Darryl Duffy says he is delighted to join a club like St Mirren after he agreed a one-year with the Saints. 

The Linwood boy has returned home after a four year spell in India with Salgaocar, Goa and Mohun Bagan.  

And while the striker can't speak highly enough of his time in the South Asian country, he says the time was right for him to come home. 

Speaking to stmirren.com after he agreed his deal, Darryl said: "I'm really excited. It's great to be back home in Scotland.

I've been away for a long time and to come back to such a good club in St Mirren is fantastic.

"My children are five and seven now so we always planned that we would bring them back for starting school and they are starting primary three and primary one in August. That was always the long-term plan.

"I'm just buzzing that I've managed to come back to such a good club.

"It was some escape last season," he said, reflecting on St Mirren's survival last season.

"The gaffer has come in and turned the club around. I think a club as big as St Mirren shouldn't be down the bottom end of the table and if we can keep the momentum going and the start to the league season we've had then who knows where it could take us.

On his time in India, Darryl said: "It was an amazing life and football experience. It's something that I don't think I'd have been able to experience and learn from in any other country. It's the complete polar opposite from UK life in every way.

"It was absolutely fantastic, but like I say it's good to be home."  

The club has received clearance for the striker and he could be set for a debut in the derby as Saints travel to Greenock tomorrow to face Morton. 

While Duffy admits he's not had a lot of match preparation he is ready to be called upon if the manager needs him. 

I've done two weeks here and three days in at Ayr as well. I've not had too much game practice but I've kept myself in good condition.

"I'm ready to play if the gaffer needs me but the team is playing so well at the minute so initially I'll need to be patient, work hard and then take my chance when I do get in the team.

"It's up to the manager how he goes about it, but whenever he is ready to use me I'm ready to play. I'm so happy, so excited and I just can't wait to get going."

St Mirren make the short journey to Cappielow tomorrow to face Renfrewshire rivals Greenock Morton in the first derby of the season.

Saints faced their rivals four times last season with each side picking up a win, while the other two matches ended in 1-1 draws. 

Last season's first derby took place at the Paisley 2021 Stadium on the opening day of the season as a late John Sutton header rescued a point for the Saints after Thomas O'Ware had given Morton the lead. 

St Mirren's 17 year unbeaten derby record came to an end in November when Morton overcame the Buddies 3-1 in Greenock. O'Ware was on the scoresheet again with follow up strikes from Ross Forbes and Gary Oliver securing three points before Ben Gordon scored a late consolation for Saints. 

There was more derby disappointment for the Buddies in the final meeting of the two in 2016 as 93rd minute Ricki Lamie goal denied Saints all three points after Gary MacKenzie headed St Mirren into a first half lead. 

Saints gained a measure of revenge in the last meeting between the sides in April as the Buddies ventured to Greenock with hopes of climbing off out of the relegation play-off spot. And they did just that with goals from Stelios, Stevie Mallan, John Sutton and MacKenzie seeing the Saints triumph 4-1 on their way to Championship survival.

The Buddies come in to tomorrow's match on the back of a strong 3-1 win over Falkirk last weekend in the opening day of the Ladbrokes Championship. Falkirk took an early lead through Nathan Austin, but Stelios scored his first of the season to get Saints back on level terms. Cammy Smith capitalised on a goalkeeper error early in the second half to put St Mirren ahead before Gavin Reilly made it four goals in five with a tidy finish. 

Morton's league campaign began with a 0-0 draw away to Dumbarton. However, the consensus was that the Ton were unlucky not to come away with three points after late saves from ex-Saints goalkeeper Scott Gallacher. The Greenock side also missed out on qualification to the last 16 in the Betfred Cup after finishing second on 8 points. They picked up two wins in Group F, defeating Berwick Rangers and Edinburgh City, while they drew with 2-2 with Queens Park and lost 4-0 to Motherwell. 

Jim Duffy has strengthened his squad over the summer after seeing the likes of Jamie Lindsay, Aidan Nesbitt and Lawrence Shankland's loans expiring. Bob McHugh joined the Greenock outfit from fellow Championship side Falkirk, while Gary Harkins signed for the Ton after leaving Ayr United.

Dumbarton duo Darren Barr and Robert Thomson both made the switch over the River Clyde to join Jim Duffy's team after their contracts with the Sons expired. Conor McManus was picked up as a free agent after he left Celtic and Australian Jack Irelade joined on a six month deal. 

Meanwhile, Saints completed a deal to sign ex-Falkirk and Hibernian striker Darryl Duffy yesterday, with the 33 year-old going into the squad for tomorrow's match subject to SFA approval. The Buddies are likely to go in to tomorrow's match with roughly the same squad as last week. 

St Mirren will look to claim the bragging rights at the first derby of the season and build upon a winning start last weekend. Morton too will be after those bragging rights alongside the chance to get a first league win of the season on the board. With around 1800 Saints fans expected at tomorrow's match and a healthy home crowd it's all set up to be an exciting occasion. 

Tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 12th August), St Mirren head along the Clyde for their first away day of the new league season to Greenock to face Morton in a Ladbrokes Championship match-up at Cappielow Park.

The latest info we have on Travel Clubs heading to Cappielow Park for the match is as follows:

Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus

The bus for Cappielow will leave at 2:00pm.

Both of their buses are sold out.

Chivas Travel Club

The bus for the Morton game will leave from The Court Bar at 1:45pm.

Tickets for this bus are now on sale from The Court Bar.

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

The bus for Cappielow will leave Abercorn Street at 2:00pm.

Tickets for this bus are on sale from the bar.

North End Travel Club

The bus to Greenock for the match against Morton will leave the Sneddon at 2:15pm prompt.

Bus tickets now on sale in the Brewer's Tap, £5 each.

* Students must show valid ID as proof of status.

** The ticket for under 12s cannot be reserved online, it must be bought via the St Mirren Ticket Office in person or on the phone.

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

Additional Information for Travelling Fans

Tomorrow, Saturday 12th August, St Mirren head to Greenock to face Morton in a Ladbrokes Champions match-up.

Entry to this match is by ticket only and the ticket  prices for the fixture at Cappielow Park are confirmed above.

Please note that tickets are on sale from the St Mirren Ticket Office and that there will be no sale of tickets on the day of the match.

The St Mirren Ticket Office will be open from 10:00am to 2:00pm today (Friday 11th August).

The referee tomorrow is William Collum and he will be assisted by Ralph Gordon and Alan Macfadyen.

For directions to Cappielow Park click here

A recent bucket collection at the Paisley 2021 Stadium helped raise £340 for the Royal Blind charity. 

Supporters dug deep before last weekend's match against Falkirk, with generous home and away fans donating their change to support the new services for visually impaired older people.

The money raised will help provide specialist equipment for Royal Blind’s new care home in Paisley, Jenny's Well, for visually impaired older people.

The 54 bed nursing home, which will be Royal Blind's first service in the West of Scotland, is due to open in October, with features such as a sensory garden and tactile signage, as well as specialised equipment and highly trained staff. 

A youth group ticket offer is now available for Scotland’s opening UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match against 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.

St Mirren Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of Darryl Duffy on a one-year deal subject to clearance.

The 33 year-old makes his return to Scotland after spending the past four years in India, playing with Salgaocar, Goa and Mohun Bagan. 

A former Scotland U21 international, the striker had been training with the Buddies over the last few weeks and now puts pen to paper on a permanent contract after impressing manager Jack Ross.

Speaking on the move, Duffy told stmirren.com: "I'm really excited. It's great to be back home in Scotland. I've been away for a long time and to come back to such a good club in St Mirren is fantastic." 

On Friday October 6 our Club will celebrate – to the day – the 140th anniversary of our first ever match, a 1-0 victory over Johnstone Britannia.

To mark this historic anniversary the Club’s Annual Dinner has been moved to coincide with this very special day. Guests in attendance will each receive one copy of a limited edition pictorial history book – with a difference.

This unique publication is based on the history panels that adorn the walls of the Main Stand suites and corridors, and tells the story of St Mirren in words and pictures from that first kick of the ball to present day. Additional panels are being added to the book’s pages to bring the story of St Mirren right up to date.

It was decided that fans unable to attend the dinner should also have the opportunity to acquire a copy of the book.

Numbered, Bespoke Print Run

Printed on card throughout, numbered and wiro-bound with a foil-blocked cover this book is being made available to the wider St Mirren support at a cost of £20 per copy. And most importantly, the number of copies produced will match the numbers ordered in advance. In other words there will no extra copies available.

Books will be made available for uplift from the Paisley 2021 Stadium in the week following the dinner.

They can be posted in a padded envelope too at an additional cost of £7 PER COPY, within Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales.

All other postage is: Europe - £16 PER COPY, USA and Rest of the World - £21 PER COPY.

These prices are due to the size and weight of the product. 

To allow time to arrange the print run orders for this historic publication must be received by Thursday September 14.

Online: Click Here
By post: By cheque payable to St Mirren Football Club, please include the number of copies required, your address and a contact telephone number.
In person: By cheque payable to St Mirren Football Club or cash at St Mirren Park reception. Remember to include your contact details and add your book and post requirements together; each book posted incurs a separate post charge.

Adam Eckersley says he is happy to be on the mend from injury as he continues to work towards a return to the first team. 

The left-back made his comeback from an achilles problem yesterday with a 65 minute showing in a closed door match against Hearts. 

It's the first bit of game time the Englishman has played since helping Saints secure survival at Easter Road in the last game of last season. 

And his target is to continue working hard in training as he aims to win a place back in the starting eleven.  

Speaking to stmirren.com, Eckersley said: "It was my first game of football since against Hibs at the end of last year so it was really nice to get through the time I was supposed to get.

I managed to get 65 minutes under my belt and now I feel in my head that I’m back on the road to recovery now, so it was good for me mentally.

"It is always tough finding your feet again. I don’t feel at my sharpest but that only comes with playing games and training.

"Hopefully I can now get a good week of training under my belt. I feel like I am in a good place now and everything feels good so I’m looking forward to it going forward.

"With the injury I had, we had a plan with the physio not to rush me back in unless it was an emergency.

"We had to take time a little bit and gradually increase the load each day, and that is what we have done.

"Now I have just played 65 minutes and I am feeling good so all the arrows are pointing up and in my head I can’t be happier right now."

The 31 year-old was on the bench for Saturday's win over Falkirk and looks likely to be there again for this weekend's derby. 

And while he'd like to be involved, he knows it's important to take his time as he looks to return to match fitness.

I’m looking forward to the game but I am in no rush. I was out for a long time, close to six weeks without playing football.

"It was really good for the team to get off to a winning start. It is always important that you keep the momentum going for the rest of the games.

"We need to approach the game like we did on Saturday and hopefully we can get another good result again."

Tickets for St Mirren’s upcoming IRN-BRU Cup, 1st Round tie against East Kilbride are on sale at the St Mirren Ticket Office.

Saints face the Lowland League side at The Paisley 2021 Stadium on Tuesday 15th August.

Season ticket holders had until midnight on August 8 to secure their seat and these are now on sale on a first come, first served basis. 

As we did with the Livingston match in the Betfred Cup, there will be a ‘Mixed Zone’ in the Family Stand with East Kilbride fans housed in the South Stand along with St Mirren fans. 

St Mirren Season Ticket holders in the South Stand will also have the option of moving to either the Main Stand or the West Stand for that evening’s match.

The match and tickets info is as follows:

St Mirren v East Kilbride
IRN-BRU Cup, 1st Round
Venue: Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley
Date: Tuesday 15th August 2017
Kick-off: 7:45pm

Season Tickets ARE NOT valid for this game.

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

Ticket Prices

Adult – £12
OAP (over 65) – £6
Full-Time Student* – £6
Child (Under 18) – £6

* Students must have valid ID as proof of status.

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

Thu, Aug 10th – 10:00am – 2:00pm and 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Fri, Aug 11th – 10:00am – 2:00pm
Sat, Aug 12th – CLOSED

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

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