THE SCOUT REPORT

Express sports reporter Ben Ramage takes a look at Saints’ opponents this afternoon as they welcome Ross County to the SMISA Stadium.

FORM

The Staggies form since the turn of the year has been so topsy-turvey it’s hard to know just what kind of challenge St Mirren will face in Paisley today.

One week Ross County were beating Hibs 2-0 at Easter Road and smashing Aberdeen 4-1 in Dingwall, the next they were losing 3-1 and 5- 0 to Livingston and Rangers respectively.

Their last three fixtures have been just as changeable, with a 2-1 away win over relegation rivals Hamilton followed by a 2-0 defeat at home to Dundee United. Those games were followed up with a stunning 1-0 win over Celtic that ultimately ended Neil Lennon’s tenure with the Hoops.

Now battling for their lives, it’s fair to expect a difficult challenge from the Staggies this afternoon.

MANAGER

Much like the club’s current form, John Hughes has had a similarly up and down career as a manager.

Having led Falkirk to a Scottish Cup final and then Inverness CaleyThistle to Scottish Cup glory in 2015, Hughes’ star in Scottish football appeared to be very much rising.

After an unsuccessful spell with Raith Rovers, which saw them relegated to League One, Hughes has found himself out of the game until Ross County came calling in December.

STAR PLAYER

Jordan White has had to wait patiently for his chance to shine in the top flight but recently has been making his mark on the scoresheet.

The 29-year-old striker enjoyed spells with Livingston and Inverness Caley-Thistle earlier in his career before moving to Motherwell in June last year.

He failed to find the net for the Steelmen, but has already notched twice for the Staggies since joining the club last month - including a recent winner against the Hoops.

LAST TIME THE SIDES MET

Former Ross County captain Marcus Fraser came back to sting his old side as St Mirren plundered all three points on their Boxing Day trip to the Highlands.

The Buddies’ tricky trip was made more manageable when Josh Reid received his marching orders before the half-time break for picking up two yellow cards.

Ross Draper joined his teammate in the stands in the second half after clashing with Ethan Erhahon, with the Saints given the perfect opportunity to bounce back from their first defeat in 12 matches.

The nine-man hosts’ resilience was finally broken by their exfull back Fraser, whose deflected strike finally bulged the hosts’ net.

Kristian Dennis made sure of the points with five minutes to go as his clinical header found the bottom corner via the post.