St Mirren

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Former midfielder Ryan Flynn says League Cup holders St Mirren have been "punished" for failing to to beat Dunfermline in their final group stage game with a tough last 16 draw at Rangers.

Before Sunday's game against the Pars, Craig McLeish's side had won all three of their group stage matches against Dumbarton, Cove Rangers and East Kilbride but lost 1-0 to Dunfermline on Sunday after Chris Kane converted a late penalty.

In order to have been seeded for the last 16 draw, St Mirren needed to finish as one of the three group winners with the best record but despite pipping Dunfermline to top of the group on goal difference, their nine points wasn't enough to secure a seeding.

Now the holders will have to overcome Rangers in order to progress to the quarter-finals.

"You always think you're going to face them [Rangers or Celtic] at some point but I I think you'd rather face them in the final and and get some easier draws along the way," Flynn told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Seeing Craig McLeish's interview after their game against Dunfermline, I think he was frustrated and annoyed. He had spoken previously about trying to get the 12 point mark, get four wins on the board and potentially be seeded to avoid that harder draw. They didn't do the job and then they got punished for it.

"It's a very, very difficult tie so early in the season for them to try and remain holders of the the the League Cup."

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Craig McLeish has vowed that other teams are going to have "to claw" the Scottish League Cup trophy off St Mirren after his holders were given the "most difficult draw" away to Rangers in the last 16.

The Paisley side lost 1-0 at home to Dunfermline Athletic in their final group-stage game, the late penalty meaning St Mirren failed to finish with enough points to be one of the seeded teams in the draw despite still topping their section.

"Frustrated by the ending of it," manager McLeish told BBC Scotland. "I don't think it's a penalty, but we kind of brought pressure on ourselves when we don't need to when Dunfermline are throwing everything at us to chase the game.

"We need to be smarter in our decisions at that stage of the game."

Samuel Ramos also had a goal disallowed when Eseosa Sule was adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper Aston Oxborough.

"I also don't see how our goal's been disallowed in the first half," McLeish said.

"That kind of changes the game. I don't think there were many clear-cut chances in the game, but when we have a good bit of play and finish it off, I don't see why we are penalised for it.

"The frustrating thing is we have thrown away the opportunity to come out as one of the seeded teams for the draw and we've had the draw there and we couldn't have asked for any more difficult draw than Rangers away.

"But we are the holders and I've told the boys we are going to fight and make sure somebody has got to claw it off us.

"If we are going to defend the trophy, we have to beat big teams and we had to do it last year to win the cup."

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New England Revolution, San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy are weighing up a £375,000 move for 24-year-old St Mirren midfielder Killian Phillips. The National, external

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St Mirren have agreed a new one-year deal with a one-year option with striker Jonah Ayunga even though he will likely be absent with his ACL injury until the new year.

Ayunga hasn't featured for the Buddies since a 2-0 defeat at home to Livingston on 25 April 2026 during which he had to be carried off on a stretcher. Before then he made 32 appearances and scored twice in the club's historic League Cup final victory over Celtic in December.

The 29-year-old's contract was due to expire this summer after he joined from English outfit Morecambe in 2022.

"We wanted to look after him," manager Craig McLeish said.

"It was the right thing for the club to do to look after him throughout his period of rehab.

"He's been a fantastic servant. He goes down as a hero in the club's history books because of what he did in the cup final and he deserves to be looked after.

"We look forward to having him back around the new year. Hopefully it feels like a new signing for us. We know that we've got a really strong and experienced player coming back."

Craig McLeish also joked that someone "must have paid £20" after journalist Fabrizio Romano's social media post claiming the Buddies are signing Ghanian under-20 player Abdul Hakim.

"Somebody paid Fabrizio 20 quid to put that out," he added.

"He's one we're speaking to.

"We'll hopefully have more information on that when things become a little bit more concrete. Nothing is done or confirmed but we'll maybe have an update in a week or so."

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Scott Allan believes being part-time caught up with his East Kilbride side as the Scottish League 2 champions lost to holders St Mirren despite having led 3-0 in their Premier Sports Cup group-stage tie on Tuesday.

The victory means St Mirren will progress to the knock-out stage as Group C winners unless Dunfermline Athletic win by three goals when they visit Paisley on Sunday.

East Kilbride miss out and disappointed coach Allan told the BBC Scottish Football Podcast: "They'd put so much in, especially in the last couple of weeks having the Saturday Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, so there's been no kind of respite for us.

"Played some fantastic football, really brave, go 3-0 up and then last half an hour, when St Mirren got that goal back, momentum shifts, St Mirren get their tails up and I just think the pace and power of St Mirren in that last 25 minutes and our boys were kinda dead on their feet the last 25 minutes just trying to hang in there.

"But I felt to lose the game was extremely extremely harsh considering the effort they'd put in for large parts of the game.

"We'd have been into the next stage of the competition, so really disappointed."

East Kilbride manager Mick Kennedy has completely rebuilt their squad despite their title win, with 13 coming in and 17 leaving this summer.

"Ultimately, we're still four players away from being our strongest squad," Allan suggested. "The big thing for us is we're creating chances and we're having a lot of control in matches and to show you can do that against Premiership opposition and obviously last season's Scottish Cup finalists in Dunfermline, it stands us in good stead.

"There's a lot of belief in the squad, but we haven't had time yet to work on how we look behind the ball when we're attacking, because we only train twice a week. We don't want to be conceding four goals against anybody."

Mikael Mandron will join Stevenage on a two-year contract after leaving St Mirren, the 31-year-old striker's switch to Oxford United having collapsed following their transfer embargo. (Mark Hendry on X, external)

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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St Mirren manager Craig McLeish is excited for the first competitive home match of the season after a productive start to the Premier Sports Cup.

The Buddies have won 4-0 at both Dumbarton and Cove Rangers in the competition's group stage and now host East Kilbride as they try to make it three successive victories.

League 1 East Kilbride - promoted in the past two seasons - have two wins from their three outings so far.

McLeish praised the St Mirren supporters who made the trip to Aberdeen on Saturday and is hoping to see plenty more on Tuesday evening.

"Delighted to see so many people up there," McLeish told club media. "Nice away day for them as well, it's just a shame that sun wasn't out for them too, but their support means everything to us.

"It's great at this stage of the season to have so many people up there.

"And the fact that we can put on good performances, leave them going down the road with another 4-0 win, I can't wait to Tuesday night and see everyone back at the stadium.

"We're really looking forward to that and hope everyone's out in their numbers to support the group.

"Even just being down seeing the pitch, the pitch looks magnificent. The guys down there have done a lot of good work.

"It will be a really good game. East Kilbride will play some really good football as well.

"I'm looking forward to it and we just have to keep the momentum going."

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St Mirren have bought former Celtic trainee Eseosa Sule from West Bromwich Albion for an undisclosed fee.

The Glasgow-born 20-year-old forward, who also spent a short time on loan to Motherwell, has signed a three-year contract with the Scottish Premiership club.

St Mirren manager Craig McLeish told his club website: "We had been speaking West Brom about a loan initially, but when the chance came to do a permanent deal, we were really excited about it because the more permanent deals that we can do and develop our squad for the future, the better.

"Eseosa came up on loan to Motherwell last year and was unfortunate that he picked up an injury and had to head back down the road without really featuring much.

"But he's one that we're excited about because it gives us the bit that we're looking for where he can stretch defences. He gives us a real threat and speed in behind.

"He's one that we hope can contribute from day one, but he's also one that is for us future planning as well with the age he's at."

Having started as a teenager with Celtic, Sule signed a professional contract with West Brom in May 2023 and made his first-team debut as a substitute for the Championship side the following August.

Joining Motherwell on loan last season, he returned south after just one start and two substitute appearances following injury and would go on to make just one more game as a sub for West Brom in April but scored 19 goals in 54 games for their under-21s.

Eseosa added: "This was always on my mind to come to a team and be number nine at a club. That's amazing to me, so it was a no-brainer.

"I feel like this is the perfect place for my career.

"I see myself bringing athleticism, pace, goals and energy. Also, I'm a winner, so I want to win games.

"Even though I had just a small taste of it before, I feel like it's a league where I can really do well."

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Carrick McEvoy has agreed a new St Mirren contract until the summer of 2028, with the club holding the option of a further year.

The 19-year-old midfielder pens the extension after making his first-team debut at the weekend.

The teenager played the full 90 minutes as St Mirren defeated Dumbarton 4-0 in their League Cup group opener.

"It's something that has been planned for a little while now based on how Carrick has been in pre-season and meeting the targets that we set for him coming back in," said manager Craig McLeish.

"Carrick is someone that I've known for a long time. I worked with him through the academy since he was about nine years of age. He was my captain with the under-19s group and was a really big player for us.

"He's a really talented boy and we see him as being a big part of the future of the club. Whether he plays loads of times with the first team this season in the league, that's really down to Carrick and how he works and his performance levels."

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Craig McLeish was thrilled to see summer signings Samuel Ramos and Chris Mochrie mark their St Mirren debuts with goals in Saturday's 4-0 Premier Sports Cup victory over Dumbarton.

Spanish midfielder Ramos notched a double either side of a strike from former Dundee United and Airdrie forward Mochrie at Cliftonhill.

"I'm delighted for them both," said head coach McLeish. "That's why they were brought in, to add creativity, to add assists and goals to it. Ultimately, that's what players at the top end of the pitch will get judged on, so it's a good start from the two of them.

"Samuel's performance was great. Mochs was doing something a little bit different.

"We're asking him to play as a nine, but not really stay there. We're asking him to float around and allow space for Jalmaro (Calvin) and Roland (Idowu) to run through, and I thought it worked well at times."

Teenager Thomas Falconer sealed the victory as the Paisley side kicked off their defence of the trophy.

"It was just a really professional performance," McLeish added. "Delighted to get off to a winning start.

"We spoke about this not being an extension of pre-season for us; this is our season start and we're the holders in this competition.

"I said to the players that we have to get off to a good start. We have to make sure we get through the group first and foremost. We have to just keep building from here."

Kenny Crawford
For BBC Scotland

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Marcus Fraser "jumped at the chance" to take on the role of St Mirren captain.

Fraser, 32, takes over from Mark O'Hara, who has returned to first club Kilmarnock.

"I had a chat during the week with the manager and the coaching staff and they asked me if I'd like to take the role on - and of course, I jumped at the chance," said Fraser.

"I thanked them and I appreciate it. Since they've been in from the end of the season to now, they've really backed me and shown faith in me, so I'm just happy and hopefully I can reward them with performances on the pitch and gelling all the new guys together as well.

"Since the start of pre-season the manager's asked me a few questions here and there about different things to ask my opinion about stuff.

"That's been good from the players' point of view and it's good to get that connection with the manager and coaching staff early."

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Defender Henry Fieldson is St Mirren's fifth summer signing, with the 21-year-old joining as a free agent from Queen's Park.

The Paisley club say the "beat competition from clubs on both sides of the border" for the player who can operate at centre-back and left-back.

Having come through the academy at Sunderland, he joined Queen's Park in August 2024 and made 61 appearances for the Championship side over two seasons.

Fieldson has signed a two-year contract, with the club holding the option to extend for a further year.

"I'm just buzzing to get going," he told club media. "It's a real good project this year in terms of the new style of play and the ambition we have. I can't wait to be a part of that."

Fieldson will provide cover for the experienced Declan John, revealed head coach Craig McLeish.

"He's someone that we've been tracking for a long time," McLeish explained.

"He's played a lot of games for his age. He's got a lot of maturity about him as well. He's really fit, athletic and handles the ball really well.

"We're excited about him and it also gives us a little bit of breathing space to allow us to start exploring loan options for Thomas Falconer to give him the first team experience that he needs."

Meanwhile, right-back Callum Penman, 19, and midfielder Lewis Hodgkiss, 18, are to join Stenhousemuir on loan until January.

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Craig McLeish's chances of success with St Mirren will depend on the Paisley club recruiting players capable of playing the young manager's preferred system, suggests former Buddies midfielder Ryan Flynn.

McLeish took charge in March after Stephen Robinson moved to Scottish Premiership rivals Aberdeen.

"He is very assertive about how he wants to play," Flynn told the Scottish Football Podcast as he predicted that St Mirren would avoid another relegation battle while not challenging for the top six.

"I think he'll be aggressive, front foot, trying to press teams really high up.

"It depends on Gavin Miller and recruitment team and how they bring players to suit his style of play.

"There have got to be a lot more signings, especially at the top end of the pitch.

"They are needing ball carriers, width in attack and then everybody wants those goalscorers."

Flynn reckons the departure of captain Mark O'Hara to Kilmarnock and striker Mikael Mandron will be "a big loss", but he suggests the "fantastic" changes behind the scenes brought in by Robinson will help them transition.

"From top to bottom, it's been a complete overhaul," he said, pointing to improvements to the facilities, such the training ground and changing rooms.

"The form of the players and maybe the squad probably wasn't in a good place when he left, but the club as a whole is in a much better position moving forward."

Winning the League Cup last season after European football and top-six finishes was an example of a gradual progression for the club.

There was "a complete nosedive" in form after that: "But, luckily, the boys there pulled together and got over that line that makes it a memorable season because you can't be legends and get relegated in the same season.

"It would have really tarnished that."

The BBC Scottish Football Podcast's Premiership previews continue with a look at St Mirren, who had to come through the play-off final to survive after winning the League Cup.

Former Buddies midfielder Ryan Flynn and Pie & Bovril supremo Div MacDonald assess what lies ahead in Craig McLeish's first full season as the young head coach goes about replacing key players who have departed.

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Stevie Mallan has forced St Mirren manager Craig McLeish to consider giving him a contract after joining pre-season training following the midfielder's release by St Johnstone.

The 30-year-old only managed 11 starts and eight substitute appearances after joining the Perth club last summer after nearly two years out of football through injury and was released following their Scottish Championship title win.

"Stevie did pre-season with us last year as well off the back of a longer-term injury when I was taking the 19s," McLeish told BBC Scotland's Sportsound.

"The plan initially was that he would come in and train and then, when we were away to Spain, he would train with the under-19s.

"But he did that well in the first week that we thought we have to take a look at this and seriously consider it and he's been fantastic.

"He's come back and he's so fit and he's been really good around the place, really energetic and shows his quality on the ball has never left him.

"He just needs a run at it - a run of games."

Former Scotland youth midfielder Dylan Reid,the 21-year-old who was sold by St Mirren to Crystal Palace in 2024 but released this summer, is also on trial.

St Mirren have lost captain Mark O'Hara to Kilmarnock, sold defender Miguel Freckleton to LASK, while striker Mikael Mandron has rejected a new contract and moved on.

"We lost big players - Mark, our captain, decided to move on and Mika as well, they are big shoes to fill, but we still have a core group of experienced players," McLeish said.

"We are still in a really good place with where the squad is.

"We still have to add to our forward line and it depends on whether some of the boys move on - there's some interest in some of our players."

Stevie Mallan is on trial with former clubSt Mirren after the 30-year-old midfielder left promoted St Johnstone, but striker Mikael Mandron has rejected a new contract with the Paisley club. (Daily Record, external)

Leicester City and Charlton Athletic are among the clubs eyeing a move for striker Mikael Mandron, who is a free agent after leaving St Mirren. (Peter O'Rourke on X, external)

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

St Mirren have held talks with Leon King after the centre-half was freed by Rangers, but manager Craig McLeish has told the 22-year-old they have to bolster other positions in the squad first before making an offer. (Daily Record, external)

St Mirren are set to win the race to sign 20-year-old Queen's Park centre-half Henry Fieldson on a free transfer. (Pete O'Rourke on X, external)

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.