St Mirren

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The Europa Conference League draw provides St Mirren with an "exciting opportunity", according to manager Stephen Robinson.

Robinson's side will face Valur of Iceland or Albanian side Vllaznia in the second qualifying round of the competition, and the Northern Irishman can't wait to get started.

"I think it's a really good draw - but a tough one too," Robinson told the club's website.

"We've avoided two of the big sides that were unseeded in Hacken and Brann. The ties we face give us an opportunity, one I believe the fans will be really excited about in terms of travel.

"We obviously have to wait and see who we get but we're delighted to be involved at this level of competition."

The Paisley club could have faced Northern Irish side Cliftonville or League of Ireland Premier Division's Derry City, but Robinson is glad to have a trip further afield.

"It feels more like a European game," he added. "We still have to navigate our way past them but it will be an exciting trip for the fans.

"It will be a different test for us as players and coaches. I've already spoken to a few of them and they're already really looking forward to it.

"We will have the advantage of seeing both sides in action against each other. We'll prepare like we do for every other game. The world is a smaller place in terms of the footage available for other teams.

"We've had our time off. We've enjoyed it. We're very proud of what we achieved last season and now the challenge is can we take it a step further and progress in Europe.

"We know it's a tough tie. We'll need to do a lot of research. But we're all very excited about the challenges the new season will throw up."

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St Mirren, fifth in the Premiership last season and whose most recent European involvement dates back to 1987, avoided Brann, Hacken, Derry City and Cliftonville in the draw for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

Stephen Robinson's men have been paired with either Valur or Vllaznia.

Valur were runners-up in the Icelandic top flight in 2023 and currently lie third, four points behind leaders and Reykjavik rivals Vikingur 11 games into the campaign.

Their 52-year-old head coach, former Iceland midfielder Arnar Gretarsson, once had a loan spell with Rangers.

They last played in European competition when they were beaten by Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the second qualifying round two years ago.

Albanians Vllaznia, who are in Europe after a fourth-place finish in their domestic league, lost in last season's first qualifying round to Northern Ireland's Linfield.

Thomas Brdaric, the 49-year-old former Germany and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, was appointed head coach earlier this year.

St Mirren will face Valur of Iceland or Albanian side Vllaznia in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

The first leg is away on 25 July, with the return in Paisley on 1 August.

What do you make of the draw and the Buddies' chances of making it through in their first European tie for 37 years?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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St Mirren's list of potential opponents in today's Europa Conference League second qualifying round draw has been whittled down.

The Buddies are seeded and in group one for the draw (13:00 BST), meaning they could face:

• SK Brann (Norway)

• BK Hacken (Sweden)

• FCB Magpies (Gibraltar)/Derry City (Ireland)

• Valur (Iceland)/KF Vllaznia (Albania)

• Cliftonville (Northern Ireland)

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Billy Abercromby, St Mirren's 1987 Scottish Cup-winning captain, has died aged 65.

The former midfielder was a youth product and made his first appearance in 1976 before going on to play a total of 367 times.

He spent 13 seasons with the Buddies and was also part of the side that won the First Division title in 1976-77.

Abercromby went on to famously captain St Mirren to their third - and most recent - Scottish Cup triumph in 1987 after a 1-0 win over Dundee United at Hampden.

He would leave in 1988 and end his career with brief spells at Partick Thistle, Dunfermline Athletic, Cowdenbeath and East Stirlingshire.

"The thoughts of everyone at St Mirren are with Billy's loved ones at this difficult time," St Mirren said in a club statement.

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Kilmarnock and St Mirren will discover their European opponents this week, with their respective draws taking place on Wednesday.

The Ayrshire side will enter the Europa League at the second round of qualifiers, while their Premiership rivals go into Conference League at the same stage.

Kilmarnock's potential opponents are particularly eye-catching, with Dutch giants Ajax, Portugal's Braga and Trabzonspor of Turkey among a list of eight possibilities.

Molde of Norway, Croatian side HNK Rijeka and Austrians Rapid Wien are also in there.

Meanwhile, there are 44 potential teams St Mirren could be paired with.

Brann (Norway) and Hacken (Sweden) stand out as tough opposition, but Stephen Robinson's side would fancy their chances against clubs such as Cliftonville (Northern Ireland), St Patrick's Athletic (Ireland) and HB Torshavn (Faroe Islands).

Kilmarnock will learn their fate at 12:00 BST on Wednesday, with St Mirren's draw taking place an hour later.

The second-round ties of both competitions will take place on 25 July and 1 August.

If you could only buy one, sell one, and loan out one player at St Mirren, who would you pick?

That was the question we asked you to answer, with the transfer window now open.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Eddie: Loan out Peter Urminsky, sign Simon Murray. Strange as it may seem I would not sell anybody.

Iain: We desperately need a goalscorer, that must be the priority for the manager. The defence and midfield are strong but up front has always been a problem.

Joe: Sign Simon Murray.

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St Mirren have signed midfielder Oisin Smyth from Oxford United on a two-year deal.

The Northern Irishman, 24, started his career with Dungannon Swifts, making more than 100 appearances before joining Oxford in January 2022.

He departs having played 25 games and scored one goal for the English Championship newcomers.

On his move to St Mirren, Smyth said: "Following the club last season and seeing how well they did was a massive factor. There were a few factors that caught my attention so I'm glad to get the deal over the line.

"My initial chats with the manager were very positive. The main thing we spoke on was development and how he is able to make players better. I wanted to come here and play and enjoy football again so that's the main aim."

Smyth becomes Saints' third summer arrival following full-back Shaun Rooney and goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe.

Manager Stephen Robinson is thrilled to land "another really good footballer".

Robinson added: "He’s someone I know from back home. He got a good move to Oxford but didn’t play as much as he wanted and comes in at that age bracket we like.

"He’s got lot of development and lots of game time to come. He can play in numerous different positions, he can play as a six or an eight."

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Danny Lennon is thrilled the eyes of the football world are on two of his former St Mirren proteges as Scotland prepare to open Euro 2024 against hosts Germany.

Lennon, 55, gave talisman John McGinn his professional debut as an 18-year-old in 2012 when he was in charge of Saints and also handed a teenage Kenny McLean his Buddies bow in 2010.

Both of the Paisley academy graduates played a big part in helping Scotland qualify for Euro 2024 last year, and Lennon is hoping to see the Aston Villa and Norwich midfielders prosper in Germany.

Steve Clarke’s side kick off Euro 2024 against Germany at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Friday.

“It’s always nice when you’ve worked with players and you see them progress to the level John and Kenny have gone to,” said Lennon.

“You could tell at a young age they had ability but what’s got to come along with ability is the character, determination and attitude, and the two of them have that in abundance.

“I started John McGinn in a cup final at 18 years of age so that’s how much faith and belief I had in him,” he said.

“I’ve only had a wee helping hand in his career, like every other coach he’s had – it’s John who has put himself on this stage – but you could certainly see at an early age the talent that he had."

The transfer window opens on Friday and we want to know what matters to you most this summer.

If you could only buy one, sell one and loan out one player at St Mirren, who would you pick?

Click here, external to let us know.

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St Mirren have confirmed their pre-season schedule, which includes four friendlies and a warm weather training camp.

Stephen Robinson's side will travel to Spain for a week and start their 2024-25 preparations at the Pinatar Arena.

The Buddies will take on Championship side Dunfermline Athletic at East End Park when they return in early July.

There will be a Renfrewshire derby the following Tuesday when they face Greenock Morton at Cappielow.

Robinson's men then host English League Two sides Fleetwood Town and Carlisle United before their Europa Conference League qualifying campaign begins at the end of the month.

St Mirren's pre-season fixtures:

• Dunfermline Athletic v St Mirren, 6 July (15:00)

• Greenock Morton v St Mirren, 9 July (19:45)

• St Mirren v Fleetwood Town, 13 July (15:00)

• St Mirren v Carlisle United, 19 July (19:30)

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Representatives from Celtic, Hibernian and Ross County feature on the SPFL board for the 2024-25 season.

County director James MacDonald, Hibs non-executive chairman Malcolm McPherson and Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson make up the Premiership contingent.

Paul Hetherington (Airdrieonians) and Graeme Mathie (Ayr United) will represent the Championship, while Andrew Allan (Alloa Athletic) and Allan Maitland (Clyde) have been elected for League 1 and 2.

In a statement, the SPFL say clubs also "voted unanimously" to approve a recommendation that a new Ifab protocol for permanent concussion substitutes is used across all SPFL competitions.

"Each team will be allowed one concussion substitute per match in addition to the normal number of substitutes and substitution opportunities," they say.

"If that concussion substitute is used, the other team is allowed an additional substitute."

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St Mirren and Kilmarnock have offered their congratulations to Stephen McGinn after he announced his retirement from professional football.

The former Buddies captain made 203 appearances over two spells at the Paisley club and was an important part in helping them secure promotion back to the top flight in 2018.

The midfielder also had spells at Kilmarnock, where he also won the Championship title, Hibernian and most recently captained Falkirk in their historic unbeaten season in the third tier.

St Mirren's Kieran Offord will join Northern Irish club Crusaders on loan next season.

The 20-year-old forward spent last term at Edinburgh City and Stirling Albion, scoring five goals in across the two spells.

St Mirren retain the right to recall Offord in January.

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Caolan Boyd-Munce marked his international debut for Northern Ireland with an assist in an eventual 5-1 defeat to Spain.

Michael O'Neill's side threatened a shock in Mallorca as the St Mirren midfielder's inch-perfect free-kick was headed home by Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard inside 70 seconds.

Their celebrations were short-lived as Spain came roaring back, finding themselves 4-1 up by the 35th minute.

Barcelona wonderkid Pedri bagged a brace, before Alvaro Morata and Fabian Ruiz got on the scoresheet, with Mikel Oyarzabal of Real Sociedad netting in the second half.

Boyd-Munce was replaced at the interval as Northern Ireland moved into damage limitation-mode, but that free-kick will live long in the memory of the 24-year-old.

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The results are in. And they may be a surprise.

We asked you to cast your vote on whether the Scottish Premiership should keep VAR or scrap it.

More than 3,000 of you responded to the poll - and while there was a clear majority, it was no landslide.

Those in favour of ditching VAR totalled 67% of voters, while 33% were in favour of favour of keeping it.

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BBC Scotland will continue to broadcast live matches and highlights from the Scottish Cup for another five years.

The new deal extends the BBC's arrangement of showing a game from each round - up to and including the final - on a free-to-air platform.

The contract also allows the broadcaster to produce "near live digital highlights".

The Scottish Youth Cup final will also be shown live for the next five years.

• Read the full story

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Controversy and VAR have been intertwined ever since its implementation in the Scottish top flight in October 2022.

From handball decisions to fouls and penalties, managers and fans alike have had grievances over the technology - and the length of time taken for decisions to be made.

With the 2023-24 season complete and the new campaign a number of weeks away, would you rather see VAR scrapped from Scottish football or persevered with?

Cast your vote here.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson is on a list of possible candidates for Sunderland if they miss out on their top target Will Still. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Sunday's Scottish gossip.

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We asked you to name St Mirren's best cult hero signings - the player that showed up with little expectation (and perhaps ability) but won over the support.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Craig: Jim Goodwin epitomises passion over talent, not the best player I've ever seen at Saints, but an unbelievable leader on the pitch.

Anon: Inan Scanlon comes into that category but so did Doug Somner as Saints picked him up and others ignored him. He certainly knew his way to the net!

Anthony: Andy Dorman, what a player.

Ewan: As a fairly young Saints fan the first name that comes to my head is Andy Dorman, that man just didn't do tap-ins.

Alistair: The player most remembered as a cult hero has to be Super Stelios Demetriou, the bounty eater who helped win the 2017/18 Championship. Played 46 times, won the league and disappeared back into obscurity but left a lasting memory.

Grant: It’s a toss up between Alex Gogic and my childhood hero Guni Torfason. What a player and guy he was. Swaggered into the club with the long hair and scored a few goals.