

Season 2018-19


After the highs of the Championship win, the job of building for the top flight began with several players leaving the club.
Stelios, Sutton, Davis and the loanee Liam Smith left along with Lewis Morgan who completed his move to Celtic.
First new signing saw the return of Paul McGinn who linked up with his brother Stephen. James Kellerman arrived from Aldershot before plans were thrown into disarray with the departure of Jack Ross and James Fowler to Sunderland.
On the 8th June 2018 former Hibs manager, Alan Stubbs, was unveiled as the new manager. The new manager set about re-building the squad and brought in several players from the lower English Leagues along with loan players.
Progression through the League Cup group stage was welcomed, but performances had been poor in most matches, struggling to overcome lower league sides. The second round saw a 4-0 defeat at Aberdeen.
The league campaign started with a 2-1 win over Dundee thanks to a goalkeeping error. This was followed by three defeats and further poor performances, and on the 3rd September, Alan Stubbs was sacked. His replacement was Coleraine boss Oran Kearney who had been interviewed for the position prior to Stubbs being appointed in the summer.
His first job was to add some much needed experience to the team with the addition of Anton Ferdinand, Simeon Jackson and Adam Hammill.
The January transfer window saw a 2017esque turnaround with no fewer than 9 players moving on permanently and two going out on loan. In came 9 new signings including a return for former Saint Kyle McAllister on loan from Derby.
At the end of the season Saints finished 11th and needed a play-off to secure their place in the top flight. Over two legs they drew 1-1 with Dundee United, Czech keeper Vaclav Hladky became a hero with three saves in the penalty shoot out to earn safety.

