CIS Cup Draw - St Mirren v Motherwell

St Mirren away is one of those awkward, middling kind of ties. Obviously we’d prefer it at home but Paisley is within easy striking distance for those leaving after work. There were several better teams we could have been drawn against but also some who are not up to the same standard.

Pre season at Love St, July 2004

Being perfectly honest, Motherwell should have no problem winning this tie. The quality of the First Division has been falling in recent years and if we are hoping to repeat our Hampden exploits from last March, this is the kind of match we need to win. But for all that, St Mirren on their day could provide tough opposition. They are amongst the favourites to earn promotion to the SPL and will fancy their chances of causing a shock.

We have not taken on St Mirren in the League Cup since 1989 although we did defeat them in the Scottish Cup in 2001. On that night we lost 1-0 to a goal from Paul Kinnaird of all people. Steve Kirk had one disallowed for offside but it was to be the Saints who progressed to lose a quarter final tie at Pittodrie.

We saw how important a cup run can be to a club last season, even if it is in the ‘lesser’ tournament. A win in this game can potentially bring many rewards – let’s hope we do the business.

The match will be played on September 20 or 21.