St Mirren

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As starts - and ends - to a season go, St Mirren are in for a stiff test.

Stephen Robinson's side face last season's Scottish Premiership top three in the first four games of the new term, and the top two and Scottish Cup winners, in the final four.

After lifting the curtain on the campaign away to champions Celtic, the Buddies welcome Motherwell to Paisley on Saturday, 9 August.

Russell Martin's Rangers come to town two weeks later, before St Mirren wrap up August in the capital against Hibernian.

A jam-packed, six-game December sees festive trips to Aberdeen (6 December), Hearts (13 December) and Rangers (30 December).

Fast forward to the end of the pre-split campaign and it's equally eye-opening. The Buddies wrap up the season where they started it at Celtic Park on Saturday, 11 April.

The week before, the Dons are at the SMISA after Rangers visit two matchdays before.

It's quite the start, middle and end for the Buddies... what do you make of it?

Looking at the fixture list, where do you think St Mirren will be after 10 games? Tell us here.

St Mirren will travel to champions Celtic in their opening game of the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership season.

The match will take place on Sunday, 3 August at 16:30 BST, with the Buddies' first home fixture against Motherwell on Saturday, 9 August at 15:00.

See St Mirren's Scottish Premiership fixtures in full here.

Where do you think the Buddies will be after 10 games and what do you make of how the fixtures have fallen? Tell us here.

No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Friday when the Scottish Premiership fixtures are released.

That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and the run-in to the split.

This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Friday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.

The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 2 August and will conclude on Sunday, 17 May 2026.

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St Mirren have appointed John Park as head of recruitment and emerging talent after Martin Foyle left to join Carlisle United.

Park was most recently head of recruitment at Blackburn Rovers and has also worked for clubs including Celtic, Rangers, Birmingham City, Maccabi Haifa and Vancouver Whitecaps.

St Mirren CEO Keith Lasley said: "We are sorry to see Martin moving on and wish him the best of luck in his new challenge.

"His contributions have been key in the club's progression over the past few seasons and we thank him for all his efforts.

"We have, however, moved quickly to bring John to the club and we are excited to welcome him to St Mirren.

"John's experiences across the world, significantly in player trading and youth development, make him the ideal person to build upon the relative success at the club over the past few years in line with our club strategy."

Manager Stephen Robinson says the exit of "close friend" Foyle is a "sad loss for the club".

He added: "Martin has been an integral part of what we've done over the past three-and-a-half years and he's been an integral part of what I've done as a manager over 10 years now.

"The club have appointed John and it's important that we get working together quickly, build a relationship and I look forward to that."

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"All the attributes are there" for new St Mirren signing Jayden Richardson to be a success in Paisley, says manager Stephen Robinson.

The former Aberdeen defender, who was most recently at Boreham Wood in England's fifth tier, has penned a two-year deal with the Buddies.

"Jayden is someone I tried to sign a few seasons ago," Robinson said. "He has got a lot of attributes that I like in a wing-back/full-back.

"He's quick, he's strong, he's tall and very like Ryan [Alebiosu] who was with us last season. All the attributes are there and it's up to us to get that quality out of him."

Richardson, who is a product of Nottingham Forest's academy, added: "I can bring energy, pace and power, and hopefully that athleticism up and down can get the fans on the edge of their seats.

"I know what [Scottish football] is like. When I was up here in the past, playing against St Mirren, we knew it was a tough game no matter what and the fans here were outstanding."

St Mirren hope to sign 24-year-old Boreham Wood full-back Jayden Richardson, who spent the 2022-23 season with Aberdeen. (Daily Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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New signing Richard King will be a "really good asset" for St Mirren, says manager Stephen Robinson.

The Buddies have signed the 23-year-old defender on a two-year deal from Jamaican side Cavalier.

Robinson says St Mirren have "tracked" the Jamaica international "for a long time and kept up with his progress".

"He's quick, he's strong and he's a project for us as well as it's a step up in level," the Northern Irishman added.

"We believe he can be a really good asset for the football club when he returns from playing in the Concacaf Gold Cup.

"We think he will add real competition to the boys we've already got and give us another option in that department."

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Greg Kiltie has returned to Kilmarnock from St Mirren on a two-year deal in search of "guaranteed first-team football".

Both Scottish Premiership clubs have signed off an "undisclosed agreement" for the 28-year-old attacking midfielder to re-join the Ayrshire club.

Kiltie, who scored 11 goals and provided 17 assists in 142 games for St Mirren, left Rugby Park for Paisley in 2021, but his minutes were limited in the second half of last season.

Buddies boss Stephen Robinson says Kiltie has been an "integral part" of what the team has achieved in recent years, earning three straight top-six finishes.

"He's a great boy and a very talented player," Robinson added. "But Greg felt he wanted guaranteed first-team football and he had an opportunity at Kilmarnock and we wouldn't stand in his way."

Meanwhile, Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell said: "Greg is a player I've admired for a number of years and he's one I'm confident will fit in well with our squad.

"Greg is a local lad, and Kilmarnock is his team, it was clear when speaking to him he was eager to come back and I am delighted we could make it happen."

Kiltie, who registered 20 goals and 16 assists in 134 games during his first spell at Kilmarnock, added: "When I heard this could be a possibility then obviously I jumped at the chance to get it done and I'm just delighted to be back.

"I always felt I wanted to come back, but in football you never know, you're just hoping the timing is going to be right and everything aligns.

"I had a chat with the manager and he explained what he was thinking and obviously his ambition and my ambitions. I won't go into it too much, but obviously we're both ambitious and want the team to be successful."

Swansea City goalkeeper Andy Fisher, 27, who was on loan at St Johnstone last season, is a possible target for St Mirren. (Scottish Sun), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

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The SPFL confirmed attendances have risen for a third consecutive season and thanked fans for their "incredible support".

Crowds across all leagues, cups and play-off matches totalled more than 5.3 million, a rise of nearly 185,000 from the 2023-24 season.

"We will be having further meetings with key stakeholders over the summer to review the most recent season and look ahead to 2025-26," the SPFL statement ends.

"We remain committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable matchday experience for players and supporters - they are the lifeblood of our game and deserve nothing less."

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

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St Mirren head coach Steven Robinson hopes to use Aberdeen's Scottish Cup success and the celebrations that followed as inspiration as he eyes up similar scenes in Paisley next season.

"When you're in Scotland, you probably have to accept that you're not going to win the league, if you're realistic" Robinson said.

"But, you can always win a cup. You need a bit of luck, you need a good draw, or get a good run and I've not managed that at St Mirren.

"[Aberdeen winning the Scottish Cup] is good for Scottish football. It was good to see.

"I've been to finals twice with Motherwell and I saw what it did to the town, the togetherness it brought, so that is certainly a driving force.

"My head of recruitment Martin Foyle said 'you could do with a cup run' and I'm like 'thanks Martin, I know that and we're trying'.

"It's something that will drive us forward and it is one of our aims."

Read more from Liam's interview with Robinson here.

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St Mirren are set to sign Jamaica defender Richard King, 23, after agreeing a fee with his club Cavalier. (Record), external

But a move to St Mirren is not on for Bournemouth goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, 22. (Herald - subscription required), external

Read Monday's Scottish gossip

St Mirren have their eye on 22-year-old Bournemouth goalkeeper Alex Paulsen, who has been on loan to Auckland, if they are unable to retain Zach Hemming following his loan from Middlesbrough. (Sunday Mail), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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"Emotional" St Mirren midfielder Killian Phillips described his first cap for the Republic of Ireland as the "proudest moment of my life".

The 23-year-old enjoyed a stellar season at club level in Paisley, becoming a key part of Stephen Robinson's side, and was rewarded with an international debut in Friday's 1-1 draw with Senegal.

Phillips, whose loan stay at St Mirren will become a permanent one this summer, came on as a second-half substitute in Dublin.

"It's been along journey, a lot of sacrifices over the years," he told RTE Sport.

"This is what I've always wanted to do. I just wanted to wear the green shirt at least once.

"I'm a bit emotional at the minute, but I'm over the moon. I don't want to be a one-cap wonder now."

St Mirren are braced for an approach from Plymouth Argyle for manager Stephen Robinson with the Pilgrims on the hunt for a replacement after Miron Muslic left to join Schalke last week following their relegation to League One. (Scottish Sun), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Liam McLeod
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

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Stephen Robinson is eager to bring full-back Ryan Alebiosu back to St Mirren for next season but admits "bigger offers" could scupper his hopes.

The 23-year-old Arsenal youth product joined during the winter transfer window on loan from Belgian side Kortrijk and played a big role as the Buddies secured a third successive top-six finish.

"I would love to bring him back," manager Robinson told BBC Scotland.

"He changed our whole dynamic in terms of the way we play and he was more like a winger, and it was the same with [Declan John], they gave us something different."

Alebiosu and John arrived after a three-month period where Robinson was shorn of three first-team players as Shaun Rooney, Jaden Brown and Kevin van Veen all cut ties with the club amid off-field issues early in the season.

"The problem with that was we weren't able to replace them," the Northern Irishman added. "It was outside the transfer window so we had to wait until Christmas.

"Obviously it was circumstances no manager wants to deal with anyway, but not being able to replace them and enhance the squad was tough. But we got there.

"We thought Declan was a fantastic player, but he hadn't played for months so we knew that was going to take a long time to get him up to speed.

"Nobody wanted Ryan, nobody wanted to take a chance on him. He'd been at Kilmarnock and done okay. We tried to sign him when he was at Arsenal, but we didn't have the funds.

"I believe he's got bigger offers and bigger football clubs interested now unfortunately."

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A game against MK Dons in Spain is among three friendlies St Mirren will play this summer to prepare for the 2025-26 season.

The Buddies visit Dumbarton on Saturday 28 June (14:00 BST) then take on English League Two MK Dons a week later on 5 July (10:00) during their training camp in Spain.

Stephen Robinson's side complete their preparations with a Renrewshire derby against Morton at Cappielow in the Communities Cup on Tuesday 8 July (19:45) before beginning the new season with a League Cup group game at Arbroath four days later.