St Mirren play host to Hibernian tomorrow afternoon in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

PREVIOUS

It’s the first meeting of the two since that special day in May 2017 when Saints secured Championship survival on the final day of the season with a 1-1 draw at Easter Road.

Hibernian, already crowned as Champions, took the lead through Grant Holt. But on the hour mark, Rory Loy slammed home from close range to secure the point Saints needed to complete the great escape.

St Mirren were victorious in Hibernian’s last visit to Paisley with Cypriot full back Stelios Demetriou scoring either side of half-time to give The Buddies a vital 2-0 win in March 2017.

Saints also took all three points the last time the sides met in Premiership action. Early goals from Kenny McLean and Paul McGowan secured a 2-0 win at The Simple Digital Arena back in April 2014.

THIS SEASON

The Buddies suffered a disappointing defeat away to Hamilton last weekend. That loss saw Saints fall to 11th place with four points from the opening six matches.

Neil Lennon’s Hibernian sit in third in the Ladbrokes Premiership having picked up 11 points from their six games in the league so far.

Despite losing to Aberdeen on penalties in the Betfred Cup on Tuesday night, The Hibees have won their last two league matches scoring six goals in the process.

A 3-2 win over Kilmarnock at Easter Road was followed up by an emphatic 3-0 victory against bottom side Dundee last weekend.

FAMILIAR FACES IN PAISLEY

Stevie Mallan, a product of the St Mirren Youth Academy, has been a key player for Hibernian this season. The midfielder began his career at Saints, making 112 appearances scoring 29 goals.

Hibs defender Darren McGregor spent four years with St Mirren after joining The Buddies from Cowdenbeath in 2010. McGregor went on to make 92 appearances for Saints before leaving to join Rangers in 2014.

TEAM NEWS

New signing Simeon Jackson goes into the squad after joining The Buddies this afternoon.

Kyle Magennis is still out for Saints having missed last weekend’s match against Hamilton with a hamstring problem, but Jack Baird, who also missed the Hamilton game, could return.

Long-term injury absentees Adam Eckersley and Gary MacKenzie remain out.

IT'S a trip to the HOPE CBD Stadium for St Mirren this afternoon as we face Hamilton in Oran Kearney’s first away trip as Saints boss.

The Northern Irishman, named as Buddies gaffer two weeks ago, took charge of St Mirren for the first time last week when Premiership champions Celtic came to The Simple Digital Arena. The Buddies impressed as they picked up a point with a 0-0 draw with Cammy Smith, Ryan Flynn and Lee Hodson all going close in a strong first half performance.

That result arrested a slide of four losses in a row for Saints having lost to Rangers, Livingston and Hearts in the Premiership and Aberdeen in the Betfred Cup.

A point against Celtic was enough to see Saints climb above Hamilton in the Premiership table to sit in 10th place with four points. Accies have picked up three points from their opening five matches after one win and four losses. Martin Canning’s side have lost to Hearts, Celtic, St Johnstone and Livingston but defeated Lanarkshire rivals Motherwell at Fir Park in August.

Beyond the Hearts defeat on the opening day, there has only been one goal of a difference in each of Accies’ last four matches. After their 1-0 win over Motherwell, Hamilton were edged out 1-0 by Celtic at Celtic Park and 2-1 at home against St Johnstone before losing 1-0 away to Livingston last weekend.

Today’s match will be the first meeting between the two sides in over two years when they were paired in Group G of the Betfred Cup in the 2016/17 season. Hamilton were emphatic winners that afternoon with Ali Crawford opening the scoring before ex-Saints Dougie Imrie and Massimo Donati completed a comfortable win for Accies.

Crawford was on the scoresheet again when Saints last paid a visit to The Hope CBD Stadium in league action - this time on the final day of the 2014/15 season. His 83rd minute goal consigned The Buddies to a 1-0 loss as we dropped out of the Premiership. 

Given both sides' start to the season - and the fact there has only been one goal or less scored in six of the last nine meetings between the two - it's likely to be a tight affair. A first win for Oran Kearney could see Saints climb up to seventh in the table and move four points clear of Hamilton in 11th. A victory for the home side would see The Buddies fall two points behind Accies and drop into the relegation play-off spot. 

St Mirren travel to Tynecastle tomorrow to face Hearts in matchday four of the Ladbrokes Premiership.

START TO THE SEASON

It's been a tough start to the season for Alan Stubbs' side who sit in 10th place with three points from their opening three matches.

A 2-1 opening day win over Dundee got things off to the perfect start for Saints, but there has since been losses to Rangers (2-0), Aberdeen (4-0) and Livingston (2-0). 

Meanwhile, Hearts sit atop of the Ladbrokes Championship with three wins from three. Their league season began with a thumping 4-1 away win against Hamilton. Austrian Peter Haring netted twice, while Steven Naismith and Steven MacLean also scored to secure an opening day triumph. 

The Jambos then defeated Celtic at Tynecastle a week later thanks to the now departed Kyle Lafferty's second half strike.

That was the first of three 1-0 wins for Hearts with Dunfermline beaten 1-0 in the Betfred Cup, before Craig Levein's side defeated Kilmarnock by a single goal at Rugby Park last week.

SUMMER OF CHANGE

Both sides have gone through significant change over the course of the summer. Alan Stubbs was appointed St Mirren manager following the departure of Jack Ross, with Brian Rice and Darren Jackson joining the coaching staff. 18 players left the Simple Digital Arena, with 13 new faces checking in. 

Hearts too have been busy in the transfer market with no fewer than 16 players joining the club. New faces such as Peter Haring and Uche Ikpeazu have quickly endeared themselves to the Jambos faithful with good displays in their opening few matches.

FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING

Tomorrow's match will be the first time the two sides have met since the 2013/14 season.

Hearts, who had faced a tough season following an administration event, were relegated long before the two sides closed out the season with a 1-1 draw in Paisley - the last meeting of the two.

The Buddies last trip to Tynecastle ended in a 2-1 loss which saw Saints reduced to 10 men. Steven Thompson got St Mirren off to the perfect start with a goal inside the first minute. But Callum Paterson equalised soon after to level the scores. Marc McAusland was shown a red card early into the second half with Jamie Hamill netting the winner from the resultant penalty. 

Saints did win at Tynecastle that season though with John McGinn and Paul McGowan giving Saints a 2-0 win in October 2013. 

TEAM NEWS

Saints completed a deadline day move for Hearts midfielder Ryan Edwards who joins the Buddies on loan until the end of the season. There will be no debut for the Australian as he isn't eligible to play against his parent side.

Lee Hodson made his St Mirren debut last week against Livingston and looks set to keep his place at right back with Paul McGinn still injured.

Gary MacKenzie and Adam Eckersley are both still ruled out following operations, while Cody Cooke, Josh Heaton, Danny Rogers and Ian McShane all miss out due to injury. Jordan Kirkpatrick has returned to light training but is still ruled out. 

Hearts fan favourite Demetri Mitchell returned to the club this week for a second loan spell from Manchester United. He could make a second debut for the Edinburgh side in tomorrow's match. Craig Wighton also joined up with the Jambos after completing his move from Dundee earlier in the week. 

Ex-Saints coach Austin MacPhee will take charge of Hearts tomorrow with boss Craig Levein will missing the match after taking ill earlier in the week. All at St Mirren would like to wish Craig a speedy recovery. 

St Mirren and Livingston lock horns again tomorrow afternoon as they look to continue their rivalry from last season's Championship campaign.

It was a different scenario last season as both sides were battling for the top spot in the Championship which Saints ultimately pulled away and won with the Almondvale Club taking the rocky route through the play-offs where in the final play-off match they impressively knocked Premiership Partick Thistle off their top tier perch and claimed it for themselves.

Both sides have had a mixed start to the new season as Livi went down 3-1 to Celtic at Celtic Park on the opening day of the league season, but they bounced back the following week to pick up a point from a goalless draw against Kilmarnock. St Mirren on the other hand opened up the new campaign with a 2-1 win against Dundee in Paisley before going down 2-0 to the other half of the Old Firm at Ibrox Stadium the following week. Both sides made an exit from the BetFred Cup last weekend as Saints went down at Aberdeen and Livi lost out to Motherwell at the Tony Macaroni Arena.

Both clubs have seen some changes over the last week. The Almondvale club parted company with player-manager Kenny Miller and have since appointed former Falkirk gaffer, Gary Holt as his replacement. On the playing side they signed Togo international Steve Lawson who will be in the squad for tomorrow's Premiership fixture. Saints also have a new addition to their squad for tomorrow's match with Rangers defender Lee Hodson moving to Paisley earlier this week on a season-long loan deal.

The sides met five times last season with Livi winning the first outing 1-0 in a tight BetFred Cup group match in Paisley. Saints got their revenge in a 3-1 win four weeks later at Almondvale and repeated the scoreline in November in Paisley. As Saints were marching towards the Championship title they were brought down to Earth a bit in February going down 4-1 at Livingston. The last meeting turned out to be a goalless draw in Paisley but the point was all that Saints needed to push them over the winning line to claim the Championship title.

This fixture often favoured the away side but that trend was bucked somewhat last season. Both sides come into the match on the back of cup defeats but they will both see this fixture as an early opportunity to set a mark for the season ahead.

It's Betfred Cup action for St Mirren tomorrow as we make the trip up the A90 to face Aberdeen in the last 16 of the competition.

HOW DID BOTH SIDES GET HERE?

The Buddies qualified from the Betfred Cup group stages for the first time since they began back in 2016 after Alan Stubbs' side finished second in Group H on nine points.

The campaign began with a trip to Rugby Park in mid-July to face Kilmarnock. Saints put in a good showing against Steve Clarke’s outfit but couldn’t find the breakthrough goal that would have given all three points. The game went to penalties with Paul McGinn, Hayden Coulson and Danny Mullen netting for The Buddies to earn a well-deserved bonus point.

Saints avoided a shock defeat at home to Lowland League side Spartans a few days later. The Edinburgh side scored either side of half-time to stun the home side. Captain Stephen McGinn, on as a substitute, pulled a goal back for Saints around the hour mark, with fellow substitute, Danny Mullen, scoring from the penalty spot with 15 minutes remaining to take the match to penalties. The Buddies scored all five from the spot to gain another bonus point.

A trip to Hampden was next for Alan Stubbs’ side to face Gus MacPherson’s Queen’s Park side. For the third game running Saints were taken to penalties following a 0-0 draw. A 5-4 win in the shoot-out gave St Mirren their third bonus point. 

The Buddies closed the group strongly and emphatically to secure their place in the last 16. Six goals were put past visitors Dumbarton at the Simple Digital Arena with Hayden Coulson, Cammy Smith (two), Ross Stewart, Stephen McGinn and Jim Kellermann on the scoresheet. The margin of victory was enough to see Saints qualify as one of the best runners up.

This will be Aberdeen's first match in the Betfred Cup this season after missing out on the groups due to European participation.

LEAGUE START

Saints got the Ladbrokes Premiership season off to a winning start with Danny Mullen’s double giving The Buddies a 2-1 win over Dundee at the Simple Digital Arena on the opening day.

The Buddies then made a trip to Ibrox last Sunday to face Steven Gerrard’s Rangers. The Light Blues ran out 2-0 winners courtesy of goals from Alfredo Morelos and Connor Goldson.

Aberdeen’s season began with a Europa League tie against English Premier League cracks Burnley. The Dons impressed over the two legs, taking Burnley to extra time only to ultimately be edged out 4-2 on aggregate.

Their Premiership season began with a visit from Rangers. The Dons found themselves 1-0 down at half-time after James Tavernier's 30th minute penalty. With the game deep in stoppage time, Aberdeen levelled through teenager Bruce Anderson to take a point.

Gary Mackay-Steven’s second half penalty gave Aberdeen all the points last week when they took on Dundee at Dens Park.

PAST CUP MEETINGS

Saints last visited Pittodrie in January of this year when we were drawn with Derek McInnes’ Aberdeen in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup. The Dons ran out comfortably winners.

Adam Rooney opening the scoring from the penalty spot after just eight minutes before Ryan Christie doubled their advantage 12 minutes later. The Buddies pulled a goal back through Gavin Reilly, but Christie netted before half-time to restore The Dons’ two-goal cushion. Less than two minutes after the break, Gary Mackay-Steven scored a screamer to give Aberdeen a 4-1 win.

However, St Mirren’s last visit to Aberdeen in this competition was a memorable for those of a Black and White persuasion. 

Saints looked to be heading through to the 2012/13 League Cup semi-finals with Sam Parkin and Kenny McLean scoring either side of a Scott Vernon goal having the visitors ahead. But in time added on, the Dons equalised through Josh Magennis. Neither side could grab a winner in extra-time and the game went to penalties.

As he has been so often for Saints, Craig Samson was the hero as he saved a then 16 year-old Cammy Smith’s penalty to send Saints on their way in a competition we would ultimately win that season.

TEAM NEWS

Danny Rogers is unavailable for Saints tomorrow as he can’t play against his parent club.  New signing Alfie Jones could be given a debut, while Adam Eckersley, Gary MacKenzie and Jordan Kirkpatrick all remain sidelined. It was also announced that Jim Kellermann has joined English side AFC Fylde on a season-long loan.

Aberdeen have had to deal with the loss of important players such as Adam Rooney, Anthony O’Connor, Greg Stewart and Ryan Christie. But McInnes has managed to bring in the likes of Lewis Ferguson, Chris Forrester and Dominic Ball, while James Wilson has joined The Dons on loan from Manchester United.

It's the first Premiership away day of the season for St Mirren as we travel to Ibrox on Sunday to take on Rangers.

FORM

After qualifying from Betfred Cup Group H with three draws and a win, The Buddies got the Premiership season off to a perfect start with a 2-1 win over Dundee at the Simple Digital Arena last Saturday. The Championship flag was raised before kick-off and all three points were earned when Danny Mullen grabbed a double on his Premiership debut either side of half-time. 

Rangers kicked off their Premiership season with a 1-1 draw with Aberdeen at Pittodrie. Steven Gerrard's side were reduced to ten men when Alfredo Morelos was red carded for a kick-out at Dons defender Scott McKenna. But a James Tavernier penalty on 30 minutes put the Gers ahead. Aberdeen grabbed an equaliser in the dying embers of the match through teenager Bruce Anderson to gain a point. 

The Light Blues were in Europa League action last night as they defeated Slovenian side Maribor 3-1 at Ibrox.

PREVIOUS

St Mirren last faced Rangers in the Championship back in the 2015/16 season as the Ibrox side went on to secure promotion to the Premiership. Saints' opening league match of that season came at Ibrox with then Rangers manager Mark Warburton taking charge of the Gers for the first time.

The Buddies impressed on the night despite eventually falling to a 3-1 defeat. Cameron Howieson netted just before the half hour mark after Rangers had raced into a 2-0 lead. The night could have turned out differently for Saints had Steven Thompson netted from the penalty spot in the second half. 

The last meeting between the two came on the final day of the 2015/16 season with Lewis Morgan scoring his first ever St Mirren goal in the 90th minute to gain Saints a point in a 2-2 draw.  

SQUAD NEWS

Nikolai Brock-Madsen completed his loan move to St Mirren this week from English side Birmingham and will go into Alan Stubbs' squad.

Gary MacKenzie, Adam Eckersley and Jordan Kirkpatrick all remain out through injury, while Ross Stewart has completed his move to Ladbrokes Championship side Ross County.

Alfredo Morelos is available for Rangers after they successfully appealed the Colombian's red card from last weekend. 

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS

I'm looking forward to it and the players have to look forward to it as well.

"These are the types of games that make you yearn for promotion. They shouldn't fear it.

"They've got to go there and work harder than Rangers, move the ball really well and capitalise on chances when they come along. If they can do that and put it all together then we'll see what happens. 

"We'll be disciplined, we'll be organised and when we've got the ball I expect us cause problems and to be attacking. But we have to respect that we are not necessarily going to be the team that dominates the football.

"I want the players to perform. They have to perform week-in, week-out - that's what this division demands. Sunday is no different.

"I want the players to enjoy the occasion, sample what a great atmosphere it can be, but not be overawed by it." 

St Mirren raise the Championship flag tomorrow as the Ladbrokes Premiership season gets underway at long last. 

The Buddies host Dundee at the Simple Digital Arena this afternoon with Alan Stubbs taking charge of his first Premiership match as Saints manager. 

St Mirren are unbeaten so far this season having won one and drawn three in the Betfred Cup stages. 

Saints' campaign began with a 0-0 draw at Rugby Park on Friday 13th July. The Buddies impressed but couldn't find the breakthrough goal to gain all three points. A bonus point was earned after a penalty shoot-out victory. 

Next up was a home match against Lowland League side The Spartans. Saints were stunned as the Edinburgh side scored either side of half-time to take a shock 2-0 lead. But substitutes Stephen McGinn and Danny Mullen got St Mirren level. The game went to penalties with Saints picking up a bonus point again. 

The Buddies drew for a third game in a row when they were held to a 0-0 draw at Hampden by Queen's Park. And for a third game in a row, Saints picked up a bonus point following penalties.

Alan Stubbs got his first win as St Mirren manager last Saturday as Saints emphatically defeated Dumbarton 6-0. Cammy Smith scored a double, while Hayden Coulson grabbed his first goal for the Buddies. Ross Stewart, Stephen McGinn and Jim Kellermann rounded off the victory that was enough to see Saints qualify from Group H and set up a last 16 tie against Aberdeen. 

Dundee also qualified for the next round of the Betfred Cup after three wins and a loss in Group D. The Dark Blues defeated Stirling Albion 4-0, Peterhead 2-0 and Brechin City 2-0 to gain nine points. Neil McCann's side finished second in the group after a 1-0 loss to Dunfermline allowed the Championship side to go through as group winners.

This is the first meeting of two in competitive action since Saints defeated Dundee at Dens Park in the Scottish Cup in January 2017. Rooted at the bottom of the Championship, the Buddies stunned Dundee with goals from John Sutton and Jack Baird giving us a well deserved 2-0 win. 

The last Premiership meeting came back in January 2015 at the Simple Digital Arena. Kenny McLean put Saints in front, but second half goals from Gary Irvine and Iain Davidson saw the Dark Blues pick up all three points. 

Saints will still be without Gary MacKenzie, Adam Eckersley and Jordan Kirkpatrick due to injury, but other than that Alan Stubbs has a full squad to pick from.

It'll be a big occasion for The Buddies being back in the top league for the first time since 2015 and raising the Championship flag. There will be the hope of getting the season off to a flyer with all three points, but Dundee will have their own ideas and it'll be a tough test for both sides at a busy Simple Digital Arena. 

ACTIVITIES 

It's set to be a fun-filled day at the Simple Digital Arena as we raise the Championship flag before kick-off. Check out all the goings on here. 

St Mirren take on Dumbarton in the final match of Group H in the Betfred Cup this afternoon. 

Both sides are looking to keep their qualification hopes alive and only a win will do that for either side. 

PERMUTATIONS

The Buddies are currently unbeaten in the group having drawn with Kilmarnock, Spartans and Queen's Park. Three penalty shoot-out wins in these matches has given Saints a total of six points heading in to today's match with the Sons. A win would see St Mirren finish on nine points which could be enough for Alan Stubbs' side to qualify.

Saints could top the group if we beat Dumbarton and Kilmarnock lose to Queen's Park at Rugby Park or draw and fail to pick up the bonus point.

However, if Kilmarnock win it will take a big effort for Saints to finish as one of the four best runners up and there are a number of different permutations that could see the Buddies qualify.

Nine points would be enough for Saints to go through IF Motherwell and Hearts lose their matches to Clyde and Inverness respectively. Saints could, however, still qualify if Motherwell and Hearts were to win. For that to happen Airdrieonians and Dundee would need to lose to Hamilton and Brechin City respectively. 

Dumbarton will be looking for three points that could also see them qualify. A win for Sons and defeat for Kilmarnock would see them top Group H and qualify for the last 16. The chances of Dumbarton qualifying as runners-up should they beat Saints and Killie top the group would be slim at best.

PREVIOUS

There were drastically different fortunes for both of today's sides last season. Both were in the Championship with the Buddies ending as the season as champions and Dumbarton relegated to League One through the play-offs. 

In our four meetings with Dumbarton last season, Saints came out on top in three of them winning 2-0 twice at the Your Radio 103FM stadium and defeating Sons 5-0 at the Simple Digital Arena in March.

Dumbarton were one of only two sides to beat Saints in league action at Paisley last season when Tom Walsh's 80th minute strike gave Stevie Aitken's side a 1-0 win in December.

FAMILIAR FACES

Saints could come up against a number of former players this afternoon with no fewer than four ex-Buddies in the Sons squad.

Stuart Carswell, Kyle Hutton and Calum Gallagher have all spent the last year or so with Dumbarton, while Rory Loy joined up with Aitken's men in the summer.

All four have spent varying periods of time, along with varying success, at Saints over the last three years. 

SQUAD NEWS

The Buddies are still without Jordan Kirkpatrick, Gary MacKenzie and Adam Eckersley due to injury. New signing Matty Willock could feature if international clearance is received.

Kyle Magennis made his return to the first team as a second half substitute in Tuesday's draw with Queen's Park at Hampden. The midfielder could make his first start of the season this afternoon.

ENTRY INFO

Tickets for today's match will be on-sale right until kick-off priced at just £12 for adults and £6 for concessions.

The Main Stand and West Stand will be open to St Mirren fans for this match with the Dumbarton fans getting access to sections M8 and M9 in the Main Stand.

If you are thinking about coming to The Simple Digital Arena for the first time on Saturday please click HERE for all the info you will need to make sure your match day experience runs as smoothly as possible.

St Mirren travel to Hampden tonight for our third Betfred Cup group stage match.

Alan Stubbs' side face Queen's Park at the national stadium this evening aiming to build upon the four points picked up in the opening two matches in Group H.

The Buddies began the season with an impressive performance at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock. Saints had several chances to win the match, but settled for a 0-0 draw with Steve Clarke's side before gaining a bonus point thanks to a 3-2 penalty shoot-out victory. 

Four days later, the Buddies fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Spartans at the Simple Digital Arena. Goals either side of half-time from Jason Stevens and Scott Maxwell had the Lowland League side in front. But Saints sparked a spirited comeback with substitutes Stephen McGinn and Danny Mullen scoring to take the game to penalties. The Buddies were perfect from the spot with Ross Stewart, Paul McGinn, Mullen, Ryan Flynn and Cammy Smith all netting to gain St Mirren another bonus point. 

Saints come into tonight's contest on the heels of a pre-season loss to English League One side Sunderland on Saturday. Despite the loss it was another opportunity for players to gain fitness ahead of the Ladbrokes Premiership season opener in just over a week's time. 

Queen's Park, meanwhile, have picked up three points from their opening two matches to sit just below St Mirren in Group H. In their opening game they were edged out 1-0 away to Dumbarton with ex-Saints forward Calum Gallagher scoring the only goal for the Sons. 

Then, on Saturday, Gus MacPherson's Spiders came from 1-0 down to defeat Spartans 2-1 at Hampden. Jamie Dishington had put the Edinburgh side ahead on 52 minutes, but Queen's responded quickly with Scott Gibson heading home three minutes later to equalise. With 20 minutes remaining, Kurtis Roberts bagged the winner for the Spiders.

Tonight's match will be the first time the two clubs have come up against each other in competitive action since Saints defeated Queen's 3-2 at Love Street in the first round of the Challenge Cup back in 2003. 

Depending on how results go in Group H tonight, Saints could see themselves top the group with just one match remaining. Jordan Kirkpatrick remains out while Gary MacKenzie is struggling with an injury. Kyle Magennis is back in training, but it could be too soon for the midfielder to grab a place in the starting eleven.

Tonight's match is pay-at-the-gate with adult prices at £14, concessions at £6 and Under 16's just £3. So get along to Hampden tonight and back Alan Stubbs' side. 

St Mirren are in action at the Simple Digital Arena tomorrow as we play host to Sunderland in a pre-season friendly. 

The Buddies look to continue to build fitness ahead of the opening match of the Ladbrokes Premiership in two weeks. 

Having already played two competitive matches in the Betfred Cup already, this will be Saints' first pre-season friendly. Alan Stubbs' side were due to face English Championship side Bolton two weeks ago, but an issue at the English Club saw the game postponed. 

The Buddies are undefeated in their two Betfred Cup matches with draws against Kilmarnock and Spartans. An impressive performance last Friday saw St Mirren draw 0-0 with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park before going on to claim a bonus point with a 3-2 penalty shoot-out win.

On Tuesday night, Lowland League side Spartans visited the Simple Digital Arena and stunned Saints with goals either side of half-time to go 2-0 up. But goals from substitutes Stephen McGinn and Danny Mullen saw the Buddies take the game to penalties. Again St Mirren picked up the bonus point with Ross Stewart, Paul McGinn, Ryan Flynn, Danny Mullen and Cammy Smith all scoring from the spot. 

Sunderland's visit means a return to Paisley for Jack Ross, James Fowler and John Potter. Jack and James helped guide St Mirren to the Championship title last season, leading to our promotion back to the Premiership, before moving to Sunderland back in May. John Potter, who joined Jack and James at the Black Cats, played over 200 games for Saints between 2005 and 2011. 

Tomorrow's opponents have played three friendly matches so far as they prepare for their League One opener against Charlton in two weeks. They began with a 1-0 loss to Darlington, before drawing 1-1 with Hartlepool. In their third match, on Tuesday night, Jack Ross picked up his first win as Sunderland manager with a 1-0 victory away to Grimsby. 

It'll be an interesting contest tomorrow as Saints come up against a side that are favourites to win their league next season. Kyle Magennis, Gary Mackenzie and Jordan Kirkpatrick remain out for Saints. Along with building fitness, it will allow Alan Stubbs to take a closer look at some of his squad before the league season begins in two weeks.  

Tickets for the match are priced at just £12 for adults & £6 for concessions and will be on-sale at the St Mirren Ticket Office from 10am right until kick-off (3:00pm) so come along and back the Buds.