St Mirren match preview
It’s a mid-table battle at Tony Macaroni Arena as sixth-placed Livi welcome fifth-placed St Mirren to West Lothian in the second part of their Renfrewshire double-header.
After seeing off Morton 2-0 in the Irn Bru Cup, the Lions will renew hostilities with Jack Ross’ side having met just over a month ago in the Betfred Cup and looking to maintain their 17-match unbeaten run.
It’s a fixture that’s never seen a home win for either side so here’s hoping for a change in that particular statistic on Saturday!
Let’s take a look at tomorrow’s opponents and preview the big match.
How have they fared so far?
The Buddies missed out on the Betfred Cup last-16 after finishing third in Group H behind Livi and Partick Thistle.
They opened their campaign with a 4-1 win over Stranraer, coming from behind with goals from Gavin Reilly, Ross Stewart, Lewis Morgan and Gregor Buchanan, but followed that up with a 1-0 defeat at home to the Lions three days later – Dale Carrick’s second minute goal proving enough for Livi to take the points.
Their third match ended in another defeat, this time a far heavier one as Partick Thistle ran out 5-0 winners at Firhill. Kris Doolan opened the scoring before Steven Lawless and Blair Spittal each scored a double.
Though their qualification hopes were over, the Buddies rounded off the campaign in style, reversing the scoreline against Thistle to thump Airdrieonians at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. An early own goal was added to by Reilly before Andy Ryan missed a penalty for the Diamonds. Stewart also missed from 12 yards but made amends by making it 3-0 soon after before strikes from Morgan and Cammy Smith rounded off the win.
They started their League campaign with a fine 3-1 win at home to Falkirk but followed that up with a disappointing 4-1 loss to bitter rivals Morton at Cappielow, Michael Tidser’s penalty double, plus goals from Bob McHugh and Andy Murdoch doing the damage.
The Buddies bounced back from that by knocking Lowland League side East Kilbride out of the Irn Bru Cup on Tuesday although they left it late, scoring twice in the last five minutes to win 2-1 after Dominic McLaren had given Kilby a late lead.
What happened last time?
As mentioned above, the two sides met only last month as Livi ran out 1-0 winners on their way to winning Group H of the Betfred Cup. Dale Carrick scored the only goal inside two minutes as the Lions withstood a barrage of pressure from the home side to claim the three points.
Any team news?
After making their debuts against Morton on Tuesday night, Ross Brown and Joe Thomson will hope to make their league bow for the Lions on Saturday.
A foot injury suffered in training denied Keaghan Jacobs the chance to equal Liam Fox’s all-time club appearance record against Brechin last week and it remains to be seen if he will be fit enough to have a chance of doing so against the Buddies.
Who is the man in the middle tomorrow?
The referee for tomorrow’s match is Craig Thomson, who will be assisted by David McGeachie and Ross Anderson.
It’s been a while since we last saw Mr Thomson and it was an afternoon to forget for the Lions as, despite a 4-3 victory on the day, an 8-6 aggregate loss saw us relegated to League One. Fortunately, things have gone rather better since then!
How do the bookies see the match going?
Home advantage makes the Lions narrow favourites with league sponsors Ladbrokes to take the three points, available at 7/5. They see the Buddies as a 17/10 shot for the win with the draw available at 23/10.
Both teams have scored in all but three of the previous meetings between the two sides and if you fancy the same to happen, Ladbrokes seem to think the same as it’s only 8/13 for that to happen. Combine that with a win for either side and Livi are available at 17/5, with St Mirren backable at 19/5
What will it cost to get in to the match?
Gate prices for the match are as follows:
- Adults – £18
- Concessions (OAPs, full-time students, registered disabled with carer admitted free) – £12
- Under-16s – £5
Home fans will, as always, be accommodated in the West (Main) Stand, with visiting supporters in the East Stand.
HHospitality is available to both Livi and St Mirren fans: click here for more details.
We hope to see you there tomorrow!