Today Buddies woke up to the news that none of them wanted to hear.
After just under 1,000 days at the helm, Saints boss Jim Goodwin was announced as the new Aberdeen manager this morning.
While Goodwin has never hidden his ambition to move up the managerial ladder, the timing of his departure is still a major blow to St Mirren.
On the cusp of a Scottish Cup semi-final and looking to cement their place in the Premiership top six, losing their gaffer is not the kind of boost they needed heading into the business end of the season.
The move to Aberdeen brings an end to Goodwin’s hugely eventful spell as Buddies boss.
Navigating the coronavirus pandemic in his first season as a top flight manager was certainly far from straightforward.
But keeping the club in the Premiership in what turned out to be the last game of the campaign was the perfect way to end it.
In this special feature we’ve charted Goodwin’s ten biggest moments that will define his reign in Paisley as he begins a new chapter at Pittodrie.
Jim is announced as the new Saints manager
June 28, 2019
Just a few days after Oran Kearney was confirmed to have departed Paisley, the Buddies announced Jim Goodwin would return to the club as gaffer.
The former Saints midfielder made 181 appearances for the club as a player, with captaining them to League Cup glory in 2013 the undisputed highlight of his spell on the pitch.
Having shone with Championship side Alloa Athletic as a coach, he was given the step up by St Mirren who gave him his first shot at managing in the top flight of Scottish football.
While inexperienced at that level, Goodwin had made a strong first impression with Alloa and was determined to prove any doubters wrong from the dugout.
First hiccup as club crash out of League Cup group stage
July, 2019
Despite receiving a hero’s welcome for his exploits as a player, things got off to a fairly horrendous start for the new Buddies boss. In a League Cup group they should have progressed from, the Saints finished behind winners Dunfermline Athletic and part-time Albion Rovers as his disjointed side struggled to click into gear quickly.
A 3-2 home defeat to Dunfermline was followed up by a 1-0 win over Edinburgh City. Goalless draws with Albion Rovers and East Kilbride sent them crashing out at the first hurdle.
An undeniably unimpressive start to his career as Saints boss.
Unearthing and signing Jamie McGrath
January 7, 2020
Goodwin’s recruitment during his time in Paisley has been fairly hit or miss. For every Jak Alnwick or Ilkay Durmus, there has also been a Seifedin Chabbi and an Isak Thorvaldsson.
The Irish market has always been a favourite fishing ground, and signing Jamie McGrath from Dundalk proved to be his undisputed best piece of business as St Mirren manager.
The young playmaker thrived in Paisley, finishing last season as top scorer from midfield while also becoming a fully fledged Ireland international.
Beating Hearts in the last game of the 2019/20 Premiership season
March 12, 2020
With the coronavirus pandemic closing in on the UK, Hearts visited Paisley in what turned out to be the defining game of the season.
A Hearts win would have seen the struggling Edinburgh side draw level with the Buddies, which could have had big ramifications when the decision was eventually made to curtail the campaign.
In a hard-fought encounter, Jon Obika famously grabbed the winner to ensure the Saints finished the season in ninth position - safe from relegation once again.
Beating Rangers in the League Cup quarter-finals
December 16, 2020
A match that will rightly go down in the club’s history, as Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side arrived in Paisley in red-hot form and boasting an unbeaten record.
No-one gave St Mirren a chance in hell of ending that run, but Jamie McGrath’s impressive brace looked set to dish out their first defeat of the season.
That was until Steven Davis’ deflected late effort looked to have sent the game to extra-time.
But there was still a sting in the tail for the Ibrox side, as Conor McCarthy swept home a dramatic late winner to seal one of Goodwin’s most impressive ever wins as a manager.
Losing to Livingston in the League Cup semi-finals
January 24, 2021
The first seriously crushing low of Goodwin’s tenure came at Hampden in their League Cup semi-final clash with Livingston.
Despite going into the clash with an excellent chance of progression to a major final, the Buddies set up fairly defensively with full-back Brandon Mason filling in at left wing.
Dylan Connolly also played like a wing-back on the right flank, leaving the Buddies playing with a back six at times.
Livi forward Scott Robinson scored a scrappy opener and the Paisley club huffed and puffed but never really threatened to get through the tie in a disappointing afternoon for the Saints.
Beating Celtic at Parkhead
January 30, 2021
After suffering such a painful League Cup semi-final defeat, the Buddies bounced back instantly to produce a historic 2-1 win at Celtic Park.
While the Hoops had plenty of troubles of their own at that time, St Mirren took the game to their hosts and scored two lovely goals through Kristian Dennis and Ilkay Durmus.
While every Saints fan was celebrating a first win at Parkhead in more than 30 years, there was an undeniable feeling of ‘what if’ given their defensive display at Hampden just a week before.
Drawing with Hamilton to miss out on a top-six spot
March 21, 2021
The Buddies have never been shy in the last few years about making it clear their target was to make the top six.
And St Mirren had that goal in their grasp as they headed to North Lanarkshire to take on struggling Hamilton in the last game before the split.
A win would have secured that historic top half spot and Jamie McGrath’s first half opener looked to have done the business.
But Kyle Munro’s last-gasp equaliser, coupled with St Johnstone’s late win over Ross County, saw the Paisley club dramatically miss out on goal difference alone.
In truth, St Mirren should have had the spot wrapped up well before that clash. A series of goalless home draws in February was ultimately what cost them a top six spot last season.
Losing to St Johnstone in the Scottish Cup semi-finals
May 9, 2021
Hampden hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Goodwin during his time as St Mirren boss.
It was hoped that lessons would have been learned from the Livingston League Cup semi-final, as the Buddies rolled up for another shot at a major cup final.
But it was more disappointment for the Paisley Saints as St Johnstone eked out a narrow 2-1 win to seal another disappointing trip to Hampden for Goodwin and his players.
They gave it much more of a go this time around, but ultimately it was the Perthshire Saints who ended the season with a historic cup double in their trophy cabinet.
Winter break turnaround sparked by Dundee United victory
January 18, 2022
After a fairly mixed start to the current campaign, Jim Goodwin’s side slumped to a very concerning 11-game winless streak before the winter break.
With a disjointed midfield, misfiring frontline and leaky defence, the Saints were in danger of getting drawn into a relegation scrap.
Returning from the winter break, Goodwin decided to shift to a back four instead of a back five.
And the move paid instant dividends, with a 2-1 away win at Tannadice sparking their current seven-game unbeaten streak.
Having won six of their last seven games, the club have moved into the top six just at the right time.
That has undoubtedly also helped boost Goodwin’s appeal in the eyes of the Aberdeen board who now hope he will replace Stephen Glass.
