St Mirren F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
St Mirren

Full name	St Mirren Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Buddies The Saints
Founded	1877; 148 years ago (1877)
Ground	St Mirren Park, Paisley
Ground Capacity	7,937
Chairman	John Needham
Manager	Stephen Robinson
League	Scottish Championship
2015–16	Scottish Championship, 6th
Home colours Away colours

St Mirren Football Club is a professional football team from Scotland. They are based in Paisley, Renfrewshire. The club plays in the Scottish Premiership, which is the top football league in Scotland. St Mirren won the 2017–18 Scottish Championship to get there.

The club started in 1877. People often call the team The Buddies or The Saints. St Mirren has won the Scottish Cup three times: in 1926, 1959, and 1987. They also won the Scottish League Cup in 2013.

St Mirren has played in European competitions four times before. They will return to Europe in the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League, which is their first time in 37 years! They are also the only Scottish team to win the Anglo-Scottish Cup. They beat Bristol City in 1979–80.

Since 2009, the team's home ground has been St Mirren Park. This stadium is in Paisley and can hold 7,937 fans. Before that, their home was also called St Mirren Park, but everyone knew it as Love Street.

The History of St Mirren Football Club

St Mirren Football Club began as a club for gentlemen in the 1800s. They played sports like cricket and rugby. As football became more popular, the members decided to focus on it. This happened in 1877, which is the club's official start date.

The club is named after Saint Mirin. He founded a church where Paisley Abbey now stands. Saint Mirin is also the Patron Saint of Paisley. The team's first colours were scarlet and blue. After one season, they changed to their famous black and white striped shirts. They have worn these colours almost every season since.

Chart of yearly table positions of St Mirren, 1890–2023

St Mirren played their very first game on October 6, 1877. They beat Johnstone Britannia 1–0. Two years later, the club moved to a new ground called Thistle Park. St Mirren's first Scottish Cup match was on September 4, 1880. They won 3–0 against Johnstone Athletic.

In 1881, St Mirren reached their first cup final. They lost 3–1 to Thornliebank in the Renfrewshire Cup. But in 1883, they got their revenge! St Mirren won the Renfrewshire Cup, beating Thornliebank 3–1. In 1883, the club moved to its third home, West March.

The 1890 season was a big one for St Mirren. They were one of the first teams to form the Scottish Football League. Another Paisley club, Abercorn, also joined. Only five of the original eleven clubs are still in the league today. In 1890, St Mirren played one of the first night games. This happened against Morton using light from oil lamps.

The club moved to Love Street in 1894. The team reached their first Scottish Cup final in 1908. However, they lost 5–1 to Celtic. St Mirren later won the Scottish Cup in 1926, 1959, and 1987.

A cigarette card from 1909 showing Robert Robertson.

In 1922, St Mirren was invited to play in the Barcelona Cup. This tournament celebrated the opening of Les Corts, which was then the home of Barcelona. St Mirren won the tournament by beating Notts County in the final.

In the 1979–80 season, St Mirren had their best-ever finish in the top league. They came in third place, behind Aberdeen and Celtic. That season, The Saints also became the first and last Scottish club to win the Anglo-Scottish Cup. They beat Bristol City in a two-game final.

The next season, St Mirren played in Europe for the first time. They won their first game 2–1 against IF Elfsborg in Sweden. The next round, they played French team Saint-Étienne. St Mirren drew 0–0 at home, but Saint-Étienne won 2–0 in the second game. This put St Mirren out of the cup.

The club has been moved down from the Scottish Premier League twice (in 2001 and 2015). However, they managed to get promoted back up. In 2006, St Mirren won the First Division title. That same season, they also won the Scottish Challenge Cup. They beat Hamilton Academical 2–1 in the final.

In 2010, St Mirren reached the final of the Scottish League Cup. They lost 0–1 to Rangers. But just three days later, they had a famous 4–0 win over Celtic! In March 2013, St Mirren won the Scottish League Cup. They beat Heart of Midlothian 3–2 to win their first cup since 1987.

In the 2010s, the club was praised for its youth development. They helped many young players from their academy become professional footballers. Some of these players even played for the full Scotland national team, like Kenny McLean, Lewis Morgan, and John McGinn.

St Mirren's Home Stadium

The SMiSA Stadium, St Mirren FC in 2017.

Before moving to their current ground, St Mirren played at four different places. They moved to their famous home, Love Street, in 1894. The most people ever to watch a game there was 47,438. This was for a match against Celtic in 1949.

Love Street was updated in the late 1990s. It became a stadium with 10,866 seats. The newest part, the West or Reid Kerr Family Stand, was built in 2000. This helped Love Street meet the rules for the Scottish Premier League.

In 2005, the club got permission to build a new stadium. They sold Love Street to a supermarket chain. This sale helped the club pay for the new stadium and clear their debts. On January 15, 2009, St Mirren moved to their new 8,000-seat stadium. It is also called St Mirren Park.

The first game at the new stadium was a 1–1 draw with Kilmarnock. St Mirren's first big win there was on March 7, 2009. They beat Celtic 1–0 in a cup game. The stadium's seating capacity was changed to 7,937 in 2017. It is currently known as The SMiSA Stadium.

Team Colours and Sponsors

A St. Mirren shirt on display at the Scottish Football Museum.

St Mirren's traditional home colours are black and white stripes. However, for their very first season, they wore scarlet and blue. There are different ideas about why black and white were chosen. One idea is that the stripes represent the Black and White Cart rivers in Paisley. Another thought is that the monks in the local abbey wore black and white striped clothes.

The team's kits have not changed much over the years. The thickness of the stripes has varied, and some years have even seen horizontal stripes. St Mirren was the first club in the world to play in black and white vertical stripes in 1884. This was six years before Notts County.

Away kits are usually red or all black. But sometimes, they have been different colours like orange or light blue. The club has had different kit makers over the years, including Hummel, Carbrini, Diadora, Joma, and now Macron.

The club's headquarters in 2014.

St Mirren has had many main sponsors. Many of these have been from the transport industry, like bus companies and car dealerships. From 2005 to 2017, Braehead Shopping Centre was a main sponsor. Currently, Consilium Contracting Services sponsors the club.

Meet the Mascots

St Mirren has three fun mascots, who are all pandas! Their names are Paisley Panda, Junior P, and Mrs Panda. Paisley Panda and Junior P are the ones you will usually see at games.

Club Rivalries

St Mirren has a big rivalry with their nearby team, Greenock Morton. This rivalry is known as the Renfrewshire derby. Fans of both teams feel very strongly about these matches!

St Mirren Club Records

• Highest home attendance: 47,438 fans against Celtic on August 20, 1949.
• Biggest victory: 15–0 against Glasgow University in the Scottish Cup, on January 30, 1960.
• Most games played for Scotland: Iain Munro and Billy Thomson, with 7 appearances each.
• Most games played for their country (non-Scotland): Mo Camara, with 79 appearances for Guinea.
• Youngest Player: Dylan Reid, who was 16 years and 6 days old when he played against Rangers on March 6, 2021.
• Most Competitive Appearances: Hugh Murray, with 462 games from 1997 to 2012.
• Most League goals: David McCrae, with 221 goals from 1923 to 1934.
• Most League goals in one season: Dunky Walker, with 45 goals in 1921–22.
• Record transfer fee paid: £400,000 for Thomas Stickroth in March 1990.
• Record transfer fee received: £850,000 from Rangers for Ian Ferguson in February 1988.
• Longest unbeaten league run: 34 games, from November 18, 1967, to November 16, 1968.

The Players

First-team squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Ellery Balcombe (on loan from Brentford) 3 DF Scott Tanser 4 DF Alex Iacovitti 5 DF Richard Taylor 6 MF Mark O'Hara (captain) 7 FW Jonah Ayunga 8 MF Oisin Smyth 9 FW Mikael Mandron 10 FW Conor McMenamin 11 MF Greg Kiltie 12 MF Roland Idowu (on loan from Shrewsbury Town) 13 MF Alex Gogić 14 FW James Scott

No. Position Player 15 MF Caolan Boyd-Munce 18 DF Charles Dunne 20 FW Toyosi Olusanya 22 DF Marcus Fraser (vice-captain) 23 MF Dennis Adeniran 24 DF Declan John 26 DF Luke Kenny 27 GK Peter Urminský 28 DF Callum Penman 31 GK Shay Kelly 33 FW Evan Mooney 42 DF Elvis Bwomono 88 MF Killian Phillips (on loan from Crystal Palace)

Players on Loan

No. Position Player 24 FW Lewis Jamieson (on loan at Raith Rovers) 25 FW Kieran Offord (on loan at Crusaders) 29 DF Gallagher Lennon (on loan at Annan Athletic)

No. Position Player 30 MF Fraser Taylor (on loan at Arbroath) 32 MF Owen Foster (on loan at Cumbernauld Colts)

Club Staff

Coaching Staff

Board of Directors

Team Managers

St Mirren in European Competitions

St Mirren has played in several European football tournaments. Here's how they have done:

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
1980–81	UEFA Cup	First round	IF Elfsborg	0–0	2–1	2–1
		Second round	Saint-Étienne	0–0	0–2	0–2
1983–84	UEFA Cup	First round	Feyenoord	0–1	0–2	0–3
1985–86	UEFA Cup	First round	Slavia Prague	3–0 (a.e.t.)	0–1	3–1
		Second round	Hammarby IF	1–2	3–3	4–5
1987–88	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	First round	Tromsø	1–0	0–0	1–0
		Second round	Mechelen	0–2	0–0	0–2
2024–25	UEFA Conference League	Second qualifying round	Valur	4–1	0–0	4–1
		Third qualifying round	SK Brann	1–1	1–3	2–4

Club Honours

St Mirren has won many trophies throughout its history. Here are some of their most important wins:

Major Honours

• Scottish Cup:
  • Winners (3 times): 1926, 1959, 1987
  • Runners-up (lost in the final): 1908, 1934, 1962
• Scottish League Cup:
  • Winners (1 time): 2013
  • Runners-up: 1956, 2010

Other Honours

• Scottish league, second tier (5 times): 1968, 1977, 2000, 2006, 2018
• Scottish Challenge Cup: 2005
• Renfrewshire Cup (55 times): 1883, 1884, 1888, 1891, 1894, 1897, 1898, 1904, 1910, 1911, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1941, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1967, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
• Victory Cup: 1919
• Anglo-Scottish Cup: 1980
• Summer Cup: 1943
• Epson Invitational Tournament: 1987
• Barcelona Cup Winners: 1922

Other Sports at St Mirren

Robert Mitchell, who was part of St Mirren F.C., was also a great runner. He won the Scottish 880 yards title five times between 1889 and 1894. He also set new Scottish records for two distances. At a St Mirren FC Sports event in 1890, he ran 880 yards in 2 minutes and 2/5 seconds. This was a new Scottish record! In 1889, he set another record for 600 yards.

See also

In Spanish: St. Mirren Football Club para niños