Saints hoping to maintain recent form on return from international break

Jim Goodwin looked ahead to St Mirren’s return from the international break after speaking to the press this afternoon.

Saints are back in action this weekend when they travel to Dingwall on Saturday to face Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium in the cinch Premiership. 

The Buddies went into the break in good form - winning their last two league matches as well as extending their unbeaten run to five.

On the contrary, Ross County are still searching for their first league win of the season. But while the Saints gaffer says his team is in a good place, they won't underestimate Malky Mackay's side. 

We were going into the international break in relatively good form off the back of a few victories," the manager said.

"Psychologically, the players are in a really good place and there's a lot of confidence within the group. Hopefully we can carry that on at the weekend. 

"To go and try to win three games back-to-back in this league would be a great achievement for the group and that's where our mindset is at.

"I've watched two or three of the Ross County games over the last five or six days and from the footage I've seen they've been a bit unfortunate on one or two occasions not to have got that first win already. We've been there so we know what it's like. We certainly won't underestimate them. 

"We'll give Ross County all the respect they deserve. We know that they've got some good players that can cause us problems, but if we can apply ourselves in the same manner as we have done in recent weeks then we give ourselves a good chance of carrying the run on."

The gaffer also reflected on Jamie McGrath’s international form with the 25-year-old adding two more Republic of Ireland caps over the past week in wins over Azerbaijan and Qatar.

The manager confirmed that the club have made a contract offer to try and keep McGrath with the Irishman out of contract at the end of the season. 

I watched the first hour of the Ireland game against Qatar and Jamie was excellent again.

"We're all extremely proud of what Jamie has achieved in the last 12-18 months. The fact he's now getting the recognition from Stephen Kenny and the FAI is fantastic for him and it's great inspiration for some of the younger players within our group as well.

Jamie McGrath on international duty with the Republic of Ireland (Image: FAIreland)

"We've made an incredible offer to Jamie, we need to make that clear. We've made him an offer we've never made a player in the history of the club.

"But we're not stupid. We know he's going to have numerous other offers and no doubt someone might come in and blow us out of the water.

"We want Jamie to know exactly what we think of him and reward him with a great contract. Whether he takes it or not, it's up to him but our supporters need to know we're not giving up hope just yet."

Watch the manager's press conference in full on St Mirren TV.   

Jim Goodwin looks ahead to Hibernian

Saints will come up against a host of familiar faces when they travel to Easter Road to face Hibernian in the cinch Premiership.

Jake Doyle-Hayes, Kyle Magennis, Paul McGinn and Darren McGregor all previously played with Saints, as did Hibs manager Jack Ross as well as coaching staff John Potter and Craig Samson.

And while Jim Goodwin expects both sets of fans to engage in banter around the subject, there will be nothing but respect between the opposite dugouts.

There is bound to be a lot of banter going back and forth between the supporters. We can't deny the fact a lot of ex-St Mirren players are currently playing for Hibs, but there's no grudge match as far as I'm concerned.

"I have a huge amount of respect for Jack Ross. John Potter and Craig Samson are also ex-teammates of mine. It'll be all professional as you would expect and there will be a handshake between myself and Jack. Me and Jack are on good terms but we will both want to beat each other at the weekend."

The manager knows the Buddies will have a tough task as they face an in-form Hibs side.

The Leith outfit are unbeaten in their opening five league matches this season - having won three and drawn two to sit second in the cinch Premiership.

But the gaffer is confident his team can go to Easter Road and make it difficult for the hosts.

"Hibs are flying," Jim said.

"They've started off exactly where they finished the season last year and they're unbeaten in the league. 

"We're under no illusions of how difficult the task is going to be. We've got to have our wits about us at the back, but I do genuinely believe we have players in our team that can cause Hibs problems going the other way as well.

"That's what we have been working on throughout the week and hopefully that will come to fruition at the weekend."

Saints head to Edinburgh still searching for a first league win of the campaign. 

The Buddies have been left rueing missed opportunities as well as seeing goals from Conor McCarthy and Eamonn Brophy controversially disallowed in recent 0-0 draws against St Johnstone and Dundee United, while Curtis Main also saw a strike wrongly ruled offside against Celtic.

But despite that frustration, the gaffer has seen enough over the past few weeks to believe the luck will turn. 

Things could be so different," the manager lamented. 

"I'm pretty sure every manager out there could say they should have a few more points on the board. I believe we certainly should have.

"The frustration for me is that we've had the ball in the back of the net in each of the last three games and all of them have been disallowed for one reason or another.

Conor McCarthy has goal disallowed against St Johnstone (Image: Allan Picken)

"We could be sitting on seven points but unfortunately we are going into this one off the back of two 0-0s. The positives are that we've had two good clean sheets and I felt we played really well in the second half against Dundee United. 

"I think we are fifth in the league in terms of chances, shots and goal attempts and all that kind of stuff. There's no getting away from the fact that we have hit the target on the least amount of occasions than any other team in the league and we can't deny it. We need to be a bit more clinical and a bit more ruthless.

"I am confident it will turn. We're creating good chances and I think we are getting in some good areas. We just need to keep doing the right things and eventually things will fall for us.

"We've not carried a great deal of luck in the opening five games, but we can't feel sorry for ourselves. We have to go into the Hibs game full of optimism and be positive about it and give ourselves the best chance of going there and causing an upset." 

Alan Power and Ethan Erhahon will return after suspension to strengthen the squad, but Saints will still be without injured pair Charles Dunne and Greg Kiltie. 

We're hoping we'll get Charles back in training in the next couple of weeks. He had a slight hamstring tear in the week leading up to the international break. 

"Greg had a little bit of keyhole surgery on his knee just to tidy that up. The two boys are making good progress and hopefully we'll have them back available in the not too distant future. 

"Everybody else is good and we've got a couple of players back from suspension so the squad is a lot stronger going into this game than it was last week." 

Alan Power returns to the squad after suspension (Image: Jeff Holmes)

Match Preview: St Mirren v Hearts (11th March)

St Mirren host Heart of Midlothian in an important Ladbrokes Premiership clash.

The match was originally scheduled for Friday 21st February, but an unplayable surface saw the match postponed. 

FORM

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Hearts -DWWDLW

Saints would move up to ninth place in the Ladbrokes Premiership if they can defeat Daniel Stendel's Hearts side. 

The Buddies sit three points off ninth placed Ross County but have a vastly superior goal difference to the Highland side. 

On the flip side, defeat for Jim Goodwin's men would see them fall to bottom of the league with eight games remaining.

St Mirren's 5-0 loss to Celtic, coupled with a Hamilton win over Kilmarnock on Saturday saw the Buddies fall to 11th for the first time since December - three points above tonight's opponents. 

Hearts are unbeaten in their previous four matches having beaten Rangers 1-0 in the William Hill Scottish Cup and Hibernian 3-1 in the Ladbrokes Premiership, while also drawing 2-2 with Hamilton Academical and 1-1 with Motherwell in the league. 

The Jambos last league defeat was also a 5-0 loss at Celtic Park back in February. 

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This will be the third meeting of the sides this season and the first of 2020.

Saints have yet to get the better of the Edinburgh side having drawn 0-0 when they visited Paisley in September, before losing 5-2 at Tynecastle in November.

St Mirren's last win over Hearts was at the Simple Digital Arena in November 2018 when Adam Hammill scored a double as Saints ran out 2-0 winners. 

The Buddies haven't lost a league match at home to Hearts since a 2-0 defeat way back in December 2010.

TEAM NEWS

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis, Stephen McGinn and Ryan Flynn all remain out for the Buddies.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"I think it'll be two teams who are going to go at it. The main thing for us is that we approach it in the right manner and go out there to try and win the game.

"Hearts are in good-form coming into the game so it should make for an entertaining game hopefully.

"There is no fear, no nerves. It should be a great atmosphere. The boys are excited about it and looking forward to it."

Match Preview: St Mirren v Celtic (7th Mar)

St Mirren head to Celtic Park on Saturday to face the league leaders in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

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Celtic - DWLWDW

St Mirren cut the gap on ninth placed Ross County to three points after a 0-0 draw with St Johnstone on Wednesday night.  

The Buddies have only lost two of their last eight league matches since last facing Celtic. There have been two wins against Kilmarnock (1-0) and Motherwell (2-1), draws with Aberdeen (0-0), Hibernian (2-2), Hamilton (1-1) and St Johnstone (0-0), while the two defeats have come against Rangers (0-1) and Livingston (1-2).

Neil Lennon's side currently sit atop of the Ladbrokes Premiership - 13 points clear of second-place Rangers as they search for nine league titles in a row. 

The Hoops dropped their first league points off 2020 on Wednesday night when they drew 2-2 at Livingston. Tom Rogic's injury time equaliser snatched a late point to avoid defeat. 

Celtic's last league defeat came at the end of 2019 when Neil Lennon's side were beaten 2-1 by Rangers at Celtic Park.

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Tomorrow's match will be the third and final meeting of the two sides this season.

Celtic have come out on top in the previous two fixtures this season winning 2-0 at Celtic Park in October and despite Cammy MacPherson pulling a late goal back when the sides met on Boxing Day at the Simple Digital Arena, Celtic won 2-1. 

St Mirren haven't beaten Celtic since the 2013 League Cup semi-final where goals from Esmael Goncalves, Paul McGowan and Steven Thompson gave Saints a 3-2 victory and a place in the final. 

The Buddies last league win over Celtic came 10 years ago when doubles from Andy Dorman and Steven Thomson saw Saints defeat Celtic 4-0 at the Simple Digital Arena. 

Our last win at Celtic Park was almost 30 years ago when Saints, managed by Tony Fitzpatrick, defeated Celtic 3-0 thanks to goals from Guni Torfason, Geordie Shaw and Paul Lambert. 

TEAM NEWS

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis, Stephen McGinn and Ryan Flynn all remain out for the Buddies.

Kyle McAllister should be available despite a knock on Wednesday night.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"You'll always get opportunities and the important thing is that when those opportunities come along that we are clinical and take them.

"Teams have gone there in the past and got shock results and we have to believe that we are capable of doing the same tomorrow.

"We need to believe. If we can take away a point then fantastic, if we can take away all three then that would be out of this world really.

"The fact of the matter is they have only lost one league game at Celtic Park all season so we are well aware of how difficult it is going to be."

Match Preview: St Mirren v St Johnstone (4th Mar)

It's another midweek of football for St Mirren as the Buddies get set to host St Johnstone at the Simple Digital Arena this evening.

FORM

St Mirren - LWLDDD

St Johnstone - LDDWWW

St Mirren's 2-1 win over Motherwell in the Ladbrokes Premiership last Tuesday saw Jim Goodwin's men open up a four point gap over bottom side Hamilton Academical and cut the gap on ninth placed Ross County to four points also. 

Despite Motherwell taking a first-half lead, the Buddies fought back thanks to goals from Jon Obika and Ilkay Durmus which gave Saints a first Premiership win of 2020.

8th placed St Johnstone maintain top six ambitions with Tommy Wright's side sitting five points off Hibernian with two games in hand. 

The Perth Saints are unbeaten in their last five league matches having drawn with Rangers (2-2), Ross County (1-1) & Hearts (3-3), while defeating Motherwell (2-1) and Aberdeen (1-0). 

St Johnstone's last league loss came at the end of January when they lost 3-0 to Celtic at McDiarmid Park. 

Both sides come into tonight's match on the back of defeats in the William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-finals. The Buddies were beaten 2-0 by Aberdeen at the Simple Digital Arena on Saturday, while St Johnstone lost 1-0 at home to Celtic on Sunday.

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Tonight's match will be the third meeting of the Saints this season. 

St Mirren came out on top in the first battle of the Saints of the season when goals from Jon Obika and Danny Mullen gave the Buddies a 2-0 win at the Simple Digital Arena in October. 

Jim Goodwin's men then made the trip to Perth in late December with the sides unable to be separated in a 0-0 draw at McDiarmid Park.

St Johnstone's last win over St Mirren was in March 2019 as they edged the Buddies out 1-0 at McDiarmid Park.

TEAM NEWS

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis, Stephen McGinn and Ryan Flynn all remain out for the Buddies.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"It's going to be a really difficult game there's no doubt about that.

"They are defensively strong and not giving much away but they carry a real good threat going forward. 

"We're well aware of what they can do but I genuinely believe that we've shown that we have some good attacking players.

"Their defeat against Celtic was only their third in 16 games or something like that – there won’t be many better records out there than that at the moment.

"Tommy Wright was getting a lot of negative press earlier on in the season which wasn't justified in my opinion. He deserves great credit for how organised he has the team."

Match Preview: St Mirren v Aberdeen (29th Feb)

St Mirren host Aberdeen in the William Hill Scottish Cup with a place in the semi-final up for grabs.

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St Mirren - WWLDDD

Aberdeen - LWLWDL

Saints path to the quarter-finals has seen Jim Goodwin's side beat Broxburn Athletic in the fourth round and Motherwell in the fifth round. 

The Buddies eventually sealed a comfortable 3-0 win over Broxburn Athletic in January with Jon Obika scoring either side of a Danny Mullen strike. 

That win over Broxburn set up a fifth round clash with fellow Ladbrokes Premiership side Motherwell at the Simple Digital Arena. Motherwell took a first-half lead, but Alex Jakubiak's first goal for the Saints ensured a replay at Fir Park.

Despite Saints being 4-1 ahead at half-time in the replay, it would take penalty kicks to separate the two sides with Jamie McGrath, Kyle McAllister and Obika netting in the shoot-out as the Buddies progressed. 

Aberdeen's route to the last eight has been fairly similar to that of Saints. The Dons needed an 86th minute Sam Cosgrove penalty to see off League One side Dumbarton at Pittodrie in January. 

The Dons were then paired with Kilmarnock in the fifth round in an all Premiership clash. Derek McInnes' side were held 0-0 at Pittodrie with the game going to a replay. 

The replay, which took place 24 hours after Saints' replay with Motherwell, was just as dramatic as St Mirren's as the Dons progressed in extra-time after a 4-3 win. 

St Mirren come into tomorrow night's match on the back of an important three points against Motherwell in the Ladbrokes Premiership on Tuesday night. Despite Liam Donnelly giving Motherwell the lead, second-half goals from Jon Obika and Ilkay Durmus gave the Buddies their first league win of 2020. 

Aberdeen, meanwhile, lost to Ross County at Pittodrie on Saturday. Curtis Main put Aberdeen 1-0 ahead, but the Dons were reduced to 10 men when Dean Campbell was given his marching order. County took advantage with Billy McKay scoring twice to consign Aberdeen to defeat.

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Tomorrow's match will be the fourth meeting of the two this season.

Both sides have won one match each while the other ended in a draw.

Ilkay Durmus' early goal was enough to separate the teams in the first meeting of the season way back in August as the Buddies won 1-0 at the Simple Digital Arena. 

Saints were narrowly beaten on their trip to Pittodrie in November as Aberdeen edged the match 2-1. Jon Obika had equalised for the Buddies after Sam Cosgrove had given the Dons an early lead. Niall McGinn put Derek McInnes' side back in front while Tony Andreu missed a late penalty for Saints. 

The sides couldn't be separated when Aberdeen visited Paisley in January as the game finished 0-0 at the Simple Digital Arena. 

St Mirren last faced Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup in 2018. Despite Gavin Reilly scoring his 21st goal of the season for the Buddies, Aberdeen would run out 4-1 winners thanks to goals from Adam Rooney, Ryan Christie (x2) and Gary Mackay-Steven. 

TEAM NEWS

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis and Ryan Flynn all remain out for Saints.

Stephen McGinn has been back training for the Buddies but tomorrow's match could come too soon for the skipper. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"It's all about giving the fans something to dream about. 

"The fact we are in the quarter-final of the cup is great for everybody involved and no doubt there will be a great atmosphere on Saturday.

"The last time we played Aberdeen in the quarter-final of a cup while I was here was 2013 and we all know what happened then and hopefully this is another good omen.

"We've had good performances against Aberdeen already this season and we certainly have nothing to fear."

Match Preview: Motherwell v St Mirren (25th February)

St Mirren travel to Fir Park for our rearranged Ladbrokes Premiership match that was originally scheduled to take place on Saturday 15th February.

FORM

St Mirren - WLDDDD

Motherwell - DLLDLL

St Mirren head to Fir Park a week on from their Scottish Cup Fifth Round replay win against Motherwell.

The Buddies travelled through to Fir Park last Tuesday with a place in the last eight of the competition up for grabs. Jim Goodwin's men raced into an incredible 4-1 lead at half-time thanks to a double from Jon Obika, an own goal from Peter Hartley and a strike from Sam Foley. But Motherwell fought back in the second-half with goals from Tony Watt, Rolando Aarons and Allan Campbell taking the match to extra-time and penalties. 

Saints came out on top in the shoot-out with Jamie McGrath, Kyle McAllister and Obika scoring to give the Buddies a 3-2 win after Liam Donnelly, Watt and Jermaine Hylton had missed for the home side. 

Due to the postponement of tonight's original fixture, along with the postponement of Friday night's scheduled match against Hearts, Saints haven't been in Ladbrokes Premiership action since a 2-1 loss away to Livingston almost two weeks ago.

Motherwell come into tonight's match having drawn 0-0 with Hamilton Academical in the Lanarkshire derby on Saturday. 

Despite a run of seven games without a win, Stephen Robinson's side currently sit in third place in the Ladbrokes Premiership and could open up a four point gap on fourth placed Aberdeen with a win tonight.

Motherwell will also be looking to win at Fir Park for the first time since December 7th 2019 when they defeated Hearts 1-0 in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

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Saints meet Motherwell for the fifth, and likely final, time this season. 

Motherwell have beaten the Buddies in the two league matches between the sides this season. 

Goals from James Scott and Chris Long gave the Steelmen a 2-0 victory at Fir Park in October, while Scott, who left Motherwell to join Hull City in January, netted again in December - scoring twice in a 3-0 win for Stephen Robinson's side at the Simple Digital Arena. 

The two have met twice in 2020 - both in the Scottish Cup. The first was at the start of the month when Motherwell were the visitors to the Simple Digital Arena. Chris Long fired the Steelmen into a first-half lead, but Saints hit back in the second-half through Alex Jakubiak to force a replay.

The Buddies then came out on top and booked their place in the quarter-finals following a dramatic 120 minutes plus penalties. 

St Mirren's last league win over Motherwell was at Fir Park in December 2018 when Simeon Jackson scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Saints.

TEAM NEWS

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis, Stephen McGinn and Ryan Flynn all remain out for Saints.

Chris Long will miss out for Motherwell having been shown a red card in their draw with Hamilton on Saturday. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"We've analysed last week's game and there are plenty of positives we can take from the first-half.

"Of course there are things we can do better based on things that happened in the second-half.

"We'll setup the way we did in the first-half, try and get a foothold in the game early on and hopefully get our noses in front again.

"Hopefully it's as entertaining a game as last week was and we can give a good account of ourselves.

"If we put in a performance similar to that of the first-half then we give ourselves a great chance of picking up maximum points."

Match Preview: Motherwell v St Mirren (18th February)

Saints take on Motherwell with a place in the quarter-finals of the William Hill Scottish Cup up for grabs.

FORM

St Mirren - LDDDDL

Motherwell - LDLLDW

The Buddies were due to face Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday in Ladbrokes Premiership action, but the weather conditions created by Storm Dennis saw the match postponed. 

Both sides come into the match having lost narrowly last Wednesday in the Ladbrokes Premiership. Despite Jon Obika's eighth goal of the season, St Mirren were beaten 2-1 at Livingston, while a 93rd minute winner for St Johnstone saw Motherwell lose at McDiarmid Park by the same scoreline. 

St Mirren's last win came in January in the William Hill Scottish Cup Fourth Round as the Buddies saw off Broxburn Athletic 3-0 at the Simple Digital Arena. 

Motherwell's last win was also in January when Stephen Robinson's side defeated Aberdeen 1-0 at Pittodrie in the Ladbrokes Premiership. 

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This will be the fourth meeting of the two sides this season with Motherwell having won two

The two sides last faced off just 10 days ago in the match that set up tomorrow's replay.

Mark O'Hara opened the scoring for Motherwell in the first-half at the Simple Digital Arena, but Alex Jakubiak scored his first St Mirren goal with less than 20 minutes remaining to ensure Saints got another crack at qualification for the quarter-final.

St Mirren have travelled to Fir Park already this season when Jim Goodwin's men visited in October in Ladbrokes Premiership duty. The Steelmen ran out 2-0 victors with James Scott and Chris Long scoring either side of half-time. 

TEAM NEWS

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis, Stephen McGinn and Ryan Flynn all remain out for Saints.

Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson told the press yesterday that forwards Chris Long and Mikael Ndjoli will miss out for the Steelmen.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"We plan and prepare the same way we always do.

"It's important to reiterate to the players that the game is on right up until the last minute. If the players are thinking the game is going to be off then it's hard to switch that mindset again. They have to be of the mindset that the game will be 100% on but I would expect the game to go ahead.

"Our preparation is the exact same. The meeting we had on Friday hasn't changed from the meeting we've had this week.

"It is really is a huge expense for fans and I honestly don’t know how some of them do it. There are three games in a week sometimes, £25 plus a ticket, it’s mega money. I take my hat off to them. Their level of commitment and passion for their teams is brilliant."

Match Preview: Livingston v St Mirren (12th Feb)

St Mirren make the trip to West Lothian this evening as they get set to face Livingston in Ladbrokes Premiership action.

FORM

St Mirren - DDDDLW

Livingston - LLWWWW

Saints go into tonight's match in good form having lost just one of their last seven matches - a 1-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox last month. 

Jim Goodwin's men have drawn their last four matches in all competitions - being held 1-1 with Motherwell in the William Hill Scottish Cup following draws with Hamilton (1-1), Hibernian (2-2) and Aberdeen (0-0) in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The Buddies last league win came on Sunday 29th December when Ilkay Durmus' first-half strike was enough to give Saints all three points against Kilmarnock at the Simple Digital Arena.

For a second season in a row, Livingston have confounded expectations with Gary Holt's side currently sitting in fifth place in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The Lions are five points clear of seventh place Kilmarnock and will be looking for three points to keep their top six hopes going strong.

Despite two losses in their last two matches away to Ross County in the league (0-2) and away to Inverness in the William Hill Scottish Cup (0-1), a good spell of form in January saw Gary Holt named as the Ladbrokes Premiership Manager of the Month. 

Before last week's loss to Ross County, Livingston had won their previous four Premiership games defeating Motherwell (1-0), Hamilton (4-2), St Johnstone (1-0) and Hibernian (4-0). 

Livingston haven't conceded a goal at home in their last six Premiership matches - a run which stretches back to the start of November when they lost 2-0 to Rangers. 

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Livingston are unbeaten against St Mirren in two meetings this season.

Saints were edged out when they travelled to the Tony Macaroni Arena at the end of August. Goals either side of half-time from Alan Lithgow and Lyndon Dykes were enough to give Livi a 2-1 win despite Kyle Magennis pulling a goal back. 

The Buddies fought back from 3-1 down to earn a 3-3 draw with Gary Holt's side at the Simple Digital Arena in December. Junior Morias got Saints on level terms after Aymen Souda had given the visitors the lead. Jon Guthrie restored Livingston's lead on the stroke of half-time, while Souda added a third as he looked to secure three points for the Lions. But two goals from Jon Obika inside 12 minutes earned St Mirren a share of the spoils. 

St Mirren's last win against Livingston came in April last year when Paul McGinn, Danny Mullen and Simeon Jackson scored in a 3-1 win at the Tony Macaroni Arena. 

TEAM NEWS

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis, Stephen McGinn and Ryan Flynn all remain out with injuries.

Seifedin Chabbi played 45 minutes for the St Mirren Reserves yesterday but tonight's match likely comes too soon for the forward.

Lee Hodson is touch and go after picking up an injury in Saturday's draw with Motherwell.  

New signing Ross Wallace could feature in the squad subject to the club receiving international clearance. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"You know what you are going to get with Livingston.

"They are a very direct team. They play for set-plays, long throws and anything 40 yards from your goal is coming into your box. 

"Vaclav will need to be big and strong and the two centre-halves will have to stand up and be counted as well. 

"Hopefully we can go there, get the ball down and play our game and stand up to the physicality that Livingston have got."

Match Preview: St Mirren v Motherwell (8th Feb)

It's William Hill Scottish Cup action for the Buddies as Jim Goodwin's men host Motherwell in the Fifth Round.

FORM

St Mirren - DDDLWW

Motherwell - LLDWWL

St Mirren secured their place in the Fifth Round of the William Hill Scottish Cup with a 3-0 win over Broxburn Athletic in January.

Jon Obika scored twice while substitute Danny Mullen also netted as the Buddies saw off the stuffy East of Scotland League side.

3-0 was also the scoreline for Motherwell in the Fourth Round as they dispatched of Ladbrokes Championship side Dundee at Dens Park with Christopher Long scoring a hat-trick.

Saints head into tomorrow's match having drawn 1-1 with Motherwell's Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Academical at the Simple Digital Arena on Wednesday night. 

Motherwell, meanwhile, come into the match having lost their last two league matches - losing to Celtic on Wednesday night (0-4) and to Livingston on Saturday (0-1). 

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Motherwell have come out on top on both occasions that the sides have met this season.

The first saw Saints travel to Fir Park where goals from James Scott, who left Motherwell to join Hull City on deadline day, and Christopher Long gave Stephen Robinson's side a 2-0 win in October.

Scott was at the double when Motherwell defeated the Buddies 3-0 at the Simple Digital Arena in December.

St Mirren's last win over Motherwell was at Fir Park in December 2018 when Simeon Jackson scored the game's only goal as the Buddies edged the match 1-0.

Saints were winners the last time the two clubs faced each other in the Scottish Cup. Billy Mehmet scored in a 1-0 win at the Simple Digital Arena in February 2009. 

TEAM NEWS

Seifedin Chabbi could make his St Mirren debut after signing for the Saints on deadline day. 

Gary MacKenzie, Kyle Magennis and Stephen McGinn remain out for St Mirren, while Ryan Flynn is set for an extended period on the sidelines after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury on Wednesday night's match against Hamilton.

Tony Watt put pen-to-paper on a deal with Motherwell until the end of the season and could make his debut for the Steelmen tomorrow.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

"Personally, I think we are capable of beating anyone on any given day and if we get things right tomorrow we'll give ourselves a great chance. 

"I've experienced going to Hampden as a player here and the people of Paisley really get right behind you so it would be great to give the fans that kind of trip again.

"We might be underdogs in some people's eyes but it's important that we believe we can get through and the group certainly do. 

"The boys are in a good place and we are looking forward to it."

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