St Mirren qualify for European football for the first time in 37 years

St Mirren have qualified for European football next season after securing fifth place in the Premiership.

Dundee’s 5-2 defeat to Rangers on Tuesday means the Paisley side can’t be caught in the final European place in the table and they will be in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.

St Mirren last competed in continental competition when they played in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1987-88 season. A 1-0 win over Tromso in the first round was followed by a 2-0 defeat to Mechelen.

For the current Saints side, qualification means progress for Stephen Robinson’s team after securing a top-six finish for the second consecutive season.

🎶 We'll go wherever St Mirren go 🎶

Passports at the ready. The Paisley Saints are going to Europe! 🇪🇺#OurStMirren #COYS pic.twitter.com/ntgtgLEteU
— St Mirren FC (@saintmirrenfc) May 14, 2024

Speaking earlier in the day, Robinson had pointed to improvements throughout the team and targeted further development next season.

He said: “You need to do what we did the season before, which we did. We were very good against the bottom six teams, which we targeted for points.

“We haven’t been as good against the top-six sides and that is something that we need to put the both of them together.”

St Mirren will learn who they face in qualifying when UEFA’s draw is held on June 19.

“We focused on a lot of things. Could we become a more possession-based team? We have done, up by nearly 12 per cent, which is a big uplift. We created a lot of chances.

“We are still looking at those statistics to see how we can improve next season – small marginal gains to improve every season.”