St Mirren close out 2017 with a top of the table clash against Dundee United at the Paisley 2021 Stadium tonight. 

Tonight's match goes ahead despite the weather as top of the table Buddies play host to Csaba Laszlo's second place United side. It's a far cry from how Saints ended 2016 when a 1-1 draw at home to Morton saw the Buddies sit six points adrift at the bottom of the league. 

Saints come into tonight's match on a high after coming from 2-0 down to defeat Queen of the South 3-2 last weekend to ensure they were top heading into Christmas. Queens were 2-0 ahead inside six minutes through goals from Stephen Dobbie and Chris Kane. But The Buddies roared back thanks to a double from Gavin Reilly before the returning Gary MacKenzie grabbed the winner.

United also head into the game in good spirits also after defeating Livingston 3-0 at Tannadice last Saturday. Ex-Saint Paul McMullan scored twice for the Arabs either side of a Scott McDonald goal.

Despite what has been a testing season for United where they have replaced Ray MacKinnon with Csaba Laszlo, the Arabs sit just two points behind Saints in the Ladbrokes Championship with a game in hand. They've won four of their last five league matches since their win against Saints at the start of November and are unbeaten in their last seven league matches. However, despite the confidence they'll have coming into tonight's match, they were dealt a major blow when it was announced that midfielder Fraser Fyvie is set to miss the rest of the season.

The Buddies have faced United twice already this season - winning one and losing the other. The first saw an emphatic Saints victory back in August as a double from Lewis Morgan and a first St Mirren goal for Ian McShane saw St Mirren run out convincing 3-0 winners. 

United exacted a measure of revenge in the November fixture when they hosted the Buddies at Tannadice. Goals from Mark Durnan and Sam Stanton put the home side 2-0 in front rendering a stunning late Adam Eckersley strike as nothing more than a consolation. 

Regardless of tonight's result, Jack Ross and his team can be proud of the progress they have made in 2017. A side that were odds on favourites to be relegated to the third tier of Scottish football head into the new year sitting atop of the Championship and challenging for promotion to the Premiership. A win would strengthen that challenge as Saints would open up a five point gap at the top. For United, victory would see them move to first place a point ahead of Saints with a game in hand. 

St Mirren are back at the Paisley 2021 Stadium this weekend as Allan Johnston's Dunfermline come to town. 

Tomorrow's clash with the Pars will be the 200th St Mirren match played at the Paisley 2021 Stadium since it opened back in 2009. In the 199 matches played at the Greenhill Road Stadium, Saints have won 67, drawn 59 and lost 73, scoring 263 goals and conceding 250 in the process. Three of those 67 wins have come against Dunfermline with the Buddies also drawing twice and losing once to the Pars since making the move from Love Street.

Saints bounced back from a 1-0 defeat to Dumbarton at home two weeks ago to beat Brechin City 2-1 at Glebe Park last Saturday. Gavin Reilly netted his 17th goal of the season to give St Mirren the lead on 20 minutes. Ex-Alloa striker Isaac Layne levelled for the division's bottom side on 28 minutes. But Cammy Smith was fouled by City goalkeeper Graeme Smith just after the hour mark with the Saints forward stepping up to score from the spot to seal three important points for St Mirren.

Meanwhile, Dunfermline have failed to win in their last six league matches with just one win from their last nine Ladbrokes Championship matches. That form has saw the Championship contenders fall from the top of the league while last Saturday's 5-2 loss at home to Queen of the South saw the Pars drop out of the play-off spots for the first time this season.

They do, however, have a good recent record against St Mirren having not lost any of the last seven league meetings between the two. The only clash between this two this season saw the Buddies made a trip to Fife back in September. It was a disappointing afternoon for Saints as they fell to a 3-0 defeat to the Pars with goals from Declan McManus, David Hopkirk and Callum Morris easing the home side to victory. 

Dunfermline came out on top of two of the four matches against Saints last season - a 4-3 win at East End Park and a 1-0 triumph at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. Saints took a point in the final two meetings of the season as a Gary MacKenzie header in the second half helped the Buddies to a 1-1 draw before both battled out a stalemate in Paisley in March. 

St Mirren's last win over Dunfermline came in October 2015 in the Challenge Cup. Allan Johnston's side were flying high in League One at the time but a double from Stevie Mallan, along with goals from Calum Gallagher and Scott Agnew gave The Buddies a decisive 4-0 win.  

Tomorrow's match will likely be a tight affair with Saints aiming to keep up their good form and keep the pressure on league leaders Dundee United. Despite their dip in form, the Pars have a strong side with players such as Declan McManus, Nicky Clark and Kallum Higginbotham likely to cause problems as the Pars look to give their season a shot in the arm. 

St Mirren are on the road tomorrow as Saints travel to Angus to face Brechin City in the Ladbrokes Championship. 

The Buddies will be looking to get back to winning ways after a three match winning run was halted last week following defeat to Dumbarton at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. A late strike from ex-Saint Tom Walsh gave Dumbarton all three points last Saturday against 10-men St Mirren after the red card shown to Stelios Demetriou. 

Saints had been in good form having picked up six points from six in two tricky matches away to Inverness and at home to Livingston. A 3-1 win over Livingston at the Paisley 2021 Stadium saw the Buddies return to the top of the Championship only for Dundee United to leapfrog Saints following the loss to Dumbarton. 

Brechin have yet to win in the Championship this season following their promotion via the play-offs last season. Darren Dods' side have picked up three draws from their opening 15 league fixtures this season - drawing 2-2 with Livingston and 1-1 with Falkirk and Dundee United, all at Glebe Park. City have lost their two league matches with losses away to Morton (4-1) and Inverness (4-0). 

They came close to gaining a point when they visited the Paisley 2021 Stadium back in September. Cammy Smith gave Saints an early lead only for ex-St Mirren U20s striker Kalvin Orsi to level before half time. With just over 10 minutes remaining substitute Dale Hilson scored his first goal for The Buddies to give the side a narrow 2-1 win. 

That win represented St Mirren's seventh win in a row against Brechin. Manager Jack Ross and captain Stephen McGinn both featured for The Buddies the last time the side faced Brechin away with a Jim Hamilton double and a Dennis Wyness goal giving Saints a 3-1 win in the Scottish Cup back in 2009. Indeed, City have managed just one win over St Mirren in the 34 matches that have occurred between the two. That came back in 2004 when goals from Scott McCulloch and Jamie Smith gave the bottom-of-the-table side a shock 2-0 victory at Glebe Park. 

St Mirren will be aiming to put last weekend's loss behind them and hope a win, coupled with results elsewhere, will see them return to the top of the league. A win tomorrow would be a 10th league win of the season for Saints - more than they managed in the entirety of last season. Brechin, meanwhile, will be desperate to get the monkey off their back and secure their first league win of the season. 

Dumbarton are the visitors to the Paisley 2021 Stadium this weekend as St Mirren look to make it three league wins on the spin for the third time this season. 

Saints returned to the top of the Ladbrokes Championship on Tuesday night with a fine 3-1 win over third placed Livingston at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. The Buddies fell behind in the first half when Dale Carrick followed up an effort from Josh Mullin to fire Livingston ahead. But second half goals from Lewis Morgan and Ian McShane were sandwiched in between a Neil Alexander own goal as Saints made it six wins from seven home league matches this season. 

Meanwhile, tomorrow's visitors Dumbarton come into tomorrow's match on the back of a 2-2 draw with Queen of the South on Tuesday. The Sons twice took the lead against the Doonhamers at the Cheaper Insurance Direct Arena. An own goal from Queens' Callum Fordyce put Stevie Aitken's side ahead on 11 minutes. They held that lead until Stephen Dobbie struck from the penalty spot with 20 minutes remaining. Greg Morrison headed Dumbarton back into the lead on 81 minutes, only for Queens to peg them back again a few minutes later when ex-Saint Stuart Carswell turned the ball into his own net. That draw ensured they saw out the month of November unbeaten with three wins and two draws in all competitions including a 2-2 draw away to promotion chasing Dunfermline last weekend. 

Dumbarton picked up a point on their last visit to the Paisley 2021 Stadium back in April. Kyle Magennis fired St Mirren into an early lead, but the Buddies were pegged back by loanee Lewis Vaughan. Saints had a glorious chance to re-take the lead before half-time when they were awarded a penalty. Up stepped Rory Loy who couldn't beat Alan Martin from 12 yards and the game finished 1-1. 

Indeed, The Sons have proven to be difficult opponents for St Mirren since the Buddies relegation to the Championship in 2015. In the nine meetings between the two teams in that time Saints have only won two of them. The first was at the Paisley 2021 Stadium back in February 2016 when a second half Lawrence Shankland goal was enough to give the Buddies a 1-0 win. The other win came just last month as Jack Ross' men secured a first win away to Dumbarton since 1996 with goals from Gavin Reilly and John Sutton securing three points. In the same period, Dumbarton have come away from Paisley with three points on two occasions. Goals from Willie Gibson and Garry Fleming saw the Sons win 2-1 in August 2015, while Fleming was on the scoresheet again in November 2016 as he netted the game's only goal in a 1-0 win. 

Saints will be looking to add to their three wins in a row in all competitions and maintain their position at the top of the table. Dumbarton, six points clear of Falkirk who occupy the relegation play-off spot, will be aiming to keep themselves away from the danger zone. Games between the sides have proven to be tight in recent times and that could be the case again tomorrow. 

St Mirren are back in action at the Paisley 2021 Stadium tonight - one month to the day since their last home game - as they play host to third place Livingston.

The Buddies have faced away trips to Dundee United, Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and Inverness Caledonian Thistle since the 2-2 draw with Morton in the Ladbrokes Championship last month, but are back in Paisley this evening to face David Hopkin's Livi. 

That run of away games began with a 2-1 loss to Dundee United at Tannadice on November 4th. Adam Eckersley scored a 93rd minute consolation for Saints after Mark Durnan and Sam Stanton had put the Tangerines 2-0 up. Saints got back to winning ways in the William Hill Scottish Cup with seven first half goals seeing St Mirren defeat Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale 7-1 to reach the fourth round. 

The Buddies come into tonight's match on the back of a battling 2-0 win over Inverness at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium on Saturday. Ian McShane opened the scoring from the penalty spot early in the second half after Liam Polworth fouled Lewis Morgan in the box. Gavin Reilly showed great composure to seal the points for Saints deep in stoppage time as he raced clear on goal and finished beyond Inverness goalkeeper Mark Ridgers to net his 16th goal of the season. 

Livingston continue to defy the odds in the Championship this season after their promotion from League One. David Hopkin's side come into this side sitting in third place in the league and know a win can take them top. They are unbeaten their last four matches in all competitions - beating Brechin, Glenafton and Queen of the South, while drawing with Inverness and boast a strong away record in the league with four wins from six. It was their impressive 3-0 win away to Queen of the South on Saturday that took them to third place in the league with goals from James Penrice, Josh Mullin and Shaun Byrne seeing the Lions leapfrog Dunfermline. 

Interestingly, Livingston, founded as Ferranti Thistle in 1943 and renamed Meadowbank Thistle in 1974, haven't lost away to St Mirren since being renamed and relocated in 1995. The Lions relocated to Livingston, West Lothian and were named after the town. Since then the two sides have met on 12 occasions with neither winning a home game in that time. St Mirren's six wins in those 12 matches have all come at the Tony Macaroni Arena, while Livingston's four wins have come at Love Street and the Paisley 2021 Stadium. 

That continued at this start of this season when Livingston visited the Paisley 2021 Stadium in July, coming away with three points in the Betfred Cup group stages when an early strike from Dale Carrick gave them a 1-0 win.

Just over a month later, Saints made the trip to West Lothian in the Ladbrokes Championship and came out on top despite having Gary Irvine sent off in the first half. St Mirren took an early lead when Stephen McGinn's shot deflected off Craig Halkett's on the ninth minute. But the Livi defender got his side six minutes later when he equalised from a corner. Irvine was given a red card a little over 10 minutes before half time after his challenge on Carrick. However, it didn't affect Saints as two second half goals in the space of nine minutes from Gavin Reilly gave the Buddies a valuable three points.

The last league meeting between the sides at the Paisley 2021 Stadium came on Boxing Day 2015 when Livingston leapfrogged the Buddies in the league with a 4-1 win. Liam Buchanan put the Lions ahead before ex-Saint Ben Gordon doubled their advantage on 32 minutes. Lawrence Shankland pulled a goal back for St Mirren before half time, but a sensational Gary Glen free kick put Livingston 3-1 up in the second half with Buchanan netting his second on 66 minutes to give the visitors a big win. That was the biggest winning margin between the two sides since two 4-0 wins for St Mirren over Meadowbank Thistle in 1976. 

Barring that 4-1 win on Boxing Day, matches between Saints and Livi in recent times have proved to generally be quite tight. With both clubs able to go top of the table with a win tonight there's every chance we'll be in for another close affair. That will be the prize on both teams' minds tonight, while there's also the chance for St Mirren to beat Livingston at home for the first time since they rebranded in 1995. 

You can find all the match information ahead of tonight's game here.

After a three week break from league duty, St Mirren make the long trip north to Inverness tomorrow to face John Robertson's Caley Thistle side.

The sides last met at the beginning of September when they served up a six goal thriller at The Paisley 2021 Stadium with Saints running out 4-2 winners. Lewis Morgan gave St Mirren a 1-0 half-time lead but the game exploded in the second half as former Buddie, John Baird pulled the Highlanders level again on the hour mark. Three minutes later Gregor Buchanan put the home side back into the lead but that only lasted five minutes as Liam Polworth got Caley Thistle back on level terms again. Less than five minutes later Cammy Smith fired Saints into the lead again and the points were sealed shortly after with a great Ian McShane strike.

Saints suffered a blip the following week losing at Dunfermline but have since gone on to forge forward at the top of the table until they were knocked off top spot last weekend as Dundee United took advantage of Saints playing in the Scottish Cup with the Tannadice side winning 3-0 against Falkirk to move three points ahead of Saints.

The road for Caley Thistle has been a slightly rockier one since that match-up in Paisley as they went on to pick up only two points from their next four league outings. But the side relegated from the Premiership last season look to have found their Championship feet over the last three league outings with impressive back to back wins against Dundee United and Dunfermline and a hard fought goalless draw away to Livingston. The Highlanders are still quite a bit off the promotion chasing pack but with two-thirds of the season still to go they will be expected to be up challenging for at least the promotion play-offs come the end of season run-in.

It's been close on to three years since Saints last made the trip to Inverness when they faced Caley Thistle in a Premiership match at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium on 4th January 2015. St Mirren were fighting for their Premiership status and looked to be picking up a precious point but a late goal from Billy McKay consigned the Paisley side to another defeat and sent them closer towards a relegation they wouldn't be able to avoid.

You have to go back to Boxing Day 2010 to find St Mirren's last win in Inverness. The SPL match saw Lee Cox give the home side an early lead but a goal at the end of each half from midfielder Steven Thomson saw the three points head back to Paisley.

A win against Falkirk last weekend in the IRN-BRU Cup saw Caley Thistle stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to seven games. So while the Highlanders will be looking to build on their recent good form, Saints will be hoping to recapture the form over September and October that took them to the top of the league. After draws with Falkirk and Morton, Saints lost their last league outing away to Dundee United but after a two week break the Paisley side hit goal-scoring form again last weekend as they won 7-1 against Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale in the Scottish Cup.

It's sure to be a tough encounter in Inverness tomorrow with a win for the home side seeing them close in on the promotion chasing pack while a win for Saints will give them a good start to a three game week as they look to close the gap on Dundee United at the top of the Championship again.

St Mirren are back in action this weekend as the Buddies travel to face Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale in the third round of the William Hill Scottish Cup.

It’ll be first ever meeting between the two sides as Saints face the East of Scotland League side at their Saughton Enclosure home.

The Buddies come into tomorrow's match on the back of a free weekend after the international call ups of Lewis Morgan, Liam Smith and Kyle Magennis saw the scheduled home league match against Livingston postponed until Tuesday 28th November. 

The last time Saints were in action was almost two weeks ago as they were beaten 2-1 by Dundee United at Tannadice at the start of the month. United scored either side of the interval through Mark Durnan and Sam Stanton to go 2-0 up before the Buddies scored a late consolation goal from Adam Eckersley's wonder goal. However, despite the loss, St Mirren remain atop of the Ladbrokes Championship after a good start to the season.

Tomorrow's opponents, Lothian Thistle have also been in tremendous form this season - unbeaten so far in all competitions.

Their Scottish Cup began with a 1-0 win away to Kelty Hearts in the first preliminary round. In the second preliminary round they emphatically overcame Coldstream by 4-0 to make the Scottish Cup proper. In the first round they narrowly defeated Inverurie Loco Works 3-2 to set up a second round tie with League Two side Stirling Albion. Against the odds, the East of Scotland League side beat the Binos 5-3 at Forthbank Stadium to make it through to the tomorrow's clash.

Louis Swanson, brother of Hibernian's Danny Swanson, is one of Lothian's key players and he netted in the win over Stirling, while Sean Wringe grabbed a double.

St Mirren’s Scottish Cup journey last season saw them progress to the quarter finals where, after taking an early lead against Celtic at Celtic Park, the Buddies were knocked out by Brendan Rodgers side. Last season’s campaign began with a 5-1 win over Spartans at the Paisley 2021 Stadium in the third round. A double from Lawrence Shankland was added to by goals from Stephen Mallan, Kyle McAllister and John Sutton. Indeed, McAllister's fine solo effort won him goal of the round. 

After beating the Lowland League side, Saints were drawn to face Premiership side Dundee at Dens Park in the fourth round. The Buddies, bottom of the Championship at the time, were underdogs but put in a tremendous display despite missing key some players with goals from John Sutton and Jack Baird seeing Saints progress to the next round.

Saints were given another away tie with a trip to New Bayview to face League One side East Fife in February. The Buddies progressed by the odd goal in five with Cammy Smith netting his first St Mirren goal before a second half brace from Lewis Morgan put the Saints into the last eight. 

Again, St Mirren were drawn away from home and the Buddies couldn't have asked for a tougher draw with a trip to Celtic Park to face Brendan Rodgers' domestically unbeaten Celtic side. It was going to be a huge ask for Saints but they took the lead early lead when Harry Davis was on the end of a John Sutton knock down to stun the Parkhead side.

Early in the second half, a Mallan free kick was deflected off the bar as Saints looked to double their lead and cause a huge cup upset. But Celtic equalised a few minutes after the near miss through Mikael Lustig before goals from Scott Sinclair, Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths saw the Hoops progress. 

It was a tough result to take after such a spirited performance with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers complimentary of the Saints in his media duties after the match. 

Tomorrow will be a new experience for Saints at a ground that many of the players are unlikely to play at ever again. More than 600 St Mirren supporters are expected at Saughton for the 1pm kick-off. It's the magic of the cup with Lothian hoping to take another scalp, while the Buddies will be looking to navigate their way into the fourth round. 

Tomorrow afternoon St Mirren head north-east to 'The City of Discovery' and Tannadice Park for their second head to head of the season with Dundee United.

The sides met in Paisley back on 26th August where a brace from Lewis Morgan and a late goal from Ian McShane saw the Buddies run out 3-0 winners in a one-sided contest at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. Since then the Tannadice side have parted company with manager Ray McKinnon and at present are under the temporary charge of former St Mirren defender Laurie Ellis.

This season has been a rollercoaster so far for United who were hot favourites to win this season's Championship back at the beginning of the season. But despite a number of low par performances they are still firmly in contention as they presently sit in fourth spot three points behind leaders St Mirren.

The Tannadice side's performances had been a bit Jekyll and Hyde with the recent defeats against Livingston and Inverness Caledonian Thistle all but sealing McKinnon's fate, but last weekend Laurie Ellis helped United end that two game losing skid when two early goals from Sam Stanton saw the Tannadice side pick up a good three points away to Dumbarton.

St Mirren retained top spot of the Ladbrokes Championship last Saturday afternoon with a 2-2 draw against local rivals Morton at The Paisley 2021 Stadium. A penalty-kick converted by Ian McShane on 66 minutes was countered two minutes later when Andy Murdoch fired a low drive past Craig Samson. Four minutes later Gavin Reilly fired Saints back into the lead when he scored his 11th goal of the season but shortly afterwards former Buddie Gary Harkins scored from the penalty-spot to tie the game up again forcing the sides to settle for a share of the points.

St Mirren and Dundee United both see themselves as sides that should be playing in the top tier and their present league positions suggest that they will be in the promotion mix come the end of the season. The Tannadice side go into tomorrow's game knowing a win will see them pull level with Saints on points but Jack Ross will be reminding his players that a win for Saints will see them strengthen their position at the top of the league and put more distance between themselves and one of their main rivals for the season.

The games between Saints and United usually turn out to be pretty exciting match-ups and with St Mirren fans expecting to travel through in good numbers to Dundee tomorrow they should hopefully see another good outing between two sides who are looking to battle it out at the top.

It’s derby day in Renfrewshire tomorrow as St Mirren host Greenock Morton at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.

The sides have already met once this season when St Mirren made the short journey to Cappielow in August. Cammy Smith scored a sensational goal in front of almost 2000 Saints in the Wee Dublin End a few minutes before half time to cancel out Michael Tidser’s opener for the home side. However, a red card for Jack Baird saw Saints reduced to 10 men early in the second half with Tidser scoring from the resultant penalty. Goals from Bob McHugh and Andy Murdoch rounded off a disappointing afternoon for the Buddies.

Jack Ross’ side bounced back from that 4-1 loss as they went on to win six of their next eight league matches – a run that saw them claim the top spot in the Ladbrokes Championship. Indeed it has been Saints’ home form in the league that has been integral to the side sitting top of the pile. The Buddies have won their first five league matches at home this season – the first time that’s happened since moving into the Paisley 2021 Stadium. Falkirk, Dundee United, Inverness, Queen of the South and Brechin have all made the journey to Paisley this season and left with nothing.

But it's results on the road over the past two weeks that have seen Saints remain top of the table. Last weekend's 0-0 draw with Falkirk at the Falkirk Stadium saw the Buddies pick up a good point on the back of a first win away to Dumbarton since 1996 the previous week. 

Meanwhile, Jim Duffy’s Morton currently sit in sixth place in the Ladbrokes Championship with four wins, three draws and three defeats from their opening ten matches. Two of their wins in the league this season have come on the road – a 2-1 win over Queen of the South in Dumfries and a 1-0 victory at Brechin two weeks ago.

Like Saints, they come into tomorrow’s match unbeaten in their last two matches. Last weekend they drew 1-1 with Dumbarton at Cappielow as McHugh's second half strike cancelled out Mark Stewart's early goal for the Sons, while an 81st minute goal saw them squeeze past Brechin at Glebe Park a fortnight ago. 

The Buddies are unbeaten at home against Morton since a 5-1 loss in 1999. However, two 1-1 draws with the Greenock side saw Saints fail to defeat them at home last season. Saints' last win over Morton at the Paisley 2021 Stadium came in April 2016 with goals from Lawrence Shankland, Calum Gallagher and Stevie Mallan seeing the Buddies come out on top 3-1.

The squad looks likely to be as it was for last weekend's draw against Falkirk. Harry Davis is edging closer to a comeback after returning to training, but he remains out as do fellow long-term absentees Gary MacKenzie and Josh Todd.

As is always the case with derby matches, three points for either side are all the sweeter as both look to claim bragging rights. A win for Saints would keep them top of the table, while three points could see Morton climb into the play-off positions.

It’s all set to be an exciting match with over 4,000 supporters expected at the Paisley 2021 Stadium tomorrow. Tickets will be on sale right until kick-off so if you haven’t already got yours make sure you do and come back the Buddies.

St Mirren are on their travels again this weekend as they make the journey to face Falkirk in the Ladbrokes Championship.

The Buddies ended the first quarter of fixtures with a 2-0 win away to Dumbarton last weekend. Goals from Gavin Reilly, his 10th of the season, and John Sutton saw the Saints win at Dumbarton for the first time since 1996 and pick up three points to meet their target of 21 points from the first nine fixtures.

The first quarter began against tomorrow's opponents Falkirk who Saints faced on the opening day of the 2017/18 league season in August. Nathan Austin gave the visitors an early lead in Paisley before fans favourite Stelios Demetriou levelled before half time. Cammy Smith and Gavin Reilly were on target after the interval to give St Mirren a first opening day win since 2006 and a first triumph over the Bairns since a 3-1 victory in 2009. 

Despite a strong Betfred Cup group stage, defeat to Saints signalled the beginning of a challenging start to the league season for Falkirk. One of the title favourites, no wins in their first seven league matches saw the club part ways with manager Peter Houston in September.

Ex-Saints manager Alex Smith was appointed as caretaker at the age of 77 - making him the oldest boss in European football. Smith guided the side to a first league win of the season against Morton at Cappielow, before defeating Dunfermline 2-0 in the IRN-BRU Cup.

Paul Hartley was appointed permanent manager earlier this month and took charge of his first match last weekend as the Bairns battled out a 0-0 draw with Inverness at the Falkirk Stadium. That stalemate was Falkirk's fifth league game at home this season without a win. This week, Hartley supplemented his backroom team with the appointment of Jimmy Nicholl as assistant manager, while Tam Ritchie joined as fitness coach.

A familiar face to Saints is that of Falkirk striker Rory Loy. The forward joined St Mirren on loan from Dundee in January and played a vital role in keeping the Buddies in the Championship – scoring seven goals including the vital equaliser against Hibernian on the final day of the season. However, the striker hasn't featured for the side since their 2-0 loss to Livingston in September.

Ironically, it was Loy who opened the scoring for St Mirren the last time the Buddies faced Falkirk at the Falkirk Stadium. Still trying to secure Championship status, Loy fired Saints ahead after just five minutes. Lee Miller equalised for the hosts on 20 minutes before a wonderful finish from Stephen McGinn gave St Mirren a second half lead. But Falkirk substitute Bob McHugh gained the home side a point with his finish on 77 minutes. 

Saints last win away against the Bairns was the aforementioned 3-1 win in 2009. Craig Dargo, Billy Mehmet and Tom Brighton scored as the Buddies came from behind to win in the then SPL. Manager Jack Ross started for the Buddies that afternoon as did current club captain Stephen McGinn.

The captain is, however, a doubt for St Mirren tomorrow after picking up a knock in last weekend's win over Dumbarton. Saints are also still without long term absentees Harry Davis, Gary MacKenzie and Josh Todd, but Gary Irvine and Jamie McCart are available for selection after injury ruled them out last week. 

Tomorrow's match will be a difficult one for Saints as they look to maintain the gap they have built at the top of the table. But with seven wins from nine in the League, there is a confidence about this Saints side that they can beat anyone on their day. Falkirk, whose desire to kickstart their season under Hartley will make them a tough prospect tomorrow, will want to avoid losing more ground in their hopes of making the play-offs as they currently sit 10 points off fourth place Dundee United.