Scott Tanser's second-half volley was enough to see St Mirren pick up all three points in a 1-0 win over Motherwell. 

The left-wing back's first goal of the season saw Saints win at Fir Park for the first time in almost three years and extend the current unbeaten run to 10 matches.

Captain Mark O'Hara returned to the starting eleven after weeks of injury, while Mikael Mandron also came back into the starting eleven after missing our 1-1 draw with Livingston at The Tony Macaroni Arena. That saw Keanu Baccus and Toyosi Olusanya drop to the bench in the only changes to the side from last time out. 

The Buddies made a relatively bright start with Tanser and Alex Gogic both firing efforts wide in the opening moments before Conor McMenamin had a big opportunity on 15 minutes. The Northern Irish forward - who impressed for his home nation during the international break - was picked out by Mandron with a nice pass from the left, but McMenamin sclaffed at it which allowed Liam Kelly to comfortably gather in the Motherwell goal. 

Marcus Fraser went into the book five minutes later after he obstructed Harry Paton close to the Saints box. Blair Spittal took the resulting free-kick for the hosts but sent it into the arms of Zach Hemming. 

McMenamin wasn't too far away from his first St Mirren goal when he sent an effort just over the bar from 20 yards after good work from Greg Kiltie saw the forward rob the ball from a Motherwell defender. Less than a minute later the home side came even closer when Theo Bair got in behind the Saints defence. The forward looked odds on to put his side ahead but fired his effort just by the far post as the first-half ended goalless. 

Saints would take the lead 10 minutes after the restart when Tanser scored his first of the season. The 28-year-old ghosted in at the back most to meet a deep Ryan Strain cross and volleyed beyond Kelly to put Stephen Robinson's men ahead. There was a VAR check for offside but the goal stood, much to the delight of the 1000+ travelling support. 

Scott Tanser volleys St Mirren ahead against Motherwell (Image: Vagelis Georgariou) 

The Buddies almost doubled their advantage just four minutes later when Mandron was picked out by Strain this time at the far post. The forward rose to meet the corner, but his header was well saved by the feet of Kelly. 

The hosts would start pushing for an equaliser with Hemming equal to a Callum Slattery free-kick, getting two good hands behind the effort to push away on 65 minutes. Motherwell introduced Oli Shaw from the bench with a little over 10 minutes to play and the striker had a chance to make an instant impact when he was found in space inside the box. But Shaw struck a tame effort straight into the hands of Hemming.

As the game ticked towards injury time, Motherwell were inches away from a leveller when substitute Georgie Gent's strike was touched on to the underside of the bar by Hemming before Saints managed to get clear.

The Buddies would stay resilient though to ensure the three points would head back to Paisley. 

Full-Time: Motherwell 0-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hemming, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor (Dunne 46), Strain (Bolton 83), O'Hara (c), Boyd-Munce (Baccus 46), Tanser, Kiltie, Mandron (Greive 83), McMenamin (Olusanya 68)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Small, Jamieson, Nahmani

Motherwell: Kelly, O'Donnell (Gent 84), Mugabi, Blaney (Ferrie 90), Casey, Spencer, Slattery, Miller, Spittal, Paton, Bair (Shaw 78)
Subs Not Used: Oxborough, Zdravovski, McGinley, Wilson, L.Ross, M.Ross

Referee: Matthew MacDermind
Assistant Referee: Sean Carr
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan
Fourth Official: Graham Grainger
VAR: Don Robertson

Attendance: 5,653 (1013 St Mirren supporters)

St Mirren return from the international break with a trip to Fir Park against Motherwell in the cinch Premiership. 

Motherwell vs St Mirren
cinch Premiership
Venue: Fir Park
Date: Saturday 16th September 2023
Kick-off: 3pm

Tickets

Tickets for Saturday's cinch Premiership match against Motherwell are on available ONLINE. Ambulant and wheelchair users should contact the Motherwell ticket office on 01698 333333.

Full ticket info is available here.

Entry info

• Away turnstiles will open at 2pm
• Supporters buses and disabled bus to park at South Stand. Please follow police and stewards instructions. 
• Kiosks will be contactless and cash.
• Flags should be within regulations (2m x1m) and must have a fire certificate. No offensive or political flags will be allowed. Please display all flags/banners to the CCTV cameras before entering the stadium. Flags to be placed across seats and placement will be directed by stewards. Flags must not cover any fire exit or advertising signage.
• 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 or megaphone allowed.
• No bags bigger than 30cm x 30cm allowed unless due to medical reasons. Please contact SLO on arrival at ground if larger bag is needed to be taken in to ground.
• No surfing banners or telescopic poles allowed.
• Drum will be searched and must fit through turnstile.
• Searching will be in place for all fans.

Follow the action

If you can't make it to the match you can follow the action on our Twitter page @saintmirrenfc. 

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. 

UK subscribers to St Mirren TV can listen to live audio commentary as part of their subscription.

St Mirren Football Club is delighted to announce that Jonah Ayunga has signed a contract extension until summer 2025.

The 26-year-old – who is edging closer to a return from injury – joined Saints from English side Morecambe in summer 2022 on an original two-year deal.

He impressed in his first season at Saints with seven goals in 24 appearances before rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a cinch Premiership match against Motherwell in January.

As the forward nears a return to action, the club has moved to extend his deal to keep him tied to Saints for a further year.

Speaking to stmirren.com, Jonah admitted it was an easy decision to further his stay at the club which he described as having been the most enjoyable of his career.

The manager asked if I would like to extend my stay and it was a no brainer for me. I’m still injured at the moment but it shows a lot of belief from the club and the gaffer.

"Before I got injured I was enjoying it here more than I have at any other club. That’s down to the boys in the changing room, the manager, the staff and just the feeling around the club with supporters.

"I wasn’t really expecting to get an offer until I was back playing and back fit but the fact the club has offered me it shows they believe in me and will support me through my recovery and building up to what I was before."

The forward admitted his working relationship with Stephen Robinson was a big factor in signing his new deal and spoke about the impact the manager has had in his career. 

When I first signed with the gaffer [at Morecambe] I had only been playing professional men’s football for a season at Bristol Rovers so I was still getting used to the levels required and finding out what I needed to do as a player.

"The manager has given me a lot of advice, a lot of lessons and he obviously believes in me. I enjoy working with him so it was a no brainer."

Stephen Robinson added: "I think loyalty works both ways.

Jonah was very good for us before he got injured and it was important that we tied Jonah down as he’ll be a big part of what we are doing.

"He’s a very talented player and we’re backing him before he’s 100% fit again but we are confident he will be and will play a big part in things. It's a credit to the football club as well that they’ve gone and give him the contract on the basis that he’s not 100% fit yet.

"Jonah has showed a really steeliness and mental strength and really pushed himself every day which he will get the rewards for. A lot of credit has to be paid to Gerry Docherty as well for keeping Jonah motivated and keeping him believing.

"He’s joining in with bits and pieces in training and hopefully over the next few weeks we’ll get some reserve game time into him. 

"When he’s joined in with training and done a little bit of finishing he’s been getting rounds of applause. It’s a super group of boys. They support each other and I can see why he feels at home because everybody wants him to do well."

St Mirren Football Club can confirm that Murray Campbell has joined English Premier League side Burnley FC's Academy.

The 17-year-old St Mirren Youth Academy graduate’s contract had expired in the summer and he stated his desire to move on. The club would have been due training compensation for the defender, however, we have come to an agreement with Burnley for an undisclosed fee with a potential for further add-ons and a future sell on fee.

It’s a credit to the St Mirren Youth Academy that we have produced another talented young player that has moved on to the English Premier League following Dylan Reid’s move to Crystal Palace in January.

We wish Murray the best of luck in his future career.

Saints return from the international break with a trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell on Saturday. 

The Buddies maintained their unbeaten start to the cinch Premiership season with a last-gasp Stav Nahmani header securing a point in a 1-1 draw away to Livingston in the last match before the break. Stephen Robinson's side have won two and drawn two of their opening four league matches to sit in third place. 

Motherwell, meanwhile, are also unbeaten in the league having won three and drawn one of their first four matches to sit level on points with leaders Celtic. The Fir Park side defeated Hearts 1-0 at Tynecastle prior to the international break and are in second place on 10 points. 

Match Details

Motherwell v St Mirren
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Saturday 16th Sep 2023
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: Fir Park

Ticket Info

Tickets are available online through Motherwell's ticketing platform. Tickets are priced at £26 for adults, £19 for concessions, £12 for 12-17 and £6 for 11 and under. Full ticket info is available HERE.

Ambulant and wheelchair users should contact the Motherwell ticket office on 01698 333333. 

International subscribers to St Mirren TV can watch the match live as part of their subscription, while UK based subscribers can listen to audio commentary. 

Previous 

St Mirren have already faced Motherwell this season with the Buddies coming out on top in the second round of the Viaplay Cup. Caolan Boyd-Munce's first St Mirren goal saw Saints defeat the Steelmen 1-0 at The SMiSA Stadium to progress to the quarter-finals.  

Saints won one and lost two of our three meetings with Motherwell last season. A 1-0 win for the Buddies at The SMiSA Stadium in January came either side of narrow defeats in August (0-1) and February (1-2). 

Caolan Boyd-Munce scored the only goal when St Mirren faced Motherwell in the Viaplay Cup last month (Image: Craig Brown)

The officials

Matthew MacDermid is the referee on Saturday. His assistants are Sean Carr and John McCrossan. Graham Grainger is the Fourth Official. 

Don Robertson is the video assistant referee (VAR). 

Jonah Ayunga is edging closer to a return having been out of action since January after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) against Motherwell in the cinch Premiership.

An accidental collision with a Motherwell defender saw the 26-year-old hobble off and he's been sidelined since. 

The forward had surgery on the injury at the beginning of March and has been working hard in his rehabilitation with Gerry Docherty, Head of Physiotherapy, in his efforts to get back playing. While he's still looking at a period on the sidelines, Jonah continues to work hard as he aims to get back into the fold over the next month or so. 

Speaking on the injury and the progression Jonah has made so far, Gerry told stmirren.com: "Jonah ruptured his ACL in January and had an operation in early March.

"He's progressed through the stages of the rehabilitation from his stress work to range of movement and balance work. He's done all that but it's ongoing during all the phases.

He's now approaching the late stages of his rehab. He's been running, he's been out on the pitch doing some ball work and joined in a couple of the warm ups with the lads.

"We're now just integrating more agility drills, change of direction, getting faster at doing these and we'll eventually get him involved with other players around him which is the 'chaos' and is more reactive.

"He's still around six weeks away, but we are optimistic we can make that transition over the next month or so and he'll be close to hopefully joining in sometime in early October."

The 26-year-old impressed the Saints support after netting seven goals in 24 appearances since his move from Morecambe FC in June 2022. 

I feel good," Jonah told stmirren.com.

"I've been upping it quite a lot on the grass and doing a lot more dynamic stuff like change of direction, passing, getting used to moving and kicking the ball again so it's been a good couple of weeks.

"I think I'm just over six months since the surgery so to be where I am is probably ahead of where I thought I was going to be and just getting these last few bits ticked off and then I can be back in training. 

"I trust Gerry and everything he gives me to do so when he gives me something to do I give it 100% and see how I react to it.

"Watching the boys doing well, knowing that if I was out on the pitch that I could be adding something else as well, I can't wait to be back. The surgeon was happy with everything so we can just crack on with things."

Jonah scoring in a 1-1 draw against Rangers at The SMiSA Stadium last November. The forward has impressed the Saints support since his move (Image: Vagelis Georgariou) 

Jonah is known around the club for his big smile and warm personality. 

And Gerry Docherty was full of praise for the effort and character the striker has shown during his recovery. 

He's worked ever so hard," the Head of Physiotherapist said. 

You have to have a real mental strength to get on with these types of things. He's made my job easier to be honest.

"He always comes in with a smile on his face every day. He's taken everything on the chin and took it in his stride, literally!

"Of all the cruciate injuries I've dealt with in my experience, and the transition from gym to pitch, his has been the smoothest I've seen.

"His strength work will be ongoing for the next six months. We had a follow up with the surgeon last week and everything went well and we're now entering what is the final stages so hopefully that goes well."

Tickets for our Viaplay Cup Quarter-Final away to Hibernian are now on sale.

Our upcoming cinch Premiership home and away fixtures against Rangers – originally scheduled for 7th October and 2nd December – will now take place on 8th October and 3rd December due to Sky Sports Selections and Rangers being in the Europa League.

The fixture details are:

St Mirren v Rangers
Sunday 8th October 2023
Kick-off: 12 Noon
Live on Sky Sports

Rangers v St Mirren
Sunday 3rd December 2023
Kick-off: 3.00pm

St Mirren return from the international break with a trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the cinch Premiership.

Tickets for the match are only on sale online HERE.

Supporters must use this link which will ask you to create an account or login if you have previously created an account on Motherwell's ticketing site. This will show you as an away supporter and display the Tommy McLean Stand only. 

Motherwell v St Mirren
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Saturday 16th September 2023
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: Fir Park

Motherwell Ticket Info

Adults - £26
Concessions* - £19
Young Adult** - £12
Juveniles*** - £6

*65+ and full-time students with a valid matriculation card
**12-17
***11 and under 

Ambulant and wheelchair users should contact the Motherwell ticket office on 01698 333333. 

St Mirren Ticket Office Tel: (0141) 840-6130.

St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com 

St Mirren return from the international break with a trip to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the cinch Premiership.

Tickets for the match are only on sale online HERE.

Supporters must use this link which will ask you to create an account or login if you have previously created an account on Motherwell's ticketing site. This will show you as an away supporter and display the Tommy McLean Stand only. 

Motherwell v St Mirren
Competition: cinch Premiership
Date: Saturday 16th September 2023
Kick-off: 3pm
Venue: Fir Park

Motherwell Ticket Info

Adults - £26
Concessions* - £19
Young Adult** - £12
Juveniles*** - £6

*65+ and full-time students with a valid matriculation card
**12-17
***11 and under 

Ambulant and wheelchair users should contact the Motherwell ticket office on 01698 333333. 

St Mirren Ticket Office Tel: (0141) 840-6130.

St Mirren Ticket Office E-Mail: tickets@stmirren.com