Carlisle United head to Paisley tonight to take on a St Mirren side enjoying some heady times. The Blues’ pre-season friendly north of the border catches their opponents in bright shape and with exciting new challenges on the horizon.
After facing United, Stephen Robinson’s side will be packing their cases for Iceland. The two-legged Europa Conference League second qualifying round tie against Valur, starting with the away leg next week, is the Buddies’ reward for a fifth-placed finish in the Scottish Premiership.
The side that will entertain Paul Simpson’s men this evening appear, right now, a model of good management and smart recruitment – and one hitting good heights as a result. “They are probably playing at the highest moment in their history, for nearly 40 years,” says Colin Paterson, editor of the Paisley Daily Express, who covers St Mirren.
“They won the Scottish Cup in 1987, and while they’ve had a couple of second-tier promotions since then - and winning the League Cup in 2013 is obviously a highlight - they haven’t played in Europe since 1987, and haven’t had back-to-back top-six finishes in the top-flight for decades.”
Only 200 Buddies fans will be able to watch their team in Iceland next Thursday, a limited number of tickets available in a ballot for the game at Valur's stadium which only holds 2,465. All the same, the intrigue of overseas football has been earned.
Robinson, the Northern Irish former Motherwell and Morecambe manager, was appointed as Jim Goodwin’s successor in February 2022. A challenging end to that particular season led to eventual survival, but a poor performance in the League Cup group stage saw the next campaign start sourly.
Yet, since then, the Saints have risen. “Robinson is a very driven individual, exceptionally hard-working,” says Paterson. “And the recruitment has been absolutely spot-on. If you look at the squad, the number of players they have brought up from the lower leagues of English football…almost exclusively, that's where they sign players from.”
Key to this approach is the presence of Martin Foyle, the former Port Vale favourite, as head of recruitment. “Steven Robinson told me once that his message to Martin Foyle and the recruitment team is basically, ‘Give me someone with ability or athleticism and I’ll turn them into a footballer’. They have to have one of those two things.
“They might ability, but maybe struggling fitness-wise. Or they have to be super fit and Robinson will make them fit the team.
“They tend to pick up players who have struggled to gain a foothold somewhere, maybe not realised their potential.”
Examples of this selective south-of-the-border shopping are plentiful in the Saints squad. Striker Toyosi Olusanya is a perfect example: a Londoner who drifted through various non-league teams before joining Neil Warnock’s Middlesbrough. That move did not pay off but Warnock gave him a positive reference when Robinson showed interest. After a stuttering first season, he hit influential form, and last season’s goal haul included a late winner against Warnock’s Aberdeen.
Caolan Boyd-Munce, is another good case, the Irish midfielder picked up after spells at Birmingham City and Middlesbrough, and whose career has flourished at St Mirren to the tune of two Northern Ireland caps and interest from League One clubs.
Irish midfielder Roland Idowu, on loan from Shrewsbury Town and an eye-catcher in pre-season so far, is another creative option at Robinson’s disposal, while the experienced Port Vale defender Alex Iacovitti, who signed this week, could make his debut tonight.
Then there is Mikael Mandron, the former Sunderland striker who was nomadic in England’s lower leagues but has seized his chance with the Buddies and is also attracting interest from overseas.
“Mandron actually qualifies to play for Scotland, adds Paterson. “His grandmother on his dad's side was born in Aberdeen, so it could literally be an option for Scotland. We actually asked about it one day, and he said that he would be happy to play for Scotland if the opportunity came up.
“Given our performance at Euro 2024, he might get a call-up sooner rather than later….”
The ability to polish rough diamonds has been coupled with a well-run dressing room. The Cyprus international midfielder, and multiple player of the season, Alex Gogić, is an influential figure, as is the captain Mark O'Hara – while Robinson prides himself on the intensity of his work.
“He [Robinson] said that everybody thinks that they've had hard training or a hard pre-season until they turn up to St Mirren,” says Paterson. “And to be fair, every player I've spoken to has said that the St Mirren training sessions they've had [under Robinson] have been the hardest of their careers.”
Pre-season for the Buddies started on June 25, and has so far seen a 1-0 win over Dunfermline, a 2-0 victory over Renfrewshire rivals Greenock Morton and a 2-2 draw with Fleetwood Town. As for how they’ll approach things tonight, with their European adventure in mind, Paterson says: “I think they will apply themselves properly – certainly up until the substitutions, when these games can lose their way a bit.
“This is their last workout before the European game. I don't think it's unkind to say they won't be treating it like the Scottish Cup final. Equally, I think they will want to build up some momentum looking ahead to the European first leg.”
3-4-3 tends to be the favoured system, while a more defensive 5-3-2 is the adaptation if needed. “I would expect St Mirren to be on the front foot [tonight],” Paterson adds. “They tend to run into trouble when they don't try and control the game. So when they're on the front foot and try and take the game to the opposition, there tends to be a bit more fluidity and their performance tends to be a wee bit more positive.”
This is United’s first trip to Paisley since 1997, when Mervyn Day’s Blues won 1-0 at Saints’ former Love Street home. This time it is the SMISA Stadium, which opened in 2009 and whose capacity is just shy of 8,000.
What can the travelling United fans expect?
“I suppose it’s a smaller version of Shrewsbury Town or Northampton Town’s grounds,” says Paterson. “It's maybe more atmospheric because you're closer to the pitch
“It certainly doesn't have the history of the old Love Street ground, which was a great name for a ground for a start, and also a really atmospheric, historic ground. A lot of the club's most famous moments were lived through that stadium.
“It's not like that, but when full, the stadium is still pretty special. It's also not too far from the town centre, so fans who want to go for a couple of drinks afterwards should be able to find one or two places that will sort them out.”
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