St Mirren manager Jack Ross says he's looking forward to Saturday's match after a free weekend last week.

The Buddies are back in action as they travel to Edinburgh to face Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale in the Third Round of the William Hill Scottish Cup. 

The 2016-17 East of Scotland League Champions have had a terrific start to their season - defeating League Two side Stirling Albion 5-3 in the previous round to set up this weekend's clash.

And they come into Saturday's match on the back of a 5-1 win over Tynecastle in the SFA South Region Challenge Cup last Saturday.

The gaffer has already seen the in-form Vale side in action and admits he won't be taking them lightly.

"It's nice to have it to look forward to and it's different," he said. "In cup competitions I like to get drawn against someone out with our league. When we come round to the game the players will look forward to it and enjoy the different experience of it. 

"They've had a great season so far and I know they won again on Saturday and what they've achieved in the league has been terrific, but I look forward to it. 

"James and I went to their game against Peebles a couple of midweeks ago. It shows the respect we are giving them in terms of how we prepare for the game that our preparation is the same and consistent as it is for any opposition. 

"We'll play what we feel is our strongest team to win the match. There are sometimes one or two changes depending on what you want to do for a specific game and we've obviously had players away with the Scotland U21s so we'll assess them. But we'll treat it as every other game for us and with the utmost respect."  

Saints defender Harry Davis told stmirren.com that he is ready to go this weekend if called upon after a lengthy spell out injured. 

Davis played for an hour in a bounce match against a strong Celtic side at Lennoxtown last week.

The manager admits he was happy with how the 26 year-old performed and say he comes into his thoughts for Saturday's match. 

He did really good," said Jack. "He's had a couple of weeks full training now, but eight months is a long period to be out for. His general fitness is good it's just the sharpness aspect of it.

"I was really pleased with him. It was a good test as well because they had some strong players playing and he's come through it fine. He's starting to be in my thoughts and he may be around the squad on Saturday which is a bonus.

"It just strengthens us," he continued. "We've had a difficult season in that regard because we've been missing players consistently through the season and it's left us a little short. It'd be great to have Gary [MacKenzie] and Josh [Todd] back as well. But getting Harry back is at least one back and he showed in his spell here last year how important a player he could be.

"Gary is still working back from his achilles. I think timescale wise we are hoping he is getting towards the end of it and in a week, week and a half's time, he will be back training with us.

"He's getting closer but by the time that comes around he'll have been out 15/16 weeks. Being out that length of time it takes a little while to get back to full fitness as well." 

The St Mirren Fans Council are hosting a Children's Christmas Party on Sunday 17th December 2017 at the 1877 Supporters Club.

Taking place between 12:30pm-2:30pm, it will be an afternoon of fun and games for young St Mirren fans with the Panda Santa present. 

All kids will receive a gift with lots of St Mirren related prizes to be won on the day. 

Entry is by ticket only with prices at £3 for children and £1 for adults. Tickets are available on the St Mirren Fans Council website and Eventbrite.

The St Mirren U20s picked up a point away to St Johnstone in the SPFL Development League yesterday afternoon as they drew 3-3. 

But the Young Buddies will be disappointed to have not come away with all three with St Johnstone levelling deep into stoppage time to secure a share of the spoils. 

The hosts took an early lead through Jamie Docherty, but two goals in quick succession from Scott Glover and Conor McBrearty put the Buddies ahead. 

Docherty scored again to get the Perth Saints level before Sam Jamieson put St Mirren back into the lead heading into the interval. 

St Johnstone stole a point at the death when Shaun Struthers popped up in injury time to make it 3-3. 

The Young Buddies are next in action on Tuesday 21st November as they play host to Hamilton Academicals. 

For more on the SPFL Development League please click here. 

St Mirren: Wilson, Horne, Barclay, MacPherson, Miller, McDonald, Glover, McBrearty, Jamieson, Kirkpatrick, Stewart
Subs: Henry, Breadner, Erhahon, Morrison, King, Leitch

Supporters have until 2pm on Friday to secure their tickets for Saturday's Scottish Cup tie against Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale. 

The Buddies' Scottish Cup campaign gets underway with a trip to Saughton Enclosure in Edinburgh to face the East of Scotland League side. 

The match will kick-off at 1pm and tickets are available from the ticket office and online. These are priced at £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.

Any tickets ordered online must be collected from the ticket office no later than 2pm on Friday. 

On Saturday afternoon St Mirren head along the M8 to Edinburgh to face Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale in the William Hill Scottish Cup.

The 3rd Round tie will take place at the East of Scotland Football League side's home ground, Saughton Enclosure. For fans who aren't sure of the directions to the stadium, Lothian Thistle have a travel guide on their website which you can see by clicking HERE.

Tickets for the tie are still on sale from the St Mirren Ticket Office; adults - £10, concessions £5.

We note the newspaper article yesterday that revealed the eight clubs chosen to spearhead the Scottish Football Association’s elite level of Project Brave.

Some supporters have been in touch, disappointed with the decision not to include St Mirren as one of the club’s involved at the elite level of the programme. However, we can confirm that we did not apply for elite level status at this time.

Going forward we will be a part of the ‘Performance Progressive’ category. Having done our research on this we believe that with our current, sustainable business model this category will give us a best possible platform to work towards attaining elite level over the next three years.

To achieve elite level we will have to employ five additional members of staff on a full time basis (U18s Coach, Sports Scientist, Head Of Recruitment, Performance Analyst, Head of Children’s Programme). Over the next three years we will actively strive to recruit these positions as fits in with our business model and the timeframe given to achieve elite level status.

We are proud of the hard work we have done at the academy in recent years which can be seen with the likes of academy graduates Kenny McLean, John McGinn, Lewis Morgan, Kyle Magennis and Stephen Mallan all in the full and U21 Scotland squads in the last week, while Ethan Erhahon and Ben Cameron have been regulars in the U17 and U16 squads over the last year.

That hard work will continue as we look to keep producing players for the first team who can go on to play at the highest level.

Harry Davis says he is ready to play against Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale in the Scottish Cup this weekend if the manager selects him. 

The defender has been out since an injury suffered in a 3-2 win over Dundee United at the Paisley 2021 Stadium back in March.

Davis has returned to training and got an hour of game time in a bounce match against a strong Celtic side at Lennoxtown last week. 

He confessed it was good to finally return to some sort of action - even if it did feel a bit strange. 

It was weird being back on the pitch," he told stmirren.com. "But it was nice to get 60 minutes under my belt in a tough game, it was what I needed really.

"Even putting my shin pads on felt weird. But I'm delighted to be back out on the pitch and getting minutes and hopefully I can just keep building it up.

"You work hard to get fit and when it comes around it's a nice feeling. It's nice to feel a part of the team now rather than in the gym stuck away from the lads. It's good to be involved in every day training and playing some games now. 

"I felt rusty as you'd expect but I think it is all about minutes at this stage. It was a vital 60 minutes for me and I came through unscathed. I felt fine and there was no reaction to the knee so all positive really. 

The 26 year-old isn't sure if he'll be called upon for this weekend's Scottish Cup tie, but says he'll be ready to go if the manager picks him in the squad. 

That's up to the gaffer, I don't know," he said. "I'll use this week to train as normal and try and prepare as best as I can for Saturday.

"If I get picked I get picked, if I don't then I don't. That's purely up to the gaffer, but I feel ready."

Davis initially joined the Buddies on loan on the final day of the January transfer window. 

While he only made nine appearances before his injury, his three goals and solid defensive displays saw him become a fans favourite. 

He admits it'll be good to play in front of Saints supporters again as the team aim to make it back to the Premiership. 

The fans have been really good to me since I came here and I've got a lot to thank them for. It'll be nice to play in front of the fans again, definitely.

"The hope now is for me to stay fit from now until the end of the season. That's a personal aim and obviously the team aim is to try and get promoted to the Premiership.

"The gaffer kept the majority of the team that kept us up last season and that confidence and belief shows. Our run last season was promotion form so there's a lot of belief from the squad and I think we have taken that into this season. There's a great team spirit and that goes a long way. 

"I've been delighted to see the boys do well while I've been injured and it's nice to be back in the fold while the team is top of the league."

The St Mirren U20s are back in SPFL Development League action tomorrow as they travel to face St Johnstone. 

The Young Buddies came from behind to defeat Ross County 4-2 at New Western Park last week and now face the Perth side aiming for another three points. 

Tomorrow's match will take place at New Central Park in Kelty with a 2pm kick-off. 

To find out more about the SPFL Development League please click here. 

Tickets for the derby match against Morton at Cappielow Park on 2nd January will go on general sale at 10:00am tomorrow (Tuesday 14th November) from the St Mirren Ticket Office

The ticket prices and match details for the first match of 2018 are as follows:

Morton vs St Mirren
Ladbrokes Championship
Venue: Cappielow Park, Greenock
Date: Tuesday 2nd January 2018
Kick-off: 3:00pm

Ticket Prices

Adult - £18
Over 65* - £15
FT Student* - £15
Disabled* - £15
Under 16* - £5
Parent and Child (under 12) - £18 (limited allocation)

* Proof of status must be shown.

There is limited availability for wheelchair users, therefore anyone requiring a wheelchair space should phone the St Mirren Ticket Office as soon as possible to book a space.

Tickets can either be purchased online, over the phone or in person at the Ticket Office.

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

Mon, Nov 13th – 10:00am - 2:00pm
Tue, Nov 14th – 10:00am - 2:00pm
Wed, Nov 15th – 10:00am - 2:00pm
Thu, Nov 16th – 10:00am - 2:00pm
Fri, Nov 17th – 10:00am - 2:00pm
Sat, Nov 18th – CLOSED

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

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

David Clarkson says he is progressing well and still harbours ambitions of a return to playing.

The forward suffered a freak training ground injury that saw him require surgery that would keep him from playing for up to a year. 

But since the injury in February, Clarkson has been producing opposition scouting reports for the Buddies while continuing coaching at Motherwell. 

He says that being busy with those other duties kept his mind off the injury and has given him an appreciation for other roles in football.

I don't think it was too difficult if I'm being honest," he told stmirren.com on the difficulty of suffering the injury at his age. 

"I've been in the game so long and I'm not the kind of person to get down about things or worry about things and let them get on top of me.

"I've been lucky enough to not have had any serious injuries before. It was unfortunate timing wise with the end of the season and my contract coming up, but I like to think I've done well in my career and I dealt with it fine. 

"I got my head down and have been working on a lot of stuff with St Mirren and the coaching I'm doing at Motherwell so I've been kept busy. I've got on with it and everyone has supported me. I'm 32 now but hopefully I can get back playing. 

"It's kept me involved in the football aspect as well and it's been a bit different. I've done the coaching for two years now and in terms of the report it's different because you're having to watch games, take notes down and concentrate. You're used to going to games and just watching it, you don't pay too much attention to it. 

"It's given me another insight into reading the game more and trying to focus more on it. It's been good, I've enjoyed it and the boys are doing well so I like to tell them that's been a good report from me."

Clarkson confessed his immediate future was uncertain in the aftermath of his injury.

But he was grateful that Saints kept him on to allow him to do his rehab, while providing opposition reports for the manager. 

That, he says, makes him still feel involved with team - something he was keen to be a part of.

It keeps me involved even though I'm not at the games as I still feel part of it because I've given a report on the opposition. 

"The biggest thing I wanted to do was get in at a club somewhere and thankfully St Mirren gave me that opportunity. I've said many a time how thankful I am because my contract was coming up and the gaffer and the club have looked after me.

"It's allowed me to come in every day with the boys and see the physio, do my rehab and feel a part of it. It's been normal apart from being in the gym every day. That's kept me involved, kept me sane and hopefully I can get back into playing at some point."

The forward was part of the St Mirren side that struggled for form at the beginning of last season and while he admits that last season's dressing room was good, there is a happier vibe this time around with the Buddies sitting atop the Ladbrokes Championship.

Obviously results at the start of last season never happened but it wasn't as if it wasn't a bad dressing room," he said. "You're never happy when you're bottom of the league but everybody got on well.

"It's the same this time. All the boys get on well, it's a good laugh and obviously everything is happier. It's always the same when you're winning and the spirits are high and that goes a long way."