2016–17 St Mirren F.C. season

St Mirren

2016–17 season
Chairman	Gordon Scott
Manager	Alex Rae (until 18 September) Allan McManus (interim from 19 September–8 October) Jack Ross (from 9 October–)
Stadium	St Mirren Park
Championship	10th (ongoing)
Challenge Cup	Semi Finals vs. The New Saints (ongoing)
League Cup	Group Stage (Eliminated)
Scottish Cup	Fourth Round vs. Dundee (ongoing)
Top goalscorer	League: Ryan Hardie, John Sutton and Tom Walsh (3 goals) All: John Sutton (7 goals)
Highest home attendance	4,997 vs Greenock Morton (6 August 2016)
Lowest home attendance	2,126 vs Dunfermline Athletic (19 November 2016)
Average home league attendance	3,351
← 2015–16 2017–18 →

The 2016–17 season is the club's second season in the Scottish Championship. St Mirren will also compete in the Challenge Cup, the League Cup and the Scottish Cup.

Month by month review

May

3 May - The club announced the departure of 13 players from last seasons playing squad. The players leaving at the end of their contracts are Sean Kelly, Jim Goodwin, Alan Gow, Stuart Carswell, Cameron Howieson, Scott Agnew, Barry Cuddihy, Jaison McGrath and Alex Cooper. Saints icon Steven Thompson has retired, Keith Watson has signed a pre-contract agreement with St Johnstone, and loanees David Clarkson and Lawrence Shankland return to their parent clubs.^[1]

9 May - Midfielder, Jordan Stewart, signed a one-year professional contract with the club.^[2]

10 May - Kyle Hutton signed a two-year contract with the club, after leaving Queen of the South.^[3]

13 May - forward Calum Gallagher signed a one-year contract extension, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2017.^[4]

19 May - after being released by Motherwell, forward David Clarkson returned to Saints after signing a one-year deal.^[5]

20 May - Andy Webster, who was club captain for most of last season, signed a one-year contract extension with the club.^[6]

June

2 June - 30-year-old defender Ben Gordon signed for Saints after leaving relegated Livingston. Gordon was a former youth player with Saints, and signed a one-year deal.^[7]

21 June - defender Gary MacKenzie signed a one-year deal with Saints after being released by Doncaster Rovers.^[8]

23 June - goalkeeper Scott Gallacher signed a one-year deal with the club, after leaving Alloa Athletic.^[9]

28 June - former Saints striker, John Sutton, returned to the club after signing a two-year deal.^[10]

July

17 July - midfielder Tom Walsh joined the club on a six-month loan deal from Rangers.^[11]

19 July - Aberdeen striker Lawrence Shankland returned to the club on a season-long loan deal, after having a success spell with the club last season.^[12]

22 July - Gordon Scott became the new chairman of the club, after a takeover was completed today. Scott and the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association (SMISA) bought out former chairman Stewart Gilmour.^[13]

26 July - striker Ryan Hardie joined on loan from Rangers until January 2017.^[14]

August

4 August - Lewis Morgan signed a one-year contract extension, tying him to the club until 2018.^[15]

September

16 September - Defender Ben Gordon, joined Alloa Athletic on loan until January 2017, a week after making his debut for Saints.^[16]

18 September - after a winless start to the season, manager Alex Rae and his assistant manager David Farrell, were sacked. The head of the Saints academy, Allan McManus, takes over as interim boss.^[17]

October

4 October - Alloa Athletic manager, Jack Ross, was appointed new Saints manager.^[18]

7 October - James Fowler was appointed new Saints Assistant manager.^[19]

November

14 November - Saints were drawn at home to Welsh side, The New Saints, in the Semi Finals of the Scottish Challenge Cup.^[20]

29 November - midfielder Kyle Hutton moved to Scottish League One side Airdrieonians on an emergency loan deal until January 2017.^[21]

Squad list

As of 4 December 2016^[22]

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of Birth (Age)	Signed From	Signed in	Signed until	Apps.	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Jamie Langfield		GK	22 December 1979	Aberdeen	2015	2017	51	0
12	Scott Gallacher		GK	15 July 1989	Alloa Athletic	2016	2017	8	0
Defenders
2	Jason Naismith		DF	25 June 1994	St Mirren youth team	2012	2017	99	4
3	Gary Irvine		DF	17 March 1985	Dundee	2016	2017	37	0
4	Andy Webster (c)		DF	23 April 1982	Coventry City	2015	2017	46	0
5	Ben Gordon		DF	7 October 1985	Livingston	2016	2017	6	1
6	Gary MacKenzie		DF	15 October 1985	Doncaster Rovers	2016	2017	11	0
15	Jack Baird		DF	7 February 1996	St Mirren youth team	2014	2017	64	3
Midfielders
8	Rocco Quinn		MF	7 September 1986	Ross County	2016	2018	21	1
10	Stevie Mallan		MF	25 March 1996	St Mirren youth team	2014	2018	87	21
14	Kyle Hutton		MF	5 February 1991	Queen of the South	2016	2018	17	0
16	Tom Walsh		MF	11 July 1996	Rangers (loan)	2016	2017	16	4
17	Lewis Morgan		MF	30 September 1996	Rangers	2014	2018	51	4
18	Lewis McLear		MF	26 May 1996	St Mirren youth team	2014	2018	19	0
19	Jordan Stewart		MF	5 March 1996	St Mirren youth team	2015	2017	26	1
Forwards
7	David Clarkson		FW	10 September 1985	Motherwell	2016	2017	30	4
9	John Sutton		FW	26 December 1983	St Johnstone	2016	2018	97	37
11	Calum Gallagher		FW	13 September 1994	Rangers	2016	2017	52	8
20	Ryan Hardie		FW	17 March 1997	Rangers (loan)	2016	2017	14	3
25	Lawrence Shankland		FW	10 August 1995	Aberdeen (loan)	2016	2017	51	14

Results & fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Pre season / Friendlies

St Mirren v Stirling Albion

5 July 2016 Friendly (Closed Doors)	St Mirren	4 – 3	Stirling Albion	Ralston Training Complex
19:00	Clarkson Sutton	Report	Smith Ferns

Livingston v St Mirren

9 July 2016 Friendly	Livingston	Cancelled[23]	St Mirren	Almondvale Stadium
15:00

Stenhousemuir v St Mirren

9 July 2016 Friendly	Stenhousemuir	1 – 3	St Mirren	Ochilview Park
14:00	Smith  13'	Report	Clarkson  38', 68' Sutton  66'	Referee: Alan Muir

St Mirren v Airdrieonians

12 July 2016 Friendly (Closed Doors)	St Mirren	1 – 0	Airdrieonians	Ralston Training Complex
	Clarkson

Scottish Championship

St Mirren v Greenock Morton

6 August 2016 1	St Mirren	1 – 1	Greenock Morton	St Mirren Park
15:00	Sutton  83'	BBC Report	O'Ware  17'	Attendance: 4,997 Referee: Steven McLean

Raith Rovers v St Mirren

13 August 2016 2	Raith Rovers	3 – 1	St Mirren	Stark's Park
15:00	McManus  17', 51' Callachan  50'	BBC Report	Hardie  63'	Attendance: 2,140 Referee: Kevin Graham

St. Mirren v Hibernian

20 August 2016 3	St. Mirren	0 – 2	Hibernian	St Mirren Park
15:00		BBC Report	Cummings  22', 32'	Attendance: 4,517 Referee: Don Robertson

Ayr United v St Mirren

27 August 2016 4	Ayr United	1 – 1	St Mirren	Somerset Park
15:00	Adams  14'	BBC Report	Walsh  89'	Attendance: 2,165 Referee: Crawford Allan

St Mirren v Queen of the South

10 September 2016 5	St Mirren	1 – 3	Queen of the South	St Mirren Park
15:00	Walsh  41'	BBC Report	Lyle  12', 43' Dobbie  55'	Attendance: 3,102 Referee: Barry Cook

Dumbarton v St Mirren

17 September 2016 6	Dumbarton	1 – 1	St Mirren	The Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium
15:00	Stirling  15'	BBC Report	Hardie  41'	Attendance: 1,101 Referee: Stephen Finnie

Dunfermline Athletic v St Mirren

24 September 2016 7	Dunfermline Athletic	4 – 3	St Mirren	East End Park
17:15	Clark  40', 77' Webster  62' (o.g.) El Alagui  85'	BBC Report	Sutton  31', 45' Hardie  81'	Attendance: 2,732 Referee: Greg Aitken

St Mirren v Falkirk

1 October 2016 8	St Mirren	1 – 1	Falkirk	St Mirren Park
17:15	Walsh  87'	BBC Report	Sibbald  9'	Attendance: 2,344 Referee: John Beaton

St Mirren v Dundee United

15 October 2016 9	St Mirren	0 – 2	Dundee United	St Mirren Park
15:00		BBC Report	Fraser  38' Andreu  74'	Attendance: 3,612 Referee: Nick Walsh

Hibernian v St Mirren

29 October 2016 10	Hibernian	2 – 0	St Mirren	Easter Road
15:00	Boyle  8' Holt  34'	BBC Report		Attendance: 14,485 Referee: Don Robertson

Greenock Morton v St Mirren

1 November 2016 11	Greenock Morton	3 – 1	St Mirren	Cappielow
19:45	O'Ware  15' Forbes  27' Oliver  68'	BBC Report	Gordon  86'	Attendance: 3,378 Referee: Willie Collum

St Mirren v Dumbarton

5 November 2016 12	St Mirren	0 – 1	Dumbarton	St Mirren Park
15:00		BBC Report	Fleming  63'	Attendance: 2,758 Referee: John McKendrick

St Mirren v Dunfermline Athletic

19 November 2016 13	St Mirren	0 – 1	Dunfermline Athletic	St Mirren Park
17:15		BBC Report	Clark  26'	Attendance: 2,126 Referee: Nick Walsh

Falkirk v St Mirren

3 December 2016 14	Falkirk	3 – 1	St Mirren	Falkirk Stadium
15:00	Miller  47' McHugh  78' Hippolyte  83'	BBC Report	Morgan  17'	Attendance: 4,486 Referee: Craig Thomson

Queen of the South v St Mirren

6 December 2016 15	Queen of the South	v	St Mirren	Palmerston Park
19:45

Scottish Challenge Cup

Albion Rovers v St Mirren

3 September 2016 Round 3	Albion Rovers	3 – 4 (a.e.t.)	St Mirren	Cliftonhill
15:00	Ross Dunlop  6', 40' Michael Dunlop  13'	SPFL report	Morgan  30' Mallan  35' Sutton  38' Shankland  98'	Attendance: 711 Referee: Mike Roncone

Hibernian v St Mirren

8 October 2016 Round 4	Hibernian	1 – 2	St Mirren	Easter Road
15:00	Harris  37'	BBC Report	Mallan  41' Clarkson  82'	Attendance: 4,393 Referee: Willie Collum

St Mirren v Ayr United

13 November 2016 Quarter Finals	St Mirren	2 – 1	Ayr United	St Mirren Park
12:30	Sutton  83', 85'	BBC Report	Andy O'Connell  68'	Attendance: 2,199 Referee: Crawford Allan

St Mirren v The New Saints

18/19 February 2017 Semi Finals	St Mirren	v	The New Saints	St Mirren Park
TBC

Scottish League Cup

Livingston v St Mirren

16 July 2016 Group G	Livingston	2 – 3	St Mirren	Almondvale Stadium
15:00	Nicky Cadden  50' Carrick  68'	BBC Report	Clarkson  13', 81' Morgan  74'	Attendance: 894 Referee: Gavin Duncan

St Mirren v Ayr United

19 July 2016 Group G	St Mirren	1 – 0	Ayr United	St Mirren Park
19:45	Baird  90+3'	BBC Report		Attendance: 2,098 Referee: John Beaton

Hamilton Academical v St Mirren

23 July 2016 Group G	Hamilton Academical	3 – 0	St Mirren	New Douglas Park
15:00	Crawford  13' Imrie  51' Donati  70'	SPFL Report		Attendance: 1,379 Referee: Don Robertson

St Mirren v Edinburgh City

30 July 2016 Group G	St Mirren	3 – 0	Edinburgh City	St Mirren Park
15:00	Shankland  12' Walsh  30' Baird  33'	SPFL Report		Attendance: 1,800 Referee: Steven Kirkland

Scottish Cup

St Mirren v Spartans

26 November 2016 Round 3	St Mirren	5 – 1	Spartans	St Mirren Park
15:00	Shankland  15', 68' Mallan  20' Kyle McAllister  32' Sutton  63'	BBC Report	Jack Beesley  73'	Attendance: 1,147 Referee: [[Kevin Graham (referee}|Kevin Graham]]

Dundee v St Mirren

21/22 January 2017 Round 4	Dundee	v	St Mirren	Dens Park
TBC

Player statistics

Captains

No.	P	Name	Country	No. games	Notes
3	DF	Gary Irvine		12
4	DF	Andy Webster		10

Last updated: 4 December 2016
Source: Competitive match reports.
Competitive matches only
Matches started as captain only
Country: FIFA nationality; No.: Squad number; P: Position; Name: Player name; No. Games: Number of games started as captain.

Appearances and goals

Last updated 4 December 2016^[24]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Championship		Challenge Cup		League Cup		Scottish Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK		Jamie Langfield	12	0	8+0	0	2+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
2	DF		Jason Naismith	21	0	14+0	0	2+0	0	4+0	0	1+0	0
3	DF		Gary Irvine	21	0	14+0	0	3+0	0	3+0	0	1+0	0
4	DF		Andy Webster	11	0	5+1	0	1+0	0	4+0	0	0+0	0
5	DF		Ben Gordon	6	1	4+1	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
6	DF		Gary MacKenzie	11	0	7+0	0	3+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
7	FW		David Clarkson	18	3	6+5	0	2+1	1	4+0	2	0+0	0
8	MF		Rocco Quinn	8	0	4+0	0	1+1	0	1+0	0	0+1	0
9	FW		John Sutton	22	7	10+4	3	3+0	3	3+1	0	1+0	1
10	MF		Stevie Mallan	22	3	14+0	0	3+0	2	4+0	0	1+0	1
11	FW		Calum Gallagher	11	0	2+4	0	0+1	0	3+1	0	0+0	0
12	GK		Scott Gallagher	10	0	6+0	0	1+0	0	2+0	0	1+0	0
14	MF		Kyle Hutton	16	0	11+0	0	2+0	0	3+0	0	0+0	0
15	DF		Jack Baird	19	2	12+0	0	2+0	0	4+0	2	0+1	0
16	FW		Tom Walsh	16	4	4+6	3	2+1	0	1+2	1	0+0	0
17	MF		Lewis Morgan	21	3	13+0	1	3+0	1	4+0	1	1+0	0
18	MF		Lewis McLear	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
19	DF		Jordan Stewart	7	0	1+2	0	1+1	0	1+1	0	0+0	0
20	FW		Ryan Hardie	14	3	8+5	3	0+0	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
25	FW		Lawrence Shankland	19	4	5+7	0	0+3	1	1+2	1	1+0	2
29	MF		Kyle McAllister	6	1	3+0	0	1+0	0	0+1	0	1+0	1
34	MF		Kalvin Orsi	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
35	MF		Darren Whyte	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
39	DF		Andrew McDonald	1	0	0+0	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
42	FW		Kyle Magennis	7	0	3+2	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitive matches.

Last updated 4 December 2016

Number	Nation	Position	Name	Total		Championship		Challenge Cup		League Cup		Scottish Cup
14		MF	Kyle Hutton	7	0	5	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
15		DF	Jack Baird	4	1	3	1	0	0	1	0	0	0
6		DF	Gary MacKenzie	4	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
10		MF	Stevie Mallan	4	0	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
25		FW	Lawrence Shankland	4	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
3		MF	Gary Irvine	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2		DF	Jason Naismith	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4		DF	Andy Webster	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
19		DF	Jordan Stewart	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7		FW	David Clarkson	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
5		DF	Ben Gordon	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8		MF	Rocco Quinn	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9		FW	John Sutton	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
39		DF	Andrew McDonald	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0

Team statistics

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
1	Hibernian	15	9	4	2	26	8	+18	31	Promotion to Scottish Premiership
2	Dundee United	15	9	4	2	24	12	+12	31	Qualification to Premiership play-off semi-finals
3	Falkirk	15	7	4	4	21	16	+5	25	Qualification to Premiership play-off quarter-finals
4	Greenock Morton	14	6	5	3	21	15	+6	23
5	Raith Rovers	14	6	5	3	19	14	+5	23
6	Queen of the South	14	5	3	6	16	21	−5	18
7	Ayr United	15	4	4	7	13	22	−9	16
8	Dumbarton	15	3	5	7	14	21	−7	14
9	Dunfermline Athletic	15	3	4	8	17	25	−8	13	Qualification to Championship play-offs
10	St Mirren	14	0	4	10	11	28	−17	4	Relegation to Scottish League One

Updated to match(es) played on 3 December 2016. Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Division summary

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
Ground	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A
Result	D	L	L	D	L	D	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	L
Position	7	9	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10

Last updated: 4 December 2016.
Source: ^[25]
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

Management statistics

Last updated on 4 December 2016

Name	From	To	P	W	D	L	Win%[nb 1]
Rae, AlexAlex Rae[26]	3 May 2016	18 September 2016	11	4	3	4	36.36
Allan McManus (interim)Allan McManus[27]	19 September 2016	8 October 2016	3	1	1	1	33.33
Jack RossJack Ross[28]	9 October 2016	Present	8	2	0	6	25.00

Transfers

Players in

Position	Nationality	Name	From	Transfer Window	Ends	Fee	Source
MF		Kyle Hutton	Queen of the South	Summer	2018	Free	[3]
FW		David Clarkson	Motherwell	Summer	2017	Free	[5]
DF		Ben Gordon	Livingston	Summer	2017	Free	[7]
DF		Gary MacKenzie	Doncaster Rovers	Summer	2017	Free	[8]
GK		Scott Gallagher	Alloa Athletic	Summer	2017	Free	[9]
FW		John Sutton	St Johnstone	Summer	2018	Free	[10]
FW		Tom Walsh	Rangers	Summer	2017 (January)	Loan	[11]
FW		Lawrence Shankland	Aberdeen	Summer	2017	Loan	[12]
FW		Ryan Hardie	Rangers	Summer	2017 (January)	Loan	[14]

Players out

Position	Nationality	Name	To / Type	Transfer Window	Fee	Source
DF		Sean Kelly	End of contract	Summer	Free	[1]
MF		Jim Goodwin	Alloa Athletic	Summer	Free	[1]
MF		Alan Gow	End of contract	Summer	Free	[1]
MF		Stuart Carswell	End of contract	Summer	Free	[1]
MF		Cameron Howieson	End of contract	Summer	Free	[1]
MF		Scott Agnew	Stranraer	Summer	Free	[1]
MF		Barry Cuddihy	End of contract	Summer	Free	[1]
FW		Jaison McGrath	End of contract	Summer	Free	[1]
MF		Alex Cooper	End of contract	Summer	Free	[1]
FW		Steven Thompson	Retired	Summer	Free	[1]
DF		Keith Watson	St Johnstone	Summer	Free	[1]
FW		David Clarkson	End of loan	Summer	Loan	[1]
FW		Lawrence Shankland	End of loan	Summer	Loan	[1]
DF		Ben Gordon	Alloa Athletic	Winter	Loan	[16]
MF		Kyle Hutton	Airdrieonians	Winter	Loan	[21]

Notes

1. Win% is the percentage of matches won rounded to two decimal places.

References

1. "Squad Update". St Mirren Official website. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
2. "Jordan Stewart – 1 Year Pro Contract". Official St Mirren website. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
3. "New Signing: Kyle Hutton". Official St Mirren website. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
4. "Calum Gallagher: Contract Extension". Official St Mirren website. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
5. "Clarkson staying with St Mirren". Scottish Professional Football League. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
6. "Andy Webster: Contract Extension". Official St Mirren website. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
7. "New Signing: Ben Gordon". www.saintmirren.net. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
8. "New Signing: Gary MacKenzie". St Mirren FC. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
9. "New Signing: Scott Gallacher". St Mirren FC. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
10. "John Sutton: St Mirren sign striker from St Johnstone". BBC Sport. www.bbc.co.uk. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
11. "Loan Signing: Tom Walsh". St Mirren FC. 17 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
12. "Loan Signing: Lawrence Shankland". St Mirren FC. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
13. "St Mirren takeover completed by Gordon Scott and fans". BBC Sport. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
14. "Rangers striker Ryan Hardie heads out on loan as he joins St Mirren". Mark McDougall. Daily Record. 25 July 2016.
15. "Contract Extension for Lewis". Official St Mirren website. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
16. "Ben Gordon Out On Loan". St Mirren F.C. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
17. "Alex Rae: St Mirren terminate manager's contract after nine months". BBC Sport. 18 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
18. "Jack Ross: St Mirren appoint Alloa Athletic boss as manager". BBC Sport. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
19. "Fowler appointed St Mirren assistant". spfl.co.uk. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
20. "Irn-Bru Cup: The New Saints face St Mirren in semi-finals". BBC Sport. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
21. "Kyle Hutton joins Airdrieonians on loan". St Mirren FC. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
22. "St Mirren team". Soccerbase. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
23. "Pre-Season Update". www.saintmirren.net. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
24. "St Mirren". Soccerbase. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
25. "St Mirren". Statto. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
26. "Alex Rae Statistics". soccerbase.com. Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
27. "Allan McManus Statistics". soccerbase.com. Soccerbase. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
28. "Jack Ross Statistics". soccerbase.com. Soccerbase. Retrieved 9 October 2016.

{{2016–17 in Scottish football}}