of the side temporarily, guiding them to their only league win of the season thus far, before the appointment of Paul Hartley on a three-year deal. 

The former Alloa and Dundee manager officially took charge of Falkirk for the first time in last weekend's 0-0 draw at home to Inverness.

Despite their slow start to the season, Smith expects the Bairns players' eagerness to impress their new manager will make them hard to beat.

But he also believes that a confident Saints side can go to the Falkirk Stadium and get a result.

You always think of Falkirk as one of the teams in this league that will go and compete.

"They've not had a good start but they'll have a confidence boost with the new manager coming in and they'll be trying to impress him.

"It'll be another tough game as they all are, but if we can go and play the way we have been and the way we know we can then we'll be confident we can get a result."  

The Buddies go into Saturday's match in good spirits after extending their lead at the top of the Championship to three points with last weekend's 2-0 win over Dumbarton. 

Smith says getting a result away to Dumbarton, coupled with meeting their target for the first quarter, shows the belief within the team at the moment.

I think they had sat down before I had joined and when I saw it I thought it was ambitious target.

"But for us to actually meet that target and be sitting top of the league is credit to the whole squad. It shows how far the club has come over the last 12 months and to be part of that is great.

"It's not an easy place to go and, with that hoodoo over us, to get the result that backs up the fact we are confident and we feel we can beat anyone on our day."

Smith joined Saints in August on a season-long loan from Ladbrokes Premiership side Hearts.

The full-back admits he is relishing the opportunity of regular football as he looks to develop as a player.

It's really good and I'm enjoying it," he said.

"It's great to have a game at the end of a training week. To be playing every week is massive for your development and knowing you are building up to something at the end of a training week is vital for any young player. 

"There's a lot of experienced players in the dressing room and it definitely helps when you've got that mixture. In a winning side you need to have a bit of leadership and a bit of experience when things aren't going well they can use their experience and drag the other boys along with them." 

Kyle Magennis said he was thrilled to learn about the reception he received from Saints fans as he made his comeback on Saturday - because he didn't actually hear it initially. 

The 19 year-old made his return from injury as a late substitute in Saturday's 2-0 win over Dumbarton at the YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium.

But he confessed he was so concentrated on the game that he didn't hear the supporters despite their raucous reaction as he replaced Lewis Morgan on 84 minutes. 

I didn't really hear it to be honest because I was so focused on the game," he told stmirren.com. 

"Stephen McGinn told me the supporters were chanting 'Ginto' so I was buzzing. I wish there was a video to look back on it because I can't even remember them cheering.

"The supporters have backed me since I first made my debut and I saw all their messages on Twitter. It's brilliant to finally be back and hopefully I can keep performing well for them.

"I only found out I'd be on the bench on Friday," he continued. "The gaffer brought me in and asked if I felt alright and I told him I felt fine. It was brilliant news to be back in.

"I was happy despite it only being five minutes. I did feel a wee bit leggy on Saturday but I don't know if that was the pitch or my fitness." 

It's been a long road to recovery for the teenager after being injured in a friendly against Dundee in July.

Magennis, who started his pre-season late after starring for Scotland U20s in Toulon, admitted it had been a frustrating time after making his breakthrough last season. 

However, he believed it was important keep positive about the situation and use the time wisely after a chat with the manager.

It's been a long few months," he said. "Even pre-season I came back late so I didn't quite get the start I was looking for. But it's brilliant to be back and hopefully I can get some more game time. 

"I spoke to the gaffer when I first got injured and he told me to use the time wisely to build up. I was a wee bit skinny and it was something I needed to add to my game. 

"It was initially only going to be six to nine weeks but I had a few setbacks. I just had to wait until it was right and then I got an injection to help me get back into it.

"It's hard when you are coming in every day and seeing the boys training, having a good time and you're in the gym doing weights. But you have to keep positive and try to think of other things."

The midfielder returns to a team that sits atop of the Ladbrokes Championship after having won seven of their first nine matches of the season. 

The win on Saturday saw the Buddies accumulate 21 points in the first quarter of fixtures, achieving the target they set before the start of the season. 

It's a far cry from what the youngster has been used to after making his Saints debut while the side were rooted to the bottom of the league last campaign.

It's been a complete turnaround," he said.

"At the end of last season the gaffer took us in and spoke to us about targets and we achieved them.

"It's good because we set them ourselves and if we don't achieve them then it looks bad on us. I think it's a good way to keep us focused."

Saints captain Stephen McGinn heaped praise on the travelling support and confessed their support was important as St Mirren picked up three points.

More than 700 Buddies supporters packed out the away end at the YOUR Radio 103FM stadium to see Saints win away against Sons for the first time since 1996.

The skipper spoke to stmirren.com after goals from Gavin Reilly and John Sutton saw Saints overcome Dumbarton 2-0 on Saturday. 

He was pleased to give back to fans who have backed them in big numbers this season and said their support helped the team over the line on Saturday. 

Full credit to them," he said of the fans. "They aren't daft - they know how tough a game it is here.

"They've probably been down here and seen some horror performances so we are glad to repay them.

"There was a sticky spell at the start of the second half and they realised that, found their voices and dragged us through again. We hope that relationship keeps getting stronger.

"A couple of times there have been big following this season and we've let them down so glad to repay them today.

"It's no secret this has been a really tough place to come for this club. Dumbarton ask questions of you, they make you defend and it's not an easy place to play.

"Physically it's always really tough to get through the game here. It was so pleasing to get three points and a clean sheet." 

The win saw Saints close out the first set of fixtures on top of the league with 21 points - matching the target they set before the start of the season. 

McGinn admitted that it was a demanding target they had set, but he knew the side was more than capable of achieving it.

"We know it's only one quarter of the job done. It was an ambitious target but we looked at the fixtures and thought why not?

"We're disappointed with the two games we've lost, but as a quarter 21 points was an ambitious target and we are absolutely delighted to reach it.

"The group we've had since January - the core of us that has played in a lot of games - are used to winning. It's a great habit.

"We know when we are good that we are really good. I think that's why we had such an ambition target because we would feel like we had let ourselves down if we had it any lower." 

Another positive for Saints was the return of Kyle Magennis who made his long awaited comeback to the first team as a substitute on 84 minutes.

The midfielder has been out since an injury against Dundee in a pre-season friendly in July. 

Despite being just 19 years of age, McGinn admits he's such an asset to the side and will have a big role to play now he is back. 

It's amazing to have him back," he said. "I think you could tell from the reaction of the crowd.

"I almost wanted to cheer myself when he came on because, although he is so young, he was a huge player for us last season and he'll be a huge player for us this season."