It's the IRN-BRU Cup final tomorrow as St Mirren take on Dundee United at Fir Park for the chance to win domestic silverware for the first time since the League Cup triumph in 2013.

It's been a tricky road to the final for Saints this season, with the Buddies having to come from behind in all four ties they've played. It started back in September when a trip to Coatbridge to face Albion Rovers saw the side 2-0 down after just 13 minutes. But goals from Lewis Morgan, Stevie Mallan and John Sutton saw the Buddies go 3-2 up. They were, however, pegged back mere moments after making it 3-2 when Ross Dunlop scored his second of the match for the hosts. Saints scored the winner in extra time with Lawrence Shankland getting on the end of Sutton's cross to send Saints through.

St Mirren, having just announced the appointment of Jack Ross, travelled to Easter Road to face Hibernian in October. Caretaker manager Allan McManus was in charge of the team for the final time ahead of Jack's arrival and guided the side to a 2-1 win in Edinburgh with goals from Mallan and David Clarkson sealing Saints place in the quarter-final. 

Indeed, Jack's first win as St Mirren manager came in the IRN-BRU Cup quarter-final tie against Ayr United at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. Again the Buddies had to come from behind with Andy O'Connell firing the visitors into the lead on 68 minutes. But Sutton was at the double, scoring two goals in as many minutes in the last 10 minutes of the game to seal a remarkable comeback. 

All that stood in Saints way of a potential cup final was Welsh side, The New Saints. It was never going to be that simple though with TNS on a remarkable run of form this season. And the visitors proved they were up for the challenge when Ryan Brobbel put them 1-0 up with a great strike just before the half time interval. The Buddies came roaring back in the second half, aided by a real captain's performance from Stephen McGinn. The midfielder got Saints level with a magnificent goal on the hour mark. Mallan got his third goal in the competition less than ten minutes later to put St Mirren ahead. Sutton had the chance to make it 3-1 from the penalty spot, but saw his effort saved by TNS goalkeeper Harrison. He'd make no mistake a minute later though as he crashed home an effort after being laid off by Kyle Magennis. Rory Loy wrapped up the win in injury time when he knocked home from Mallan's free kick. 

United's IRN-BRU Cup journey began with a hard-fought 3-2 win after extra-time against Peterhead. Tony Andreu's 116th minute goal finally saw off the stubborn League One side to set up an away trip to Stranraer. Again Andreu was the hero as he scored the game's only goal to give the Tangerines a 1-0 win. Championship side Dunfermline were overcome in the quarter-finals by the same scoreline thanks to Mark Durnan's early goal. 

Their place in the final was secured with a 3-2 triumph over Queen of the South at Palmerston. United raced into a 3-0 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Charlie Telfer, Scott Fraser and Andreu. Stephen Dobbie pulled one back for Queens before Derek Lyle scored in injury time to make United sweat, but they held on to make their second Challenge Cup final. 

For Saints this will be their third Challenge Cup final after having lost 3-0 to Falkirk back in 1993 and defeating Hamilton Accies 2-1 to clinch the cup in 2005. 

United have played in the final once before, losing on penalties to Stenhousemuir in 1995 following a goalless 90 minutes and extra time. 

The only time the St Mirren have faced Dundee United in a cup final came 30 years ago in May when Ian Ferguson's injury time saw the Buddies defeat United 1-0 to win their third Scottish Cup.

Saints come in to tomorrow's final in their best form all season. The Buddies have won four of their last six league matches including a 3-2 win over Dundee United at the Paisley 2021 Stadium just over a week ago. Whereas Ray McKinnon's side have failed to win since their 3-2 victory over Queen of the South in the semi-final last month. However, as is the old cliche, the form book goes out the window for both sides in this one-off match.

A win for St Mirren could help boost the players confidence ahead of the run-in to avoid relegation. For United, they will be desperate to use the cup final as the catalyst to kick-start their promotion hopes. With Saints tickets almost sold out, tomorrow promises to be a great occasion for players and supporters alike.

The club are offering special ticket pricing for the Family Stand for the upcoming home game against Ayr United and an offer for Season Ticket holders for the match against Dumbarton a week later.

For the game against Ayr United on 1st April adults can purchase a ticket for £10 for the Family Stand as well as get up to two free tickets for under 12s. There will be no online option for the uptake of this offer, tickets will need to be purchased either direct at the St Mirren Ticket Office or on the phone. The offer will also be available on the day of the match (subject to availability).

The following week (Saturday 8th April) when Saints face Dumbarton, Season Ticket holders can bring along a friend for £10 and up to two children free of charge. This offer will also be available on match day.

For more details on these offers you can contact the St Mirren Ticket Office by phone on (0141) 840-6130 or by e-mail:  tickets@stmirren.com.

Tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 25th March) St Mirren head to Motherwell to face Ray McKinnon's Dundee United side in the IRN-BRU Cup Final at Fir Park.

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

North End Travel Club

Last we heard tickets for this bus were still on sale but you would be best to contact The Brewer's Tap to confirm availability.

Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus

Our buses for this match are now sold out.

Chivas Travel Club

Our buses for this match are now sold out.

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

Both of our buses for the final are now sold out.

Please note that the St Mirren Ticket Office now have just under 250 tickets remaining from the club's allocation for tomorrow's final.

Subject to availability, fans have till 2:00pm today to get a ticket for tomorrow's final as there will be no sale of tickets on the day of the match.

St Mirren fans have been allocated the Davie Cooper Stand and the Phil O'Donnell Stand at Fir Park for tomorrow's final. Tickets for the Davie Cooper Stand are now sold out but there are still just under 250 available for the Phil O'Donnell Stand, but the tickets are selling fast.

The St Mirren Ticket Office (Main Stand) opening hours in the build up to this match are as follows:

Fri, 24th Mar: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Sat, 25th Mar: CLOSED

Ticket Office Phone No: (0141) 840-6130.
St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com.

Please note that the Club Shop is also open the same hours as the Ticket Office.

Additional Information

Tomorrow afternoon, Saturday 25th March, St Mirren head to Fir Park to face Dundee United in the IRN-BRU Cup Final.

The ticket prices have now been confirmed for the cup tie at Fir Park and these are shown above.

The referee for tomorrow's match is Nick Walsh and he will be assisted by Sean Carr and Gary Hilland. The fourth official will be Steven Kirkland

Fans attending the IRN-BRU Cup Final, should note that enhanced search arrangements will be in place at this fixture. This additional safety measure has the potential to delay entry into the ground so fans are strongly encouraged to get to the Stadium as early as possible. Turnstiles will be open at 11:00am, 90 minutes before kick-off.

All supporters with a concession ticket must bring proof of ID such as a valid student card. Failure to do so will result in supporters being unable to gain access to the stadium.

For directions to Fir Park click here

David Van Zanten is a rare breed of player that has passed through St Mirren.

The Irishman can boast that he's won more silverware at the Buddies than almost anyone else who has played in the black and white. 

Alongside winning the League Cup with Saints in 2013, Vanzy was part of the last St Mirren side to triumph in the Challenge Cup. 

He knows what it takes to win it and has urged the current crop of players to make the most of Saturday's occasion when they go head-to-head with Dundee United in the IRN-BRU Cup final. 

For some of the players there it could be their first final and could very well be their last as well," he told stmirren.com. "You just don't know.

"They have to take advantage of the situation that they are in and the only way they can do that is by going and giving everything they can and trying to win the game. 

"Leave nothing behind at all, go and give absolutely everything you've got. Run yourself into the ground and just make the most of it. Don't leave anything behind in the dressing room."

Van Zanten set up John Sutton's winning goal in the 2005 final, crossing in to the Englishman who nodded beyond Hamilton goalkeeper Dave McEwan to seal the Saints victory. He believes that Sutton will appreciate the final more this time around and expects the 33 year-old to have been a pivotal part in the dressing room ahead of the big day. 

He'll know how we all felt after that final and how much it meant winning it. His experience will be vital in that team and that squad. I'm sure he'll be telling them all about it, how good a night we had after it and how we kicked on after it.

"I'm sure he'll be drumming that into the players. Go and win this and then kick on in the league and get safe. 

"If they win the final Jack will not let them get too carried away," he continued. "Let them know that there is still plenty of work to be done. He's done a brilliant job since he came in.

"Obviously it's taken a while to get going but he's managed to get a few players in in January that have really help the squad. Fingers crossed they can go and win the final and stay up and what a magnificent achievement it would be for Jack. 

Reflecting on his own experience winning the cup, Van Zanten admits it was a great day in his career and hopes that Jack Ross' side can use this weekend's final as the catalyst to stay in the Ladbrokes Championship the same way the 2005 team used it to push themselves to promotion.

He said: "It was absolutely brilliant. I know a lot of people kind of rubbish the cup competition because the Premier League teams aren't in it.

"But when you get to the final it means everything. It doesn't happen that often, getting to finals so it meant everything for us.

"It is one of the big memories I have of my career - winning that game and that final. That season we were obviously trying to get promoted and it gave us a taste of success and what it felt like. Winning that final helped motivate us to go on and win the league that year. 

"There's no feeling like it. The euphoria of it is second to none, it's amazing. It gave us that taste to go on and win the league which we knew was a much bigger achievement.

"It gave us the taste for it but also the confidence to go on and win the league and hopefully it will do similar to the players that are in there now. If you go and win this cup final, it will hopefully give them the confidence and belief that they can stay up this year. 

"It's a great feeling knowing that I'll always be a part of that history. Everyone who has been at the club knows how great a club it is and how close the fans are to the club and what it means to everyone in the area. I didn't know too much about St Mirren when I came across to Scotland. But now I consider myself a big fan of the club and knowing that I'll always be remembered in the history means so much to me."

With just two days left until the final, tickets for the Davie Cooper stand are now completely sold out. 

There are still a limited amount of tickets remaining for the Phil O'Donnell stand but tickets are selling fast.

For those still wishing to purchase a ticket, the ticket office will be open tonight (Thursday 23 March) between 5pm & 7pm and tomorrow (Friday 24 March) between 10am & 2pm.

Fans attending the IRN-BRU Cup Final, should note that enhanced search arrangements will be in place at this fixture. This additional safety measure has the potential to delay entry into the ground so fans are strongly encouraged to get to the Stadium as early as possible. Turnstiles will be open at 11am, 1.5 hours before kick-off.

All supporters with a concession ticket must bring proof of ID such as a valid student card. Failure to do so will result in supporters being unable to gain access to the stadium.

St Mirren Football Club would like to thank all the supporters who will turn out in great numbers to back the team on Saturday. 

He starred in the final the last time Saints won this trophy, scoring the winner as the Buddies ran out 2-1 victors over Hamilton Accies back in 2005. 

John Sutton was a fresh faced 21 year-old when he nodded home David Van Zanten's cross to ensure there would be black and white ribbons on the Challenge cup.

It was the catalyst for a double winning campaign as the Buddies secured promotion to the then Scottish Premier League later on in the season.

This time around it's a different story. This time Saints are going for the trophy while fighting to stay in the Ladbrokes Championship. 

At 33 years old the striker is one of the more experienced heads within the squad and could well be playing in his last cup final. And, after a long career, the Englishman knows that finals don't come around all that often.

It's very exciting," he said of Saturday's match before reflecting on 2005's win.

"I remember going into that game and the manager told us that a lot of players go through their careers without winning anything. We managed to win that day, that was a great achievement and it kicked us on to bigger and better things.

"Cup finals, whatever they are, don't come around very often. I think Hibs and Rangers and even Hearts have proved that over the seasons being in the lower leagues, so it'd be a great achievement for this group of players. 

"Everyone is desperate to win," he continued. "It was different circumstances back then as that kicked us on to win the league that year which was a brilliant double. It won't be the same this year but hopefully it could kick us on to league survival.

"Hopefully it's a bit of a confidence boost. But we can't look too far whether we win or lose the cup final, it's not going to determine whether we stay up or not. You want to win at everyone so to take that and give the fans a good day out that would mean a lot to all of us. 

"There's a confidence in the group, there's no doubt about that. Dundee United are a good team but we know if we play as well as we can then we can cause any team problems."

Saturday's venue holds a special place in the striker's heart after having two spells with Motherwell and he is looking forward to what he believes will be a good occasion.

Fir Park is brilliant for atmosphere," he said. "It's quite a tight pitch and the fans are right on top of you. We were lucky when we played the final at Airdrie as we had pretty much three quarters of the stadium, it was a brilliant atmosphere and I'm sure that will be the same this time around.

"It'll be nice," he said of returning to the ground before joking; "Especially since they got the pitch sorted out in the last few years!

"It's a fantastic stadium, I enjoyed my time there. The good thing about it is that it's compact and there should be a really good atmosphere."

The St Mirren Under-20 side's match against Partick Thistle in the SPFL Development League has been postponed.

The young Buddies were scheduled to take on Thistle at the Excelsior Stadium this evening, but the fixture will now be rearranged after weather conditions have seen the match called off. 

For more news on the SPFL Development League please click HERE

A team of St Mirren supporters defeated a team of Morton supporters in a clash between the two to raise funds for charity. 

The Buddies side ran out 4-0 winners at Park Mains High School in Erskine in a match organised to help raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Well done to all who took part!

Match pictures by Allan Picken – © Allan Picken Photography 

St Mirren manager Jack Ross and assistant James Fowler are set to take to opposing dugouts at the Paisley 2021 Stadium with the pair being announced as the managers for this year's Saint for a Day.

Saint for a Day will take place on 30 April 2017 - the day after our final home league match of the 2016/17 season. 

The gaffer and his assistant will come head-to-head with Jack taking charge of the home side and James leading the away side. 

Jack said: "I'm really looking forward to it. It'll be a fun day of the back of what will hopefully have been a positive day the day before when we play Raith Rovers. It's great to meet supporters and doing something like this to raise money for the youth academy is hugely beneficial to the club. We've seen the likes of Kyle Magennis and Lewis Morgan establish themselves in the first team this season and it's important that we can keep doing that year-on-year." 

James said: "It'll be interesting coming up against the gaffer but obviously I want to win. It should be a good day and it'll no doubt be a great experience for supporters to get to play in the stadium of the team they love." 

All Saint for a Day details including how to bid and the closing date for bids can be found here.