St Mirren Football Club is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of 1959 Scottish Cup winner Jim Rodger. 

Born in Cleland in September 1933, Jim began playing football at school, progressing through to the Wishaw High school first team. After school, he joined Cumnock Juniors before moving up to the senior game with Rangers in May 1952. 

Jim joined St Mirren in 1955 and played his first match for Saints in a League Cup game against Kilmarnock. Over the next couple of years his appearances in the stripes were limited due to National Service.

It was to be January 1959 before he gained a regular starting place in the St Mirren team, just in time to play his part in Saints history as they reached the Scottish Cup Final. Having scored in the first three rounds of the competition against Peebles Rovers, Motherwell and Dunfermline, Jim was a vital part of the team that swept Celtic aside 4-0 in the semi-final before lining up against Aberdeen on 25th April 1959. Saints would win 3-1 to secure the Scottish Cup for the second time in our history. 

In his seven years in Paisley, Jim played 155 matches and scored 44 times with his contributions seeing him nominated into the St Mirren Hall of Fame.

The thoughts of everyone at St Mirren are with Jim's loved ones at this sad time.

I thought from start to finish we were excellent."

Stephen Robinson gave his thoughts after Saints picked up a big win in Dundee on his 100th match in charge of the club.

St Mirren picked up an important three points in the race for Europe after a brilliant win away to Dundee in Stephen Robinson's 100th match in charge.

Alex Gogic gave Saints a half-time lead before goals from Scott Tanser and Toyosi Olusanya put us further in front in the second-half. Dundee pulled a goal back through Michael Mellon, but it was not enough to stop the Buddies returning to Paisley with the points.

There was one change to the side that lost narrowly to Rangers last week with Greg Kiltie not fit enough to start the game having not trained during the week. Olusanya came in for the forward who was on the bench.

Saints started brightly - forcing a number of corners in the opening minutes with James Bolton putting a free header over in the third minute after meeting Caolan Boyd-Munce's ball in. Scott Tanser should have scored when he was found in space inside the area but he lashed the effort over. The offside flag was raised in any case. 

Zach Hemming got two strong hands behind a powerful effort from Luke McCowan on 36 minutes. The Dundee captain had a lot of room to run into and let fly from 20 yards with the Saints goalkeeper down well to push away. Owen Dodgson then saw his follow-up deflected over. 

The Buddies took the lead with just over five minutes of the half remaining. A Boyd-Munce corner was fed back out to Ryan Strain who swung the ball in from the right-hand side. The Dundee defence couldn't deal with it and Gogic reacted quickest to force home at the near post. 

Dundee started the second-half with intent when Lyall Cameron had a powerful strike held by Hemming in the first minute after the restart. 

But it was Saints who would have the best opportunity when Ryan Strain saw his free-kick tipped over the bar by McCracken on 58 minutes. Just a minute later the Buddies would double their advantage when Scott Tanser scored. A flick-on was met by Bolton who nodded on himself with Tanser managing to squeeze in ahead of the Dundee defence. The left-wing-back composed himself before smashing into the corner of the net to the delirium of the near 1,500 travelling support. 

It could have got better just three minutes later when substitute Keanu Baccus found Olusanya to send him one-on-one with the goalkeeper but the Dens stopper managed to block. 

Olusanya would get his name on the scoresheet as he made it 3-0 with less than 20 minutes to go. Mikael Mandron found his path too crowded to get a shot away but slipped the ball to Olusanya on the left-hand side of the box. The forward fired into the net through the legs of McCracken. 

Dundee pulled a goal back with 13 minutes to play when substitute Michael Mellon headed in from close-range. The forward met a header back across goal at the far post and nodded in to reduce the deficit. 

The hosts would exert more pressure as they looked for a way back into the match with Cameron sending a long-range strike just by the post, while Hemming did well to tip a low McCowan hit on to the post as well. But Saints held firm and could have added a fourth in the final stages with James Scott seeing his effort from the edge of the area pushed away by McCracken.

In the end it was a perfect way for Saints to celebrate Stephen Robinson's 100th match in charge as the Buddies move five points ahead of Dundee with three to play.

Full-Time: Dundee 1-3 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Bolton, Gogic, Fraser, Strain (Dunne 87), O'Hara (c), Boyd-Munce, Tanser, Olusanya (Scott 77), Mandron, McMenamin (Baccus 61)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Taylor, Brown, Flynn, Kiltie, Jamieson

Dundee: McCracken, McGhee, Dodgson, Donnelly, Lamie (Costelloe 77), Portales, Cameron (Mulligan 82), McCowan, Bakayoko (Main 66), Tiffoney (Mellon 66), Sylla (Boateng 46)
Subs Not Used: Sharp, Astley, Robinson, Robertson

Referee: Matthew MacDermid
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: John Stewart
Fourth Official: George Calder
VAR: Alan Muir

Attendance: 6,877

Stephen Robinson confirmed that Jonah Ayunga will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing an operation on a knee injury. 

However, the manager told the press this morning that the injury will only rule out the forward for three or four weeks. It was also confirmed that the injury sustained isn't on the same knee that ruled the 26-year-old out for the majority of 2023. 

Jonah joins Hyeokkyu Kwon on the sidelines after the Korean midfielder also saw his season ended with a hamstring injury. 

The manager also said that Elvis Bwomono and Greg Kiltie will have to be assessed ahead of tomorrow's match away to Dundee, with youngster Evan Mooney being called up from the youth team to be a part of the squad. 

An exciting opportunity has arisen within St Mirren Football Club. We are looking for a coach to work at the St Mirren Youth Academy.

Reporting to Academy Director and Head of Academy Coaching, you will design, deliver, and reflect on coaching sessions for all age levels within the Academy.

To download the full job description please click HERE.

This role will have regular contact with children, and it is therefore required by law to have a Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check through Disclosure Scotland as a condition of employment.

If you’re interested in this exciting role please send an up-to-date copy of your CV and cover letter to: allan.mcmanus@stmirren.com.

Street Stuff are holding a free football festival for young people aged 10-15 and parents and carers are being encouraged to sign their child up now.

The Street Stuff Football Festival is being held on Thursday 16 May from 6.30pm (registration at 6pm) and will give young people a chance to play on the pitch at the SMiSA Stadium and get a taste of what it's like to be a professional footballer.

The event is being put on in celebration of 15 years of the Street Stuff programme in Renfrewshire.

Young people can be signed up individually or as a team. Names should be submitted on the online form.

Spaces are limited, so early sign-up is recommended.

Sign up to Street Stuff Football Festival (Class4Kids).

St Mirren travel to Dundee on Saturday as fifth takes on sixth in the cinch Premiership.

Dundee vs St Mirren
cinch Premiership
Venue: The Scot Foam Stadium
Date: Saturday 4th May 2024
Kick-off: 3pm

Following discussions between the two clubs it has been agreed that a cash turnstile will be in place for away supporters at The Scot Foam Stadium at Dens Park tomorrow. Turnstiles open an hour before kick-off.

You can follow the action on our X page @saintmirrenfc. 

UK subscribers to St Mirren TV can listen to live audio commentary as part of their subscription. St Mirren TV international subscribers can watch live on tv.stmirren.com as part of their subscription. International subscriptions start at £14.99 per month or £149.99 per year for access to all of our cinch Premiership matches. Please note there is no PPV. 

A resident's permit parking zone is in place for matches at Dens Park. Large signage (as illustrated below) denotes the area at each entry point. Repeater signs are also situated within the area.

Non-residents parking within the designated zone on match days will be served with a penalty notice by on duty enforcement officers (£50/£100 penalty). Blue badge parking is signposted with a mixture of permanent and temporary signs. 

• Buses to park on Neish Street.
• Turnstiles 33 to 36 (33 will also be cash turnstile).
• Turnstiles open at 2pm.
• Kiosks will be cash only.
• Flags should be within regulations, must have a fire certificate and be approved by the St Mirren safety team. No offensive, political or commercial flags will be allowed. Please display all flags/banners to the CCTV cameras before entering the stadium.
• No balaclavas or face coverings will be allowed on entering or within the stadium. Refusal of entry/ejection will occur if face coverings are seen.
• No pyro.
• No bags bigger than A4 allowed.
• No surfing banners or telescopic poles allowed.
• Drum will be searched and must fit through turnstile.
• Searching will be in place.
• Any inebriated fans will not be allowed to enter the stadium.
• No smoking anywhere inside the stadium.

It's fifth versus sixth in the cinch Premiership when St Mirren travel to Dundee on Saturday.

With fifth place guaranteeing a European spot next season, Saints sit two points ahead of Dundee in the race for that spot. Both sides go into Saturday's match in fairly similar form with the Buddies having won one, drawn one and lost four of our previous six league matches while Dundee have won two, drawn one and lost three. 

Despite a 2-1 loss to Rangers on Sunday, Saints will have taken positives from the performance against the title challengers at The SMiSA Stadium. Dundee also lost to Celtic by the same scoreline at The Scot Foam Stadium, but likewise, Tony Docherty's side will have been relatively pleased with aspects of their performance against the league leaders.

Match Details

Dundee v St Mirren
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Saturday 4th May 2024
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: The Scot Foam Stadium

Ticket Info

More than 1000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's match and the club has requested more from Dundee. 

International subscribers to St Mirren TV can watch the match live on tv.stmirren.com as part of their subscription. UK subscribers can listen to live audio commentary. There is no PPV available.

Previous 

Saints have won two of the three fixtures against Dundee this season - winning 2-1 and 2-0 in the meetings at The SMiSA Stadium.

The first meeting came back in August with Saints winning 2-1 thanks to an own goal from Joe Shaughnessy as well as a Mikael Mandron header. Josh Mulligan pulled one back for Tony Docherty's side but it wasn't enough to avoid defeat.

Dundee won 4-0 when Saints visited Dens in November. Amadou Bakayoko scored twice while Zak Rudden and Zach Robinson also netted for the Dark Blues. 

The Buddies were victorious in the only meeting so far in 2024. Mikael Mandron and Toyosi Olusanya scored in the second-half to secure a 2-0 win for Stephen Robinson's men. 

Our last win at Dens Park came in March 2022 when an injury-time header from Connor Ronan gave Stephen Robinson his first victory as St Mirren manager. 

Mikael Mandron celebrates goal against Dundee (Image: Allan Picken)

The officials

Matthew MacDermid is the referee on Saturday and he'll be assisted by David McGeachie and John Stewart. George Calder is the Fourth Official. 

Alan Muir is the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and Calum Spence is the Assistant VAR. 

It's frustration. The performance was very good but ultimately we've got no points out of it."

Stephen Robinson gave his reaction following a narrow defeat at home to Rangers.

St Mirren were edged out 2-1 by Rangers at The SMiSA Stadium in our first cinch Premiership post-split fixture.

An own goal saw the visitors take a first-half lead, but Mikael Mandron levelled the scores just five minutes later. Saints created a number of chances but were thwarted by Jack Butland in the Rangers goal before Cyriel Dessers scored the winner for Rangers in the final stages of the match.

Stephen Robinson made four changes to the side that lost at Celtic last time out. James Bolton, Ryan Strain, Conor McMenamin and Mikael Mandron came in for Richard Taylor, Elvis Bwomono, Keanu Baccus and Toyosi Olusanya.

The Buddies started brightly and could have opened the scoring inside the first minute with Mandron doing well to steal the ball off a Rangers defender and getting himself in on goal but saw his strike pushed away by Butland.

Mandron was denied by another good stop from the Rangers goalkeeper on eight minutes when his low effort from the angle was pushed away, though it appeared McMenamin was offside in the build-up.

McMenamin had Saints' next opportunity when his low effort from 20 yards deflected off John Souttar and into the arms of Butland. Rangers looked to hit the Buddies on the counter with Fabio Silva making his way into the box, but Alex Gogic did brilliantly to block the strike. Zach Hemming made a good save as he got both hands behind John Lundstram's hit from the edge of the area. The Saints goalkeeper did well three minutes later when he tipped Tavernier's curling effort over. 

After a period of Rangers pressure, it was Saints who came close to breaking the deadlock just before the half hour mark when McMenamin headed over after meeting Mandron's nod across. 

The visitors would take the lead on 32 minutes when Bolton knocked into his own net from close-range. Hemming couldn't get enough on a cross to put it out of play and Mohamed Diomande had sneaked in at the back post to head it across from Dessers who forced home. 

The Buddies drew level just five minutes later when Mandron scored his 11th goal of the season. The French striker got in ahead of Leon Balogun to meet Mark O'Hara's deep cross and headed in off the post to the delight for the 5,000+ home support.

Saints were agonisingly close to taking a lead into the interval only to be denied by a brilliant save from Butland who somehow got a hand out to turn Bolton's effort over.

There wasn't much to write home about in the opening stages of the second 45 with the only real opportunity coming on 64 minutes when O'Hara fired over from inside the area. Stephen Robinson decided to make his first change on 70 minutes when Toyosi Olusanya came on to replace goalscorer Mandron. 

But it was Rangers who took the lead for a second time with just over 15 minutes remaining when Cyriel Dessers met Tavernier's cross at the far post and headed home. 

Saints made two changes immediately after the goal with Lewis Jamieson and James Scott introduced in place of McMenamin and Greg Kiltie. 

Jamieson had an opportunity in the closing minutes of normal time when Saints were awarded a free-kick 20 yards from goal after Butland cleared the ball but took out Olusanya. The Rangers goalkeeper was booked and Jamieson stepped up to take the free-kick but sent it into the wall. 

Both sides had chances in injury with the immense Gogic making an incredible last-ditch goal-line clearance to deny Rangers a third. Olusanya was then presented an opportunity when he raced into the box down the left-side but was stopped by a big challenge from Balogun. 

The final chances came Saints way with Jamieson's low strike deflected by for a corner from which Bolton saw his effort cleared from the goal-line by Tavernier as the visitors held on for the points. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-2 Rangers

St Mirren: Hemming, Bolton, Gogic, Fraser, Strain (Brown 84), O'Hara (c), Boyd-Munce (Baccus 84), Tanser, McMenamin (Jamieson 76), Mandron (Olusanya 70), Kiltie (Scott 76)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Taylor, Dunne, Bwomono

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier (c), Balogun, Souttar, Barisic (Wright 77), Diomande, Lundstram, Cantwell (Lawrence 77), Silva (McCausland 56), Dessers, Sterling
Subs Not Used: McCrorie, Goldson, Dowell, Roofe, Davies, Raskin

Referee: Nick Walsh
Assistant Referee: Frank Connor
Assistant Referee: Jonathan Bell
Fourth Official: Chris Graham
VAR: Don Robertson

Attendance: 6,800