STEPHEN ROBINSON got off to a bad start as St Mirren boss towards the end of last season so it's important he hits the ground running in the new campaign, starting with this tricky League Cup group game against Arbroath.
I backed the Buddies to reach the top six last term and they still had a good chance when Jim Goodwin quit to take over at Aberdeen and Robinson replaced him in Paisley.
But that move didn't work out well for either party with both St Mirren and the Dons finishing in the bottom six and flirting with being dragged into a relegation battle before a late rally.
Robinson has now had time to stamp his mark on the squad with seven new signings arriving, including three of his former Motherwell charges in the shape of Declan Gallagher, Mark O'Hara and Trevor Carson.
But he has also lost four key players from last term with Connor Ronan's loan expiring and Conor McCarthy, Jak Alnwick and Kyle McAllister moving down south.
There has been much more stability at Arbroath where Dick Campbell has managed to keep most of the players who came within a whisker of a fairytale promotion last term.
When Campbell's side led 1-0 away to Kilmarnock in the penultimate game it looked like they would win the Championship against all the odds, only for the home side to rally and justify my faith in them by scoring a last-minute winner to seal the title.
The part-timers are usually a tough nut to crack for top-flight sides, as Dundee United and Hibs found out last term when they had to battle for wins over the Red Lichties in the cups.
And Arbroath will take heart from watching St Mirren ship three goals at home to Northampton (below) in a midweek friendly, although Robinson did give plenty of youngsters run-out.
How the bookies view it
I'm surprised to see Arbroath as big as 9/2 with Betfair given they have a settled squad while St Mirren are still looking to bed in their new signings. The best price for the Buddies is just 8/15 at BoyleSports while the draw pays a generous 10/3 at Paddy Power.
Recent head to head
St Mirren are unbeaten in their last five games against Arbroath, although this is the first meeting of these sides since way back in 2003 when they were both in the second tier.
Both games at Gayfield that season ended in draws but St Mirren won twice in Paisley, coming out 1-0 victors in the last meeting.
Players to watch
New signing Jonah Ayunga has looked pretty lively for St Mirren in their pre-season friendlies and netted in the win over Linfield. He could be worth a bet for anytime scorer at 13/10 with McBookie.
Arbroath have taken a punt on Kieran Shanks, snapping up the 20-year-old after a lethal season in the Highland League with Inverurie Locos. He scored 30 times last term in just 40 appearances and opened his account for the Red Lichties in a friendly win over Brechin. If he starts against St Mirren the kid could be a good option for anytime scorer at 9/4 with McBookie.
Anything else catch the eye?
Arbroath's success has been based on a solid defence and we didn't see a single goal across two legs in their play-off semi-final defeat to Inverness. That suggests St Mirren might find it hard to break them down, especially with strikers Eamonn Brophy and Curtis Main set to miss out, and I like the look of under 2.5 goals at 7/5 with BoyleSports.
Campbell's side could also be worth backing either in the handicaps or the double chance market against a new-look Buddies team. I've yet to see the handicaps priced up but Arbroath are 6/4 at William Hill in the double chance and that looks generous.
The half-time draw is usually worth a look early in the season as teams can take a while to get warmed up. Backing the stalemate after 45 minutes in this one pays a best 6/4 with William Hill.
This Scottish League Cup match between St Mirren and Arbroath will be played on Jul 9, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best St Mirren vs Arbroath prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
