St Mirren can confirm that Gary Irvine has signed a one-year contract extension. 

The full-back has made 60 appearances for the Buddies since signing from Dundee in January 2016. 

The 32 year-old becomes the latest to commit his future to the Saints after Cypriot full-back Stelios Demetriou also signed a new deal this week. 

Saints fans are reminded tickets are now on sale for SMISA's (St Mirren Independent Supporters Association) next event – the St Mirren Quiz in the hospitality suite at the stadium on Friday 23 June from 7.30pm.

This will be a chance for all fans to test their Saints knowledge against fellow fans, as well as players and staff past and present.

SMISA are working on having a team of club legends as well as a team of current staff and players – they are hoping Jack Ross will be able to join us on the night.

Tickets are now available on general sale for £5 via this link. All profits from the night will go to St Mirren’s youth development.

Plus (£25 per month) and Premium members of SMiSA are entitled to a free place for the event and if you haven’t yet claimed yours, you can still do so by emailing contact@smisa.net

A pay bar will be available on the night and there will be Saints-related prizes to be given out. However the terms of the licence means the event is only open to over-18s.

The exact number of teams will be worked out on the night but you can either form a team with a group of friends, or smaller groups could be combined into bigger teams.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there for what should be a great night.

Jack Ross says he is happy with the way the squad is shaping up ahead of the players returning to pre-season tomorrow. 

The Buddies gaffer added to the squad this week as Stelios Demetriou's contract extension was added to by the signing of Gavin Reilly following the striker's release from Hearts. 

Reilly is the seventh new addition to the squad following deals to bring in Cammy Smith, Jordan Kirkpatrick, Gregor Buchanan, Craig Samson and the two Ross Stewart's. 

And with the players reporting to Ralston tomorrow for the start of pre-season, Jack is satisfied with the way the squad is looking. 

I'm quite pleased with where we are at," Jack told stmirren.com after securing deals for Stelios and Reilly.

"Stelios played a big part in us being successful in the second part of the season and Gavin is a player both James and I have worked with before. I think he is someone still very young with a lot of potential.

"We are almost there squad wise which is terrific before we even start pre-season. 

"It's pleasing that we have managed to retain a good proportion of the squad that ended last season.

"There was always going to be a turnaround because we had a number of loan players and a number of players in different circumstances that meant it was going to be difficult to get them back. We always knew where we were realistically and what we needed to target.

"I think the ones we have brought in have been a good mixture. You look at Craig Samson who is proven, experienced and quality and Gavin Reilly coming from a Premiership club then the other end of the spectrum with Ross Stewart the striker from Albion Rovers.

"There's a really good balance between the group in terms of recruits at different stages with different experience.

"I would like possibly another couple in," he continued. "It just depends on what happens over the pre-season period.

"We have four trialists joining us for pre-season as well that will allow us to look at players in certain positions that we might need to strengthen more. 

"We are fairly well advanced in our planning and an awful lot of work has gone in over these last six weeks."

New recruits Buchanan, Kirkpartick and the two Stewart's will make the step up from part-time football.

Jack confessed there will be a period for the players of having to adapt to the demands of full-time football, but he believes in the players' abilities to do so.

There will be an initial physical adjustment for them just because of their initial experiences.

"But Ross Stewart (the goalkeeper), Jordan Kirkpatrick and Gregor Buchanan have all experienced full time football before so they know what they are coming into.

"As I said there will be a period of adjustment for them all in terms of their body getting used to the demands of it. But the good thing is they are coming in for the first day of pre-season when everybody is getting used to the demands on their body after having a rest period over the summer so they'll be fine.

"Having worked with part-time players the fitness differences between part-time and full-time players are much less than they used to be. They'll be fine, they'll love being back in this environment. That's one of the incentives for them having worked outside football."

The draw for the Betfred Cup group stage was recently announced with the Buddies set to square off against Partick Thistle, Livingston, Airdrieonians and Stranraer in Group H.

The manager is excited for the competition to come around and hopes his side use it as a springboard to get their league campaign off to the best possible start.

It's a tough group," he said. "It's arguably, on paper, the hardest group.

"We'll approach it seriously as if it is just as important as our first league games. We did that last year when I was at Alloa and we won all our group games and continued that momentum and form into the opening period of the season. That's what we will look to do again.

"I want to go in and win every group game because it sees you qualify for the latter stages but second of all it continues the momentum we had from the end of last season and creates a momentum going into the opening league game.

"It excites supporters and undoubtedly the cup runs helped continue to galvanise the cup last season. Hopefully we have a squad now that has depth that will enable us to deal with these games when they come around."

St Mirren Football Club are delighted to announce the signing of Gavin Reilly on a one-year deal.

The striker joins the Buddies after leaving Ladbrokes Premiership side Hearts.

The 24 year-old enjoyed a successful spell in the Championship with Queen of the South where he worked with Saints assistant manager James Fowler. 

His form in the 2014/15 season earned him his move to Gorgie where he featured 32 times scoring 4 goals. 

Reilly spent last season in the Championship on loan to Dunfermline and now joins the Saints on a permanent deal for the 2017/18 campaign.

Speaking on the move, Reilly said: "I'm glad everything is sorted now and just looking forward to getting going on Thursday.

"I worked quickly with him [Jack] when he was at Hearts and I've worked with James Fowler when he was at Queen of the South.

"I knew this would be a good surrounding and setting for me and just looking forward to get going."

James Fowler said: "I think he will bring pace, an energy and goals as well.

"He's someone who works really hard as a striker and he'll threaten in behind which is probably something we lacked in the forward areas last season."

Gavin's full interview can be viewed below. 

St Mirren will face Ladbrokes Premiership side Dundee in a friendly on Tuesday 4 July at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. 

The Buddies last faced the Dee in January when Jack Ross' side triumphed by 2-0 in the William Hill Scottish Cup at Dens Park.

Kick-off will be at 7:45pm and we will announce ticket arrangements in due course. 

St Mirren Football Club can announce that Stelios Demetriou has put pen to paper as he has agreed a one-year contract extension at the Buddies.

The Cypriot full back quickly became a fans favourite after joining the club in January as he scored three goals in 15 appearances including a brace in the 2-0 win over Hibernian in March. 

The 26 year-old's performances in the black and white of St Mirren have lead to him being nicknamed 'The Maverick' and he signs on for the 2017/18 campaign. 

Speaking on the extension, Stelios said: "I'm really happy to be back. It feels like I am home. 

"We have a big job to do this year with higher targets and I'm really positive that we are going to start like we finished last year.

"The best time of my football career has been here at the Saints." 

When Season Tickets went on sale a few weeks ago we announced that if we achieve 1000 Adult/Concession Season Ticket holders in the West Stand, that the Club would guarantee that the whole stand will be for St Mirren fans, with the exception of Cup games, where it may need to be segregated.

We have been delighted with the response and are already well past the halfway mark towards our target with the Ticket Office staff confirming this morning that 585 Season Tickets have been sold for the West Stand so far. 

We would like to thank supporters for the loyalty they have shown ahead of the new season. 

Those wishing to purchase a Season Ticket can still do so at 'Early Bird' prices right up until July 2nd. 

For more details on Season Tickets click HERE.

Jack Ross made his latest addition to the squad today by signing goalkeeper Craig Samson who joins Ross Stewart in the goalkeeping ranks.

Jack believes that the two keepers give him the right mix for that position.

I think Craig’s pedigree is proven. He has had success here as a player before and I know from conversations that I have had with him that he feels as if he has unfinished business here. So he is determined to come here and help us to progress and I think he will be very good for Ross as well. I want them to push each other, I want two goalkeepers who could potentially play so I’m delighted to have that area of the park sorted.

We thought long and hard of what we would have with the two of them and getting Ross in to begin with I was pleased with because I identified him as somebody I wanted to bring in a while ago. So once we had him in we had a decision to make in terms of the other one and I think for us as a squad and a team to get to where we want to and to push Ross on then I think the type like Craig was the one that we wanted to try and find. He is still only 33 and has a number of years left as a goalkeeper and he ticks a lot of the right boxes for us in terms of what he will bring to us as a team but also in how he will help Ross’ progression as well.

Having already brought back John Sutton and Stephen McGinn for second stints with St Mirren, Jack believes that the signing of Craig Samson shows that these players have a connection with the club that will help to spread the cause throughout the squad.

I think what it shows is that those players enjoyed their time here. They all have different circumstances and different gaps in their time here. Craig of course winning the League Cup here, he will have very fond memories of it but that was one of the important things for me in trying to put a squad of players together to have a cause if you like and a motivation.

There are some who are younger who have a drive to try and progress their careers and they will help us if they do that as well. You mention Stephen McGinn, he has a cause because he wants to drive this club forward and that is what is showing, and in speaking to Craig I got that impression from him when he mentioned unfinished business. I don’t think he wanted to leave here and would happily have stayed here the rest of his career so he has came back here and we look forward to working with him over the next couple of years.

Four years after leaving St Mirren, goalkeeper Craig Samson has today signed a two-year deal to make a return to The Buddies.

Craig, who has played with Kilmarnock and Motherwell over the last four seasons, was part of St Mirren's 2013 League Cup wining side and the keeper admits that it is good to be back with Saints as he has some unfinished business to do.

I’ve been here in the past and loved my time while I was at the club. To be honest I didn’t want to leave the club but at the time Danny [Lennon] and Tommy [Craig] had different ideas in what way they were going to go in the goalkeeping department and I think it was probably best for us to go our separate ways. But there was certainly unfinished business for me here where I felt it wasn’t time for me to go so when I got the opportunity to come back it was never in doubt that I was going to come and I’m absolutely delighted to be here again. Hopefully we can take on the form that the team showed at the end of last season and take it into this year.

Craig continues a recent trend of former Buddies coming back to St Mirren and admits that the pull to rejoin Saints was too great.

I have a massive affinity with the club. I think even in telling my family last night that I was coming back they were all absolutely delighted as this is a place where they are very comfortable as well as me, it does feel like this is my club to be honest. I know I grew up as a Kilmarnock fan and went back there when I left here but to be honest coming here yesterday, meeting the manager, walking back into the place and seeing some familiar faces it does feel like coming home. I feel that there is a great affinity with the club and something that we can do is go and have a special year this year.

The keeper believes that he returns to Paisley as a more experienced keeper and he will be using that to help along recent signing Ross Stewart who will go head to head with Craig for the starting keeper's spot.

I’ve definitely went and learned a lot.  I’ve played a lot of games, played three seasons in the Premiership and not missed much football so I think you certainly learn as a goalkeeper all the time and you can always be improving. I know that the manager has a young squad here and he has a few older players that he is hoping will certainly do well but you have got to help the young players round about you with the experience that you have from before. That is something that I think I can bring to the team, help out defensively and help to organise also I know the manager has just signed young Ross Stewart as another goalkeeper so we’ll have a battle on our hands seeing who will play come the season but I think there is certainly experience that I can bring to the team.

Jamie [Langfield] is obviously here as goalkeeping coach and available to play as well so his job is to develop Ross, develop myself and the other younger goalkeepers here but I’ll certainly be helping Ross the same way I have with any other goalkeeper that I’ve been with. There will be a battle to get into the team but ultimately everybody always says that there is a goalkeeper’s union and we will be helping each other and pushing each other on. That only makes for good competition and certainly I’ll be there to help him if he needs any advice or with anything he needs.

When asked about his aims for the new season Craig get straight to the point.

Promotion, I don’t think there is any doubt. There is no point in sugar-coating it and saying we want to do well and take on next season. I came here as I spoke to the manager, James Fowler and Jamie, and the aim for the club is to take the form we had last year into next year and if we take that form in then there is no doubt that there is a possibility that we can go up so I’m not going to come in here and say we just want to improve on last year. We don’t want to do that, we want to go and push as high up the league as we can and try to get into the Premiership as I think that is where the club belongs. I don’t think there is a set-up in the Premiership outside maybe the top five that has got the training facilities that this club has got, the stadium this club has got or the fan base, so this club certainly belongs in the top league and my aim is to hopefully come back and win a league winner’s medal and get back into the Premiership.

 

The SPFL have this afternoon confirmed the fixtures for the upcoming group stages for round one of the Betfred Cup.

Jack Ross’ St Mirren side will kick-off the 2017/18 season on Saturday 15th July when they head to Stair Park to face League One side Stranraer.

Three days later Livingston will be midweek visitors to The Paisley 2021 Stadium then on Saturday 22nd July Saints make the short trip to Glasgow to face Premiership side Partick Thistle at Firhill Stadium. This match will also be covered live on TV by BT Sport.

Saints' final match in the group will be on Saturday 29th July when they host League One Airdrieonians at Paisley.

St Mirren’s full fixture list for the Betfred Cup, Group H is as follow;

Saturday 15 July

Stranraer v St Mirren, Stair Park, kick-off 3.00pm

Tuesday 18 July

St Mirren v Livingston, Paisley 2021 Stadium, kick-off 7.45pm

Saturday 22 July

Partick Thistle v St Mirren, Firhill Stadium, kick-off 3.00pm (Live on BT Sport)

Saturday 29 July

St Mirren v Airdrieonians, Paisley 2021 Stadium, kick-off 3.00pm