First Team
PREVIEW | St Mirren v Saints
18th October 2019
Saints head to Paisley this weekend to face St Mirren in the Ladbrokes Premiership with the opportunity to leapfrog tomorrow's hosts with a win.
Tommy Wright's men are still searching for the first league victory of the season but recent performances have been encouraging and the Manager will be hoping that his players can deliver that all important three points on Saturday afternoon.
St Mirren themselves have only one win so far this season - a 1-0 home win against Aberdeen on matchday two - and currently sit one point and one place about Saints in 11th.
Victory tomorrow could see Saints rise as high as 9th depending on results elsewhere in the Ladbrokes Premiership this weekend.
TEAM NEWS
The Manager has only Liam Gordon unavailable for selection tomorrow as the centre-back continues his comeback from a knee ligament injury.
Liam Craig has been back in training this week after a spell on the sidelines while Jason Holt has also been in full training.
All players who suffered knocks in the last fixture against Ross County before the international break have recovered and the trio of players who were on international duty have all returned fit and ready for selection.
PRE-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE
The Manager:
"It's obviously an important game for us because we know that if we win we move off the bottom of the table which will be a positive step.
"We're still searching for that first win and we know that at both ends of the pitch we must be better. On a whole performances have been good but between individual mistakes and not taking our chances we've still not managed to get three points.
"The missed penalties against Ross County and Motherwell cost us too but hopefully if we can put in a similar performance as we did in Dingwall we'll get the three points.
"We should've had four wins against St Mirren last season but for a wonderstrike down there last time out.
"Having watched them this season, Jim has them well organised and difficult to break down. It's been at the other end of the pitch that they've struggled. We know it'll be a tough game but we are prepared and ready to get our first win on the board."
Drey Wright:
"The boys put in a good performance last time out against Ross County and that should give us confidence going into tomorrow's game.
"I think anyone watching our games can see we are doing the right things and our performances are not far off. We've maybe just had a bit of bad luck at times with penalties and defensive errors costing us.
"The signs are certainly there that results will improve shortly hopefully starting with tomorrow.
"I missed out on playing in a few stadiums up here last season at St Mirren's was one of them so hopefully I'll be involved in some way tomorrow and I'll get my first outing there."
SUPPORTER INFORMATION
It's a 3PM kick-off on Saturday and away supporters must purchase a ticket before the match from the North Stand Ticket Office in Paisley. Ticket prices for Saints fans are as follows:
- Adults - £22
- Concessions (Over 65s & Full-time students with valid ID card) - £12
- U12s - £6
- Ambulant disabled* - £12
- Wheelchair and Carer - £12 for both tickets
*If ambulant disabled supporter receives the highest rate of PIP for mobility purposes then they will be entitled to a free carer. Proof must be provided at the Ticket Office
The Club has received information from St Mirren FC about pre-match activities taking place on Saturday in which Saints fans are welcome to take part.
There will be a giant inflatable 'human table football' for a pre-match kickabout between the two sets of young supporters, plus other activities such as face painting, balloon art, Beat the Goalie, football skill zone and live music.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Saints hold the superior head-to-head record against The Buddies overall with 57 wins in 125 matches between the two clubs.
St Mirren have 32 wins to their name with the fixture ending in a draw on 36 occasions.
Tommy Wright's men are undefeated in their last fouer trips to Paisley, winning on three occasions including a 1-0 victory on Boxing Day 2018.
The last time The Buddies defeated Saints at home was back in October 2013. The match ended 4-3 with Kenny McLean (2), Paul McGowan and Stephen Thompson on target for the home side. Steven MacLean, Nigel Hasselbaink and Rory Fallon were the scorers for Saints that day.