St Mirren are through to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup after a thoroughly deserved 2-0 win over Premiership side Dundee at Dens Park.

Goals from John Sutton - his 40th for the Buddies - and Jack Baird earned Saints the victory and sees them in the hat for the last 16.

Saints had won seven out of eight cup ties this season coming into the match with the only loss coming to Premiership opposition when Hamilton defeated the Buddies 3-0 at New Douglas Park. 

But there was to be no repeat of that this afternoon as St Mirren outplayed and outfought their top tier opponents.

The home side could have taken an early lead though through Marcus Haber. The Canadian striker, who recently signed a new deal at Dens, was played in and was one on one with Billy O'Brien after beating the offside trap. But from a tight angle he smashed the post. 

Saints were battling hard in the early stages and won two corners in quick succession. However, Dundee dealt with the danger on both occasions. 

The warning signs remained though as Dundee had two half chances through Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Craig Wighton. The first saw Mark O'Hara pick out El Bakhtaoui but the striker sliced the chance wide. Then Wighton went on a run which culminated in the forward smashing towards goal but he didn't connect well enough and it went wide.

Debut goalkeeper Billy O'Brien made a terrific save to deny Cameron Kerr after the midfielder's long range effort as the home side looked to crank up the pressure. O'Brien pushed the ball by the post and looked confident as he punched away the resultant corner.

The Buddies took the lead on 24 minutes through John Sutton. It was the Englishman's milestone 40th goal for the Saints and his 10th this season. It was a great finish as he picked the ball up on the edge of the box and curled beyond Scott Bain in the Dundee goal to send Saints fans delirious. 

There was no let up from the visitors and Stephen Mallan's flick inside the area found the head of ex-Dundee player Gary Irvine who headed just over the bar. Then Kyle McAllister, celebrating his 18th birthday, also went close to doubling Saints lead when his shot from outside the box went whizzing over.

Dundee were still very much in the game and made O'Brien work with the goalkeeper making several good stops to keep Saints ahead. He made a fantastic save to tip Wighton's effort over the bar. From which the home side should have been level when Haber rose above the St Mirren defence but somehow headed wide. And it was Haber who made O'Brien work again with the Welsh U21 international pushing the Canadian's shot away.

Half Time: Dundee 0-1 St Mirren

Like last week against Dunfermline, Saints got the second half off to a flier when Jack Baird doubled the visitor's advantage a little over three minutes in to the second period. St Mirren won a corner that was headed back out and found its way to Mallan after Wighton slipped in the box. Mallan's footwork was good as he moved away from the Dundee player to find Baird who wrapped his foot around the ball and beyond Bain.

The Buddies were clearly in the mood after coming out from the break and had a series of corners in a good ten minute spell. Sutton could've grabbed his second when was on the end of one of the corners but could only watch as Bain tipped over.

After a blistering start from the away side the second half became a fairly quiet affair. Dundee rarely threatened in the second half barring winning a few corner kicks which didn't cause The Buddies any harm.

Substitute David Clarkson almost added a third for Saints after coming on as a sub. The striker burst through on goal only to see his attempt denied by the feet of Bain. 

In the end, two was to be enough as Saints march on into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.

Full Time: Dundee 0-2 St Mirren

St Mirren: O'Brien, Magennis (Whyte, 74), Baird, MacKenzie, Irvine, Fjelde, Storie, McAllister (MacPherson, 90), Mallan, Morgan, Sutton (Clarkson, 85)
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Webster, McLear, O'Keefe

Dundee: Bain, Holt, Hateley (Duffy, 58), O'Hara, Extabeguren, McGowan, Gadzhalov, Kerr, El Bakhtaoui (Williams, 58), Haber, Wighton
Subs Not Used: Mitchell, Vincent, Ross, Curran, Gomis

Referee: Bobby Madden
Assistant Referee: Graham Chambers
Assistant Referee: Jordan Stokoe

Attendance: 3622 (523 Saints supporters)

Billy O'Brien and Pal Fjelde will make their St Mirren debuts after being named in the starting eleven.

Jack Ross makes five changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Dunfermline at East End Park last week with O'Brien, Fjelde, Jack Baird, Kyle Magennis and Lewis Morgan coming into the starting line up in place of Jamie Langfield, the now departed Jason Naismith, Andy Wesbter, Rocco Quinn and Rory Loy, who can't paly against his parent club. 

Saints face Dundee at Dens Park in the fourth round after beating Spartans 5-1 at the Paisley 2021 Stadium in the third round.

Kick off is at 3pm and we'll have the action covered on our official Twitter and Facebook pages. 

St Mirren: O'Brien, Fjelde, Baird, MacKenzie, Irvine, Storie, Mallan, Magennis, Morgan, McAllister, Sutton
Subs: Langfield, Webster, Clarkson, McLear, Whyte, MacPherson, O'Keefe

Saints face off against Paul Hartley's Dundee side following an active week of transfer ins and outs. 

But Jack Ross admits he's excited for Saturday's Scottish Cup tie against Dundee at Dens Park tomorrow.

And he also hopes that some of the younger players in the squad will be up for the challenge of testing themselves against Premiership opposition.

I think it's a good challenge going to a Premiership team," he confessed. "Going away from home to a good stadium the players should respond to that. Some of the younger players in the squad have maybe never experienced playing against a team of that level before so they should be desperate to go and prove themselves.

"I think it's a game that should be exciting and I'm looking forward to the game. I always believe in the players and I thought their reaction last week was good against a team that was in good form. 

It's been a busy week for the manager with the transfer window in full flow. Saints completed the signing of midfielder Josh Todd at the start of the week and Jack admitted he was happy to get a deal done for the 22 year-old.

I'm pleased to get him," he said. "He's a good age, he's got a hunger to prove himself again in full-time football obviously having had previous experience at Carlisle.

"He has recent experience in the Scottish Championship and in terms of bolstering our squad he can also play wide as well as in the central areas so there's a lot of things that were attractive about the signing. He's cup tied but he's trained well and will be available for us next week."

Alongside Josh, a deal was completed to bring in Man City goalkeeper Billy O'Brien until the end of the season in a move that the manager says he believes will benefit a player he is looking forward to seeing in action.

We've seen a lot of him and spoken to people about him. I wanted to try and strengthen that area and I believe even though he is young he has good experience, he was listed in Man City's Champions League squad and I'm excited to see him.

"In my own career I played with guys like Tim Krul and Kasper Schmeichel who were a similar age and you can see how it's benefited their career." 

The transfer merry-go-round saw academy graduate Jason Naismith leave the club to join Ladbrokes Premiership side Ross County. The defender, who made over 100 appearances for the Buddies, had already signed a pre-contract with the Dingwall side and while Jack Ross was disappointed to see him move on, he understands why he did and confessed that it would allow him to make more moves in the window.

I had a really good relationship with Jason in his short time here. I'm pleased for him that he's got his opportunity in the Premier League though I'd have liked it to have been with us. But we are where we are at the moment. It enables us to bring in more players. We've been quite creative with how we've used the budget."

There has been speculation around another academy graduate with Stephen Mallan linked with English Championship side Barnsley. Jack admitted that a bid had been made but the player is still currently a Saint.

The club has been quite upfront about the situation. We received a bid, the first one I believe was rejected but things happen quickly. But at the moment he is still our player albeit illness might force him to miss this weekend."

St Mirren Football Club are delighted to have completed the signing of Stelios Demetriou until the end of the season subject to international clearance.

The 25 year-old, who has been capped by Cyprus at U21 level, joins until the end of the campaign with a one year option after leaving Cypriot first division side Doxa Katokopias. 

The defender told stmirren.com: "I'm really happy and really glad to be a part of this team. It's a good opportunity for me and I can't wait to give my best for the team."

His first exclusive interview since becoming a Buddie will be featured in next weekend's match day programme. 

St Mirren and Dundee go head to head tomorrow afternoon for the first time in two years as they meet in the fourth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup at Dens Park.

The side from Dens Park had a rocky spell from mid August till the end of October that saw them at the wrong end of the Premiership table, but a haul of sixteen points from the last thirty available has seen Paul Hartley’s side pull themselves away from the relegation zone and a bit closer towards the top six of the Premiership.

Saints and Dundee last met on 24th January 2015 when Saints were fighting a losing battle against relegation from the Premiership. Kenny McLean’s opener five minutes before half-time was overhauled by second half strikes from Gary Irvine and Iain Davidson. Four weeks earlier St Mirren recorded their last win to date against Dundee when a brace from Kenny McLean and a terrific goal from Stevie Mallan made Gary Irvine’s 85th minute goal nothing more than a consolation at Dens Park.

The sides last matched up in the Scottish Cup on 25th January 1998. Steve McCormick and James Grady gave Dundee an early two-goal lead before Saints keeper Alan Combe was red carded. Lee Maddison added a third for Dundee before the change of ends and Grady got on the scoresheet again fifteen minutes into the second half. Saints did mount a mini fightback with goals from Steve Watson and Chris Iwelumo but it was too little too late.

It has been a pretty quiet transfer window thus far for Dundee but Jack Ross has been a busy man with the signings this week of Josh Todd from Dumbarton and goalkeeper Billy O'Brien on loan from Manchester City. On loan Aberdeen man Craig Storie made his debut last week at Dunfermline so Pål Fjelde will be hoping to do the same tomorrow but Rory Loy will have to sit out this tie as Saints face the loan player’s parent club. One familiar face missing tomorrow will be Jason Naismith who played his last match for Saints last weekend with the big defender having since signed for Ross County.

This is Dundee’s first outing in this season’s Scottish Cup tournament but Saints ran out 5-1 winners against Lowland League side Spartans in the last round at the end of November thanks to a brace from Lawrence Shankland and further strikes from Stevie Mallan, Kyle McAllister and John Sutton.

History may be against the Buddies as Dundee have won six of the Scottish Cup match-ups to Saints two but while the Paisley side haven’t faired that well so far this season in league competition they have done exceptionally well in the cups having won seven of the eight ties they have played in this term so they will no doubt be looking to add to that record tomorrow.

Kyle Hutton's loan spell at Airdieonians has been extended until the end of the season.

The midfielder joined the League One side on an emergency loan at the end of November that was due to expire in January.

Hutton made 17 appearances for the Saints after joining in the summer.

St Mirren's latest recruit says he can't wait to get in amongst the action after joining on loan until the end of the season.

Billy O'Brien has joined Jack Ross' side from English Premier League side Manchester City and the Wales U21 international goalkeeper admits he champing at the bit to get started at the Buddies.

Speaking to stmirren.com minutes after completing the move, O'Brien said: "I'm over the moon.

I'm very excited to get started now. It's been a long wait for myself to try and get the right sort of move.

I've been waiting since December and I just feel like it's a great club to come to. I feel very welcomed in the short time I've been here already and I'm ready and raring to go now."

O'Brien sees the move as a good opportunity to gain first team football experience similar to Tim Krul and Kasper Schmeichel, who both had loan spells in Scotland before making household names of themselves in the English Premier League. But while he's here to learn, O'Brien knows he's also here to help the club as it looks to move off the bottom of the league.

I think there are big names that come here and all it does is boost your career," he said. "I'm using it to get games under my belt but I'm also here to help the club get to where they deserve to be as well. 

"It was always the idea to get out at Christmas and it's a vital part of my career now and I need to go and play games that matter. I need to be in an environment where winning is the only thing that matter and that's what I've come here to do."

The 21 year-old has been involved around the Manchester City first team this season and heaped praise on England international goalkeeper Joe Hart, with whom he worked closely with at the Citizens. 

I've been involved quite a lot this season. I went to pre-season in China, we went to Germany to play Bayern Munich and just being in with them day-to-day was a great experience. I was lucky enough to be involved in the squad down at Spurs away and Celtic up here which was probably the best atmosphere I've experienced in a ground.

"I worked with Joe a lot but didn't get the chance to work with Claudio [Bravo] much as he didn't come in until the end of pre-season. But Joe Hart, in my eyes, is one of the best in the world. He's a great bloke, he's an unbelievable goalkeeper and just to see him day in day out when he was at City was great."

Billy's experience of being involved in the Champions League squad against Celtic has given the stopper a taste of what Scottish football is like and he is excited by what lies ahead in the next few months.

It's a very competitive league and if you do well in this league it can lead to bigger things. I'm also a person that loves a fight and I think this club is in a position that it shouldn't be. I'm really excited to get the fight started and get the club back to where it belongs.

"I think the fans are very enthusiastic about football. I think it's a physical league which is important for my next step and I'm really looking forward to getting started. It's been a crazy couple of days but I'm ready and raring to go and I can't wait for Saturday should I be involved." 

This coming Saturday (21st January) St Mirren head to 'The City of Discovery' for a William Hill Scottish Cup, 4th Round tie against Dundee at Dens Park.

The latest info on Travel Clubs heading to Dens Park for the match is as follows:

Cockles Wilson Supporters Bus

The bus for Dundee will leave at 11:00am.

Please note that we will be stopping in Auchterarder on the way up for a light refreshment.

Bus tickets are now available in the Bankhouse.

Tile Bar Supporters Bus

The bus going to Dens Park for the Scottish Cup tie against Dundee will leave at 12:00pm (noon).

As this is a cup tie all members must pay on the day. If any members are not going please get in touch with Kenny or Rab to confirm.

Chivas Travel Club

The bus for the cup tie at Dundee will leave at 12:00pm (noon).

Non members tickets are now on sale from The Court Bar.

North End Travel Club

The bus to the Scottish Cup tie in Dundee will leave the Sneddon at 12:30pm.

Bus tickets on sale in the Brewers Tap, £7 each.

* Wheelchair users and carers who want to attend this tie should note that a list will not be submitted for this match, you must purchase a ticket from the St Mirren Ticket Office.

Tickets for the match are now on sale from the St Mirren Ticket Office and there will also be a pay-gate at Dens Park on the day of the match.

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

20/01/2017 - 10:00am to 2:00pm
21/01/2017 - CLOSED

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

Additional Information for Travelling Fans

Tomorrow, Saturday 21st January, St.Mirren head to 'The City of Discovery' to face Dundee in the 4th Round of the William Hill Scottish Cup.

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

The referee tomorrow is Bobby Madden and he will be assisted by Graham Chambers and Jordan Stokoe.

For directions to Dens Park click here

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to have secured the services of Billy O'Brien on loan until the end of the season.

The goalkeeper joins the Buddies on loan from English Premier League side Manchester City subject to international clearance. 

The 21 year-old has been capped by Wales at U21 level and featured in Manchester City's Champions League squad this season.

We'll have quotes from the stopper on stmirren.com tomorrow.