As the first year of our new ownership comes to an end I would like to give a personal vote of thanks to all Supporters, SMiSA members, Club Sponsors, Fans Council, Management, Staff, directors & players for all their efforts over the year.

Looking Back

There were tough periods for everyone last season but we stuck together and I believe we are a lot stronger for the experience.

We all started last season full of hope but it became obvious very early on that we were well off the pace and had major work to do to the infrastructure of the club. We made some dramatic changes and the last 6 months were an amazing roller-coaster ride culminating in a 7th place finish in the Championship and an IRN-BRU cup final appearance.

Whilst no one at the club considers a 7th placed finish as being a success the progress we have made both on and off the park has filled everyone with enthusiasm and drive and I believe we are justified in looking forward to this season with a high level of optimism.

We still have some work to do behind the scenes but I would like to think that we have demonstrated already that our positive attitude can and will get things sorted whenever issues arise.

Season Ticket Holders

Season ticket holders are the lifeblood of the club.

Their financial commitment at this time of year allows us to budget for the coming season with confidence and has given us the ability to sign and retain most of the players who played such a big part in our revival last term.

Towards the end of last season we were discounting match tickets and even giving away many free tickets to local groups to try and help build the momentum that eventually led us to safety.

We never received a single complaint from those season ticket holders who could obviously appreciate what we were trying to do. These are the guys & girls who support us through thick and thin and we will continue to try and give them additional value for that support whenever possible. Your support will NEVER be taken for granted.

Dundee Free For Season Ticket Holders

We have now been able to make our pre-season friendly with Dundee on Tuesday July 4th a free bonus for our Season Ticket holders as a small reward for your support. 

Open Day Sunday July 9th

The Open Day this Sunday is a great chance for all the family to come down and meet the new players and see the squad being put through their paces. With season ticket holders now gaining free entry to the Dundee game I’m happy to say that the Open Day will now be open to all with no restrictions.

Please do try and bring along friends or family members who don’t ordinarily attend. We’d love to take the opportunity to impress and gain new supporters!

Fan Loyalty

While we rely on season ticket holders we do of course appreciate that some people simply cannot afford that outlay but still turn up every week.

We are looking at a program for monitoring our Stadia Cards that will allow us to gauge how many games people have been to and include regular attendees in certain future events.

Ralston Update

The academy has seen a major refurbishment over the last year with the formation of a new kit room, analysis room and an office for the physio and sports science departments.

We have also had major refurb works to do to the canteen, kitchen and both players and coaches changing rooms.

The work to these areas is now complete.

We have had to do a temporary repair to the gym that will see us through the coming season but we will need to rip up and renew that floor next close season.

We have completed 50% of the refurb to the grass playing area and the works to the second half will commence once the first half has taken root.

Stadium Update

With the construction of the new disabled platform I’m delighted to say that we have now regained our gold stadium status for this season.

We have started a maintenance program of re-painting all existing painted areas of the stadium. This regular maintenance is essential for the long term stability of the stadium.

We have also extended the black stripes that were painted by the Fans Council at the back of the west stand last year to the north and south stands.

As I have always said the stadium we received as part of the Tesco deal was a solid start but we needed to turn it into a home. I would like to think we have started down that path and all these small improvements will help enhance the look of our home ground.

Supporters Club

As the support grew last season so did the atmosphere and attendance in the SMFC 1877 Supporters Club.

We are looking to increase the capacity of the club with a few simple building modifications from the current 230 maximum. If you are interested in becoming a member there are still some spaces available so please email our Supporters Club Director, Alan Wardrop, at supportsmfc@hotmail.co.uk if you are interested.

For more information visit www.SMFC1877club.com or visit the Supporters Club Facebook page.

We will continue to operate the "Buddie Bus" on Saturday match days to transport club members into Paisley after games and are looking for sponsors to allow us to continue to run it for free. Get in touch if you would like to help out!

Welcome to Skyview Capital & Joma

We now have new shirt sponsors in Skyview Capital all the way from LA! I would like to thank Jim Hall and his fellow directors for their support. This sponsorship has allowed us to have the confidence to take all our kit sales in house. We have expanded the club shop and I am sure you will all be delighted with the range of Joma's product.

Hopefully you are all looking forward to next season as much as I am and I’m sure the team Jack and James have built will once again be worthy of the fantastic support you give them.

COYS!

Ross Stewart says he feels like he is already improving as a player just a few weeks into pre-season training.

The goalkeeper joined the Saints from Albion Rovers in May, penning a two-year deal. 

It's a move that sees the 22 year-old return to full-time football after leaving Motherwell in 2015. 

And he admits he's loving being back full-time.

I've thoroughly enjoyed it," he told stmirren.com. "Getting back in every day has been brilliant.

"The training has been brilliant with the gaffer and Langers.

"I feel like I am improving every day and I'm just looking forward to the season getting started."

The Buddies defeated East Fife in a closed door game on Tuesday night and make the trip to Inverness to face Inverness Clachnacuddin tonight and Nairn County on Sunday. 

Stewart enjoyed getting back to action against East Fife and is looking forward to the trip to the Highlands as the Buddies prepare for the Betfred Cup group stages in two weeks time.

It's good to get the first couple of minutes under your belt," he said. 

"The trip up to Inverness will be good for us all as well. There is a team bonding activity up there as well so I'm looking forward to it. 

"We've got the Partick game away on the telly and you always look forward to playing on the telly.

"I played against Livingston and Airdrie last season and they have good stadiums so they are good games to look forward to."

The goalie, one of eight recruits this season, says that he's joined a confident dressing room - one that has already boosted the new boys.

There's lot of confidence," he said.

"The gaffer has kept most of the boys that he wanted from last season and I think the confidence from those who were here last season has really rubbed off on us."

The club shop last night received an initial allocation of home and away jerseys for the new season. 

This is the first time in many years that the club shop has been able to sell the strip and shop staff worked late into last night getting what we had out and ready for sale today. 

However, this may not be sufficient enough to satisfy demand and we ask that supporters bear with us as we await our next delivery. 

Some pre-orders have been set aside and any that do not require shirt printing will be able to be collected from the club shop today. If your order is ready for collection or postage you will have received an email informing you. If your order still says it's processing then we haven't received it yet and it will come through with our next allocation. 

We are also awaiting delivery of shorts and socks so these will not be available for collection today, but if your order included a jersey you will be able to collect it.

If collecting from the shop please bring along your order number.

We understand some supporters may be left disappointed, but we will continue to do our best to keep supporters updated about the next delivery of kit. 

St Mirren can confirm that Lewis McLear has left the club following a mutual agreement to terminate his contract. 

The youth academy graduate made his Saints debut in a 1-0 defeat against Motherwell in December 2014.

McLear made 21 appearances for the Buddies but failed to become a regular feature in the side. 

The club would like to wish Lewis all the best for his future career. 

UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifier
Scotland v The Netherlands
Tuesday, 5 September 2017, kick-off TBC
Paisley 2021 Stadium, Paisley

The Paisley 2021 Stadium will play host to Scotland’s opening UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier against the Netherlands on Tuesday, 5 September (kick-off TBC).

Scot Gemmill’s side will begin their qualification bid at home against the Dutch before a trip across the border to take on England and a home tie against Latvia in an October double-header.

Scotland will also play Ukraine and Andorra in Group 4 as they bid to reach the finals in Italy in 2019.

The nine group winners qualify directly for the final tournament, while the four best runners-up (not counting results against the sixth-placed team) advance to the play-offs.

Scotland warmed up for the qualifiers with a third-place finish at this summer’s Toulon Tournament.

An under-20 squad defeated Brazil, Indonesia and Czech Republic to earn a third-place finish at the prestigious 12-team tournament, with every player eligible to take part in the upcoming under-21 campaign for which players born in 1996 or later can be selected.

Ticket information will be announced in due course.

Scot Gemmill said:

“We’re really looking forward to the start of the qualification campaign and the Netherlands will provide us with a great challenge in our opening match.

“We have played matches at the Paisley 2021 Stadium in recent times and it’s a fantastic venue with a great pitch and facilities.

“I remember Scotland Under-21s played the Netherlands in Paisley back in 2012 and nearly 7000 supporters packed out the stadium – the atmosphere was incredible.

“I hope we can attract similar numbers in September to cheer on the team and help get us off to a good start in the group.”

The ticket office and club shop will both be open this Saturday from 9am to 12pm. 

Midnight on Sunday is the last chance for supporters to buy a season ticket at early bird prices. 

From Monday at 10am all unsold seats will be released for general sale and those who have yet to renew from last season must do so before Sunday if they wish to guarantee their own seat for next season.

The club has been delighted with the uptake of season tickets with sales up 16% on the close of the early bird offer last year. 

The club shop will also be open to sell the new home kit with an initial order due in time for sale tomorrow with more to arrive in the next few weeks. 

For more details on season tickets please click HERE.

St Mirren travel to the Highlands this weekend to face Inverness Clachnacuddin and Nairn County.

Both matches will be pay-at-the-gate with adult entry costing £8 at each match. 

Concessions at the Inverness Clach game will be £4, while concessions are £5 at the Nairn match. 

The Clach game takes place at their Grant Street Park stadium on Friday night with a 7:45pm kick-off and Sunday's match against Nairn at Station Park Nairn kicks off at 2pm.

Tickets for Tuesday night's match against Dundee are on-sale at the Ticket Office with season ticket holders going free.

Season ticket holders have until 2pm on Monday 3rd July to secure a seat for this match. 

St Mirren have been drawn to face East Kilbride in the first round of the IRN-BRU Cup. 

The match will take place on Tuesday 15 or Wednesday 16 August 2017 at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

Last season the Buddies reached the final of the competition after seeing off Albion Rovers, Hibernian, Ayr United and The New Saints. 

Ticket arrangements will announced in due course. 

St Mirren Football Club this morning announced the signing of Dale Hilson on a six month deal.

The forward, who left Queen of the South at the end of last season, impressed during a week stint on trial. 

The 24 year-old began his career at Dundee United before several loan spells at Forfar Athletic. 

Hilson was then snapped up by the Doonhamers in 2015 where he scored seven goals in 38 appearances.

On the move Hilson said: "St Mirren is a big club and as soon as there was a chance to come in and train I was more than happy to come in and prove myself.

"I'm happy I've managed to do that and I'm happy it is done. 

"I'm looking forward to getting games now. The boys have been brilliant, the training has been good and it has been good to get involved. Hopefully I can train well, stay healthy and force my way into the manager's plans. 

"I'm probably the fittest I've ever been. The injuries last year weren't good so I made sure wherever I was going that I was going to be very fit.

Saints assistant manager James Fowler took the forward to Queen of the South during his time as manager in Dumfries.

He said: "He's an all action player. He's an intelligent one that makes good runs, can link play and can score and create goals. 

"We've had him in over the last week and he's looked sharp and really impressed the other players." 

David Clarkson says he is making steady progress as he works to get back to fitness following an injury.

Clarkson injured his anterior cruciate ligament in a training ground accident back in February.

It was a blow that was expected to keep the 31 year-old out for up to a year. 

And while the striker is still following the initial timeframe set, he believes he is making good strides.

I feel good," he told stmirren.com. "I'm doing a lot more functional stuff now so it's a step forward for me and I'm progressing nicely really.

"The time given was 9-12 months so that's what I'm aiming for. Hopefully everything goes to plan." 

Jack Ross admits that the club had a moral obligation to Clarkson after his injury, but also believes that his attitude around the training ground made it an easy decision to keep him around in some capacity. 

The striker will continue to work on getting back to fitness while helping out in terms of performing scouting duties. 

It's something the manager says will help him, while Clarkson is looking forward to giving as much assistance as he can.

The club have looked after me," he said.

"I'm potentially going to do some work behind the scenes and watch opponents games to do some reporting and stuff. I've done my A Licence so that ties in with that.

"The club have been brilliant and I spoke to Tony and the chairman to thank them.

"It wasn't ideal with my contract being up. It was a worrying time for me but thankfully the club have looked after me. 

"I want to help out as much as I can. I would love to be playing but as long as I'm here I will try and help out with anything I am asked to do."

Andy Webster has returned to do some coaching with the U20s and Clarkson says it something he'd be keen to help out with if asked.

I do some work with the Motherwell U15s just now and I think that's the road I want to go down.

"I'd love to do some work with the U20s here if that came about. I'd love to try and pass on some experience and tips."

Saints first competitive games get underway in just over two weeks time when Jack Ross' side take on Stranraer in the Betfred Cup. 

Clarkson hopes that his Buddies teammates can push on from the extraordinary end to last season. 

He said: "You could always see the change in the team and the confidence there.

"I think it shows the character there to get out of the situation we were in last season.

"I was at the last game of the season and it was nerve wracking.

"The core and the structure are there to go and hopefully build on that. It's a club that should be in the Premiership.

"I'm sure the boys will knuckle down and try to get a good start and see where we go from there. 

"I think the gaffer is probably still looking at a few players and I'm pretty sure when he has the squad he wants there will be a discussion of where we want to aim for this season and everybody has to be on board."