A Winning End to a Difficult Season (1998)

(first published in the match programme for St. Mirren v Kilmarnock, 9^th May 2026)

St Mirren brought a difficult 1997/98 campaign to a close on 9^th May 1998, welcoming newly-crowned First Division champions Dundee to Paisley for what was, in league terms, a largely meaningless fixture.

A week earlier, Saints' 1–0 away win at Stirling Albion had lifted them above Ayr United into seventh place and confirmed Albion's relegation. With Partick Thistle hosting Ayr on the final day, the loser of that match would join Stirling in the drop, leaving the outcome of Saints' meeting with Dundee irrelevant to the final standings.

St Mirren issued their standard A5 programme for the final home match. Priced at £1.50, it ran to 32 glossy pages, combining colourful feature headings with black-and-white photography. The cover design remained unchanged throughout the season, consisting of two Saints players in home and away strips set against a faded monochrome background, sponsor details down the right-hand side, and full match information and crest at the foot of the page.

For the last four issues, the cover also proudly carried the banner "First Division Programme of the Year". The award, organised by "Programme Monthly" editor John Litster and voted for by fellow First Division programme editors, saw Saints take top spot - reversing the previous season's result, when they narrowly lost out to Partick Thistle.

Manager Tony Fitzpatrick used his page-three column to reflect on the events at Stirling. The omens had not been good, he admitted, but the players' self-belief had carried them through. He also praised the 1,500-strong travelling support whose backing had created a memorable atmosphere, and he urged the fans to maintain that level of support into the following season. Fitzpatrick ended by encouraging the international selectors to take notice of 19-year-old Hugh Murray, whose superb "goal of the season" contender had secured the win at Forthbank.

"Saints Newsdesk" provided the usual round up of club items, followed by "What You Didn't Know About…", which this week profiled midfielder-turned-defender Brian Smith. Two pages of action photographs then featured moments from the recent home matches against Airdrie and Raith Rovers.

The visitors' section offered two pages of pen-pictures of thirteen Dundee players along with a summary of the club's major milestones. "Next Generation" reviewed the reserves' recent meeting with Falkirk and listed their fixtures and results. With one match to play, St. Mirren topped the Reserve League West, though Hamilton Accies would ultimately overtake them in the final placings.

The centre-spread "Super Saints" feature, which had highlighted individual players throughout the season, shifted focus in the closing weeks to groups of players from past eras. This final issue showcased several more recent names and included a photograph of 1970s midfielder Billy Stark.

"Memory Match" revisited the programme cover from St Mirren's 1974 Second Division meeting with Hamilton Accies, which was Alex Ferguson's first home match as Saints’ manager. Despite a 1–0 defeat that day, the Buddies went on to finish in the top six and secure a place in the new First Division.

"Over Your Shoulder" looked back at corresponding fixtures from recent seasons, while "Around the Bell's First Division" reviewed current league developments, including the prospect of Hibernian dropping into the division for the following campaign.

The issue concluded with "Saints Stats", "Data Bank & Roll Call", and the team line-ups. Fourteen pages of advertising rounded off a programme that has since become one of the more difficult issues from that season for collectors to obtain.

St Mirren teenager Murray was given the captaincy for the day and debuts were handed to David McNamee and Chris Kerr, while Dundee fielded several fringe players. Before a crowd of 2,460, Saints almost struck in the opening minute when Steve Watson beat Gavin Rae on the edge of the box and fired a left-foot shot off the post, the ball flashing across goal before being cleared. Moments later, Dens' 'keeper Rab Douglas had to react sharply to smother a Steven McGarry effort.

In the eighth minute, the home support appealed for a penalty when Alan Prentice went down in the box, but referee Toner saw otherwise and booked him for simulation. However, Saints did take the lead on 17 minutes with a well constructed move. Prentice advanced down the left and delivered a curling cross to the far post, where Tom Brown guided the ball beyond Douglas from close range.

Dundee's best chance came when Iain Anderson picked out John Elliott on the edge of the six-yard box with a superb 35-yard pass. Elliott controlled the ball on his chest and drove in a fierce angled shot, but Alan Combe stood firm and turned it behind.

The second half offered little beyond a couple of long-range attempts from former Saint Russell Kelly for the visitors and probing efforts from St. Mirren substitutes Burton O'Brien and Mark Yardley. It had all the hallmarks of an end-of-season encounter, but St Mirren were worthy winners.