St Mirren

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Vllaznia Shkodër left Iceland with a dramatic 2-2 first-leg draw with Valur as the sides vie for a Europa Conference League second qualifying round meeting with St Mirren.

Winger Guðmundur Andri Tryggvason gave the Reykjavic side a 12th-minute lead, but the Albanian visitors replied 10 minutes later through midfielder Ardit Krymi.

Despite Albania midfielder Ardit Deliu being sent off with eight minutes remaining, substitute winger Kevin Dodaj put 10-man Vllaznia ahead almost immediately after the restart.

However, another substitute, former Empoli youth midfielder Lúkas Logi Heimisson, equalised nine minutes into stoppage time.

We asked for your views on what would be a successful season for St Mirren this time around.

Here’s what some of you said:

Scott: Any team who finishes fifth, the next season they are out of the top-six, this has been going on since the Covid season, so a third consecutive top-six finish would be a miracle.

Andy: It would be great if the Saints could progress to the group stages of the Conference League and also retain their top-six position. I think both objectives are possible under the leadership of the current management team.

Bobby: St Mirren fans are generally realistic and I feel a top-six finish would rank as another successful season. You’ve got to think Aberdeen and Hibs, with their budgets, will be looking at top six, so it will require an almighty effort from the players and staff, but Stephen Robinson has shown they are more than capable.

David: Our target should be to finish in the top four, win a cup, and progress through the qualifying rounds in Europe.

Huey: For me, another top-six finish would constitute continued success. Tactically, finding a way to defend a lead and stop losing late goals, we end up drawing far too many games where we score first.

Douglas: In my opinion another fifth-place finish or even fourth would be a successful season. I do believe the Saints have the players to do it and with young players like Ethan Sutherland and Fraser Taylor knocking at the door for first-team football, the season looks very bright.

Anonymous: The dreamer me says a decent cup run and day out at Hampden to see Saints lift a trophy would be the icing on the cake for recent progress made. The pragmatic me just wants to maintain and build out the squad, see some academy players come through and maintain our league position. Another top-six finish would be unbelievable!

Craig: Success would be another top-six finish! That has to be the marker before a ball is kicked, European football is amazing to be involved in, but in order to be in Europe regularly we need to keep pushing to become one of the top six.

St Mirren fans, after another top-six finish last season, what do you think would constitute success this time around?

More of the same for Stephen Robinson's side? Have your say here, external.

Stephen Robinson has confirmed St Mirren rejected a bid for Caolan Boyd-Munce from Leyton Orient and has vowed the Buddies will stand firm on their valuation. (The Herald)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip

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Roland Idowu immediately endeared himself to St Mirren fans with both goals in a 2-0 pre-season victory away to Renfrewshire rivals Morton.

The striker, signed on a season-long loan from Shrewsbury Town, opened the scoring at Cappielow after just three minutes.

Mikael Mandron then set him up to fire in his second of the evening, while a save from Ryan Mullen prevented a first-half treble.

At the other end, Ellery Balcombe thwarted Owen Moffat and Cameron Blues as the Championship side threatened.

After the break, St Mirren substitute Jaden Brown, a replacement for the injured Scott Tanser, hit the crossbar, while the hosts could not force the ball in during a late scramble.

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Greg Kiltie's injury troubles are "concerning", says Stephen Robinson, after the St Mirren boss suffered "two early blows" on the fitness front ahead of the new season.

Midfielder Caolan Boyd-Munce also missed Saturday's friendly win at Dunfermline Athletic, with the manager revealing infected blisters were the cause of the Northern Ireland international's absence.

"Caolon's fine, he's got really bad blisters which we don't need to take chances with," Robinson told club media, external.

"It sounds like nothing but it's sore and infected and we'll get him right for Tuesday and Wednesday.

"[Kiltie] is a little bit more concerning. He had a problem last season that has flared back up again, so we'll have him looked at by a specialist.

"We've had two early blows that were outwith our control. But other than that, everyone has come through."

Toyosi Olunsanya scored the only goal of the game at East End Park, with Robinson particularly pleased with the performances of his new signings.

"It was a good test for us, everybody got minutes," he said.

"I think all the new players looked very comfortable. Some fitter and further forward than others, but that's what pre-season is about.

"Pre-season results don't matter, it's about performances and fitness and getting through without injuries."

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson has admitted that James Bolton's transfer exit request caught him by surprise but insisted the centre-half's move to Fleetwood Town was sanctioned with "one eye on something else". (The Herald On Sunday), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

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St Mirren were victorious against Dunfermline at East End Park thanks to a first-half Toyosi Olusanya strike.

Oisin Smyth set up the 26-year-old just before the half-hour mark as Stephen Robinson's side continued to prepare for their European tie.

Robinson opted to change the whole line-up throughout the game, making 11 substitutes.

This was the first pre-season game for the Paisley side with no League Cup group stages to contend with this season due to their top-six finish last time out.

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St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson is fully aware of how important a European tie is to the club's fans and hopes to 'buck the trend' of how Scottish clubs have been performing in continental competitions recently.

The Paisley side will face either Valur of Iceland or Albanian side Vllaznia in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round, with those two clubs meeting in their first-leg on Thursday 11 July.

Robinson told Sportsound: “We’ve had more time to prep, we don’t know who we’re playing yet [in Europe] so I’m making the trip next Thursday to go watch the first leg of the game in Iceland so we can get a little bit of a picture about both teams we could play and, obviously, do our due diligence on them and be as prepared as we possibly can.

“The incentive is there for us, we’ve waited a long, long time to get here.

"I think people were praying that we didn’t get teams from Northern Ireland or Southern Ireland because they wanted a European feel to it and we’ve got that, it’s fantastic.

“There’s been a lot of hard work from everyone at the football club to get us to this stage. It was a dream really two and half years ago to be a top-six side and follow that up with European football so now we’re here we can’t rest on our laurels.

“There’s a lot of work to do, a lot of things in the background to keep building the football cub and keep making it a sustainable top-six club.

“This gives us a chance, the money involved in European football is huge.

"In recent years teams in Scotland maybe haven’t progressed as we’d have liked so we’d certainly like to buck the trend and show how good a team we are.”

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Former St Mirren player Stephen McGinn is back at the club taking up a new role at the under-18s coach.

Speaking on Sportsound the Scottish Championship winner at the club, who also won league titles at Kilmarnock and Falkirk, has spoken about his decision to hang up the boots and why he knew it was the right time to retire.

“I think I knew the time was up playing-wise, I didn't want to just drop down, my body wasn't doing what my head wanted it to do,” he said.

“St Mirren gave me that opportunity to come back in, in a role that really excited me and I’ve been in the job a couple of weeks now.

“I take the under-18s, there’s been a little bit of shuffling about, Brian Kerr’s stepped up to the first team and made the job available.

“It’s something that really feels like the right decision and I’m enjoying getting to work in a club that’s going in the right direction.

“I don’t think it’s fully sunk in that part yet [that I’m not playing anymore]. I think that might come because it feels like quite a natural progression. When I was at St Mirren in my last spell it was the plan, that was my plan until it changed, that I would move into coaching there once my legs couldn’t go anymore.

“But the last couple months of the season, you’re waking up in the morning and I said to the guys on the last day of the season, I used to feel going into big games, and it felt like one with the invincible thing on the line - it wasn’t like a usual trophy day when the friends and family come and it’s like a testimonial until the end, it felt like something was on the line - and I remember waking up that morning and I felt that the performance was out my hands.

“Whereas in the last few years, I always felt ‘just you play well, and the team can play well’.

"I said to the guys in the huddle, 'I need you', and it was at the stage.

"So, when the job came up at St Mirren I went from 90 to 100 [percent sure].”

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Celtic's visit to Paisley in the Scottish Premiership next month has been moved due to its selection for TV coverage.

Stephen Robinson's side will host the reigning champions on Sunday, 25 August 2014 at midday.

The league fixture was originally scheduled for the day before at 15:00.

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St Mirren have sold James Bolton to Fleetwood Town for an undisclosed fee just five months after the centre-half signed a contract extension until summer 2025.

The Scottish Premiership club revealed that the Staffordshire-born 29-year-old "made clear his desire to move back to England for family reasons".

Bolton, who has signed a two-year contract with the club relegated to League Two, had joined St Mirren last summer after leaving Plymouth Argyle and went on to make 26 appearances, 15 of them starts.

The defender started his career with Macclesfield Town before spells with Workington, Stafford Rangers, Halifax Town, Gateshead, Shrewsbury Town and Portsmouth.

We asked who you are backing to be St Mirren's breakout star in the new season.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Gus: Ethan Sutherland is the standout star of the future.

Eddie: Ethan Sutherland is a standout, we need to start building on our young talent. He is one of a few who need to make the transition from being a 'prospect' to the real deal.

Dougie: I would like to think Toyosi Olusanya is going to shine this season. His pace and energy will be paramount this season. Also Mark O'Hara will be back to his best also. Let's face it, all Saints players will shine.

Chris: I'm expecting James Scott to kick on this season and give us a real goal threat. He tormented the life out of us when he was at Motherwell, now I hope he'll do it to our opponents.

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Ellery Balcombe says St Mirren are a club on the rise as he looks to help build on last season’s exploits.

The goalkeeper signed on a season-long loan from Brentford last month and has been putting in the hard graft at St Mirren’s training camp in Spain.

Balcombe, who is on his eighth loan spell at age 24, told club media: "Obviously last year St Mirren had a big season, getting into Europe and stuff, and I feel it’s a club that’s progressing and moving forward and I want to be a part of that.

"Scottish football is somewhere I’ve never been before. I’ve moved all over for loans so the moving part wasn’t a big deal, it’s just about getting settled as quickly as I can and focus on the football.

"It’s been good. All the lads have welcomed me so I’m happy. The standard of training has been good so far. It’s hot but it’s good to get those first couple of days out the way."

Who do you think will be St Mirren's breakout star in the coming season?

Is there one particular youngster you are backing to impress or perhaps a fringe player who will come to the fore?

Have your say here., external

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St Mirren forward Conor McMenamin is facing months on the sidelines after the club confirmed he will have surgery on a patella tendon injury.

The 28-year-old was hampered by the knee problem last season and suffered a recurrence during Northern Ireland's friendly defeat by Spain last month.

McMenamin is not part of St Mirren's training camp in Spain and will now undergo surgery.

The club added in a statement: "We wish Conor a full and speedy recovery."

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Caolan Boyd-Munce is backing "machine" Oisin Smyth to become a fans' favourite at St Mirren.

The former Northern Ireland Under-21 team-mates have been reunited in Paisley after midfielder Smyth, 24, joined the Buddies from Oxford United on a two-year deal this summer.

"Oisin will slot in perfectly here. You can see already about the place, everyone has taken to him brilliantly," midfielder Boyd-Munce told club media at the team's training camp in Spain.

"I played with him for the [Northern Ireland] Under-21s, he was my midfield partner for a while, cracking player.

"He’s a machine, can run. He’s going to bring a bit of quality to the middle as well and I think the fans will really love him.

"I’ve always kept in contact with him. Once I knew there was a chance of him coming here and he knew, it was a no-brainer. He was asking about coming, how he would fit in, and I knew it would fit perfectly."

Boyd-Munce has returned for club duty after his career highlight, making his Northern Ireland debut against Spain last month.

The 24-year-old made an early impact, providing the assist for Daniel Ballard's opener, before Spain went on to win 5-1.

Boyd-Munce, who earned his second cap in the 2-0 win over Andorra, said of his debut: "It’s my biggest achievement yet.

"I’ve been there since I was 11, 12. Being from Belfast, to get that chance to finally play for my country and to start like I did – with the assist and going 1-0 up against one of the world’s best and favourites for the Euros – was some feeling. Hopefully there’s more of them to come.

"The roar when that goal went in will live with me. It’s made me hungry for more and it’s more than achievable for Oisin too."

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St Mirren continued their preparations for next season with a comfortable 4-0 win in a friendly against an unnamed Spanish side.

Ethan Sutherland and Jonah Ayunga put the Saints 2-0 up at half-time before Roland Idowu scored twice in the second half.

Stephen Robinson's players are in Pinatar in the south of Spain for warm-weather training.

They have four further friendlies, starting with Saturday's trip to face Dunfermline at East End Park, before the first leg of their Europa Conference League second round qualifier against either Valur of Iceland or Albanian side Vllaznia on 25 July.

After the fixtures were released on Thursday, we asked how you feel St Mirren will start the season while contending with European football.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Stuart: We lost one of our best players to a rival. We’ve made a couple of defensive signings for a team desperate for goals. We will do well to maintain top six and latterly, the manager.

Douglas: Always a topsy-turvy world down in Paisley, we have an early European adventure and you can always dream that you reach the group stages, but that brings its own pressures of extra games midweek. You must expect a stronger Hibs and Aberdeen, so a place around the middle would be respectable, but you can always hope for a wee positive run.

Kate: I think St Mirren will start strong again and have an even better season than 23/24. The team are well bonded and the new players coming in will mesh well. Stephen Robinson is a great manager, and I'm excited to see where we go!

Now the fixtures are out, how are you feeling about your side's start to the season?

Where do you think St Mirren will be after the first 10 games? Will their European exploits get in the way of a strong start to the campaign?

Give us your thoughts, external.

St Mirren fans have a European adventure to get excited about, but there's also the small matter of league business to look forward to after the fixtures were released.

Stephen Robinson's side start the season by hosting Hibs and travelling to Aberdeen, before welcoming Celtic to Paisley on the weekend of Saturday, 24 August.

Over the festive season, Rangers are in town on Boxing Day followed by Dundee's visit on Sunday, 29 December.

A trip to Kilmarnock in the new year's round of fixtures comes next as the Buddies visit Rugby Park on Thursday, 2 January.

The final game before the split sees Ross County head to Paisley on the weekend of Saturday, 12 April.

Fixtures for the 2024-25 Scottish Premiership season have been released.

The campaign will kick off with Hearts hosting Rangers at Tynecastle, a repeat of the sides' final league game of last season which ended in a 3-3 draw.

Newly-promoted Dundee United entertain derby rivals Dundee, while Celtic begin their title defence with the visit of Kilmarnock.

Jimmy Thelin's first Premiership game as Aberdeen boss is a trip to Perth to face St Johnstone.

David Gray starts his reign as permanent Hibs head coach away to St Mirren, while Motherwell are to home to Ross County.

The opening round of fixtures will be played from 3-5 August.