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St Mirren road to Hampden dream begins with Premier Sports Cup draw
St Mirren road to Hampden dream begins with Premier Sports Cup draw

Daily Record

time4 days ago

  • Sport
  • Daily Record

St Mirren road to Hampden dream begins with Premier Sports Cup draw

This season has only just finished but the focus is already on the 2025-26 campaign. It was a triple-A draw for St Mirren yesterday as they learned their Premier Sports Cup opponents. The Buddies have been paired with Championship sides Ayr United and Arbroath as well as League One Annan Athletic and League Two Forfar Athletic in Group D. ‌ And boss Stephen Robinson will hope his troops can progress further than they did this season when the Buddies fell to a 1-0 defeat to Jim Goodwin's Dundee United in the second round at Tannadice. ‌ Playing in the group stages of the competition for the first time since 2023, it looks set to be an intriguing start to the season for the Buddies. It will be a battle of familiar faces for young Saints Fraser Taylor and Callum Penman when they take on the Smokies with the pair having spent the campaign out on loan at Gayfield. Having helped the club back to the Championship with a title success – Taylor winning the League One player of the year award into the bargain – they will now be looking to get one over on the part-time club that provided them a playing platform. ‌ Arbroath are also a side which saw Mikael Mandron bag the first of his 19 goals for Saints. It is yet to be seen if Scott Brown will still be in charge of Ayr when they face the Buddies with the former Celtic skipper being linked to vacant Premiership jobs at Motherwell and most notably Dundee. However, it is pleasant reading for the black-and-white army as they have only lost to the Honest Men once in the last eight meetings. ‌ That came in the League Cup in 2011 when Chris Smith struck in a 1-0 win for Ayr. Since then, the Buddies have had six wins and there have been two draws. Meanwhile, Saints will face Annan for only the second time in the club's histories. The first head-to-head was in the 2015/16 Challenge Cup when Jordan Stewart and Alan Gow saw Saints come from behind after Peter Weatherson gave Annan the lead in the opening minute. ‌ Former skipper-and-manager Jim Goodwin and current Saints goalkeeping coach Jamie Langfield featured in the 2-1 win. The 2023 League Cup group saw the Buddies face Arbroath and Forfar – similar to yesterday's draw. Robinson saw his side cruise to a 4-0 win over League Two Loons – a mirror result of the scoreline against Arbroath in the same period. A Mandron double and goals from Mark O'Hara and Alex Gogic saw off Forfar. A Stav Nahmani brace and strikes by Mandron and O'Hara swept away Arbroath.

St Mirren youth structure is key to success says Stephen Robinson
St Mirren youth structure is key to success says Stephen Robinson

Daily Record

time6 days ago

  • Sport
  • Daily Record

St Mirren youth structure is key to success says Stephen Robinson

Robinson and academy director Allan McManus have been working to bridge the gap between youth and first-team football Stephen Robinson says overhauling the youth structure at St Mirren will allow the club to create more players like Ethan Erhahon. The Buddies boss said he is working with academy director Allan McManus to ensure youngsters have all the attributes required to break into the first team. ‌ And for those who show real promise, such as Erhahon did during his time at the club, he believes they can generate significant revenue for Saints moving forward. ‌ Robbo, who fielded youngsters such as Evan Mooney and Luke Kenny this season, says it is crucial the club bridges the gap between the youth academy and the Premiership side. 'When I came here in 2021, the kids weren't fit enough and they weren't strong enough,' he told Express Sport. 'Their talent wasn't shining through because they weren't able to do the basics. 'That takes a little while. Myself and Allan have tried to put things in place at Under-16 and Under-18 levels so that we are bridging the gap. 'There's still a long way to go, but kids have to be good enough to go into the first team.' Robbo's approach to developing the youth teams has seen him put a number of players out on loan to gain game time and experience. ‌ This season, players such as Shay Kelly (Dumbarton), Gallagher Lennon (Bonnyrigg Rose), Lewis Jamieson (Raith Rovers), Callum Penman and Fraser Taylor (Arbroath) have all gone out on loan, with the latter pair having all helped Arbroath to lift the Scottish League One title. That approach worked for Erhahon, who was loaned to Barnsley in 2020 before being sold to English League One side Lincoln City in January of 2023. Now, the 24-year-old is being touted for a move to a potentially higher league, with the Saints set to get a percentage of any deal. ‌ Robbo added: 'If you look at Ethan Erhahon, he's on the verge of another big move. 'I don't know the exact figures, but we've got sell-ons that will be massively beneficial to us. 'Ethan was a boy that, I believe, everyone wanted to release before I came in here. ‌ 'But the staff here did a great job to get him to the level to get that move. And then he's kicked on from there — he's been excellent. 'And it shows that model of developing your own players does then bring in money, like Ethan will.' Looking to the future, Robbo has already identified Evan Mooney as a player who could follow a similar path and generate income for the Saints should he leave the Paisley club. ‌ 'Evan Mooney could be one that goes for big fees and does really well for us,' he said.' The 17-year-old had a fantastic breakout year at the Saints after making his debut against Hearts in October. Since then, fans have been eager to see more of him, with the youngster impressing and playing pivotal parts in crucial games this campaign, helping the Buddies make it into the top-six for a third time. ‌ And while proceeds from any sale of Erhahon this summer would be a welcome boost to the Saints' coffers, Robbo is quick to temper fans' expectations of a buying spree during the transfer window. He said: 'Everything is going up with the cost of living, so you're getting the same players for more money. 'We believe we've got a really good squad going forward but there are certain bits I want to improve, to change and to add to. 'That's difficult in this market, but agents know St Mirren are a decent club to work with now — and the board will do everything the can [financially].'

High street chain with 178 shops to close EIGHT stores as massive 50% closing down sale launched
High street chain with 178 shops to close EIGHT stores as massive 50% closing down sale launched

The Sun

time23-05-2025

  • Business
  • The Sun

High street chain with 178 shops to close EIGHT stores as massive 50% closing down sale launched

A BARGAIN high street chain is closing eight shops starting in days and huge closing down sales have been launched. The Original Factory Shop (TOFS) is closing a raft of its stores on June 28, weeks after saying it would have to shut some "loss-making" locations. 1 The discount chain has struggled in recent years and has had to look at restructuring. The Sun reported yesterday that five stores were closing in the coming weeks - but a further three have now announced they're shutting for good too. TOFS's stores in Arbroath, Kidwelly and Shaftesbury are the latest to say they are shutting up shop. The Arbroath store will be closing on June 28 and the building has been put up for sale or rent. A post on the store's Facebook page reads: "We would like to take this time to thank all of our customers at the Arbroath store. "We have loved serving you and being part of the community over the last 2 years. We hope you will pop in to see us before we close." The store asked shoppers to be "respectful to staff" as the team are "devastated" by the closure. Before it disappears from the high street, the store is holding a huge 30% off clearance sale. A huge yellow sign has been posted on the window encouraging shoppers to check out the discounts. Customers were devastated by the news of the store's closure, with one writing on Facebook: "That's a shame it's such a good shop." Beloved department store chain shutting more locations with clearance sales on now until final May 25 deadline Another said: "Arbroath's literally a ghost town, Arbroath was a thriving town years ago now there's going to be nothing left. "Great place to shop & good customer service it's really sad." The Kidwelly store is also closing on June 28 after 15 years on the high street. It announced the closure "with a heavy heart" on its Facebook page. "We have loved being a part of this community, in fact, no we are proud!" it said. "Why not pop in and grab a bargain or to even say hello and goodbye. "At this time we ask that you are considerate and respectful to our team as we are truly devastated." Disappointed customers said the closure was "sad news". One person responded to the post: "Sorry to read this, we were there last week. Hope you and the staff find other jobs." Another said: "Oh no ! Why or why. love that place and staff sad news this." The Shaftesbury store also announced its closure on Facebook, although it didn't give an exact date for when it would shut for good. It posted on May 21 that it would be shutting in six weeks' time. "We are in a closing down sale. Lizzy Lee now 50% off. Just another great deal at The Original Factory Shop Shaftesbury," it said. The shop also said it had 20% off storage boxes and "loads more markdowns in store". The Sun has reached out to TOFS for comment on the latest closure announcements. The other TOFS locations confirmed for closure in the coming weeks are Pershore, Normanton, Peterhead, Staveley and Milford Haven. Meanwhile the Nairn store is listed as up for sale, but TOFS has told The Sun that negotiations are ongoing with the landlord. Therefore it is unclear whether the shop will remain open. You can see the full list of closures and dates below... Full list of locations closing Arbroath, Angus - June 28 Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire - June 28 Pershore, Worcestershire - June 28 Normanton, West Yorkshire - June 28 Peterhead, Aberdeenshire - June Staveley, Cumbria - July 12 Shaftesbury, Dorset - no date given Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire - no date given What's been happening with The Original Factory Shop? The Original Factory Shop was bought by Modella Capital in February, and since then it has launched a restructuring effort to renegotiate rents at 88 TOFS stores. Private equity firm Modella is known for picking up struggling retailers, and has also recently acquired Hobbycraft and WHSmith 's high street shops. For Hobbycraft, Modella brought in advisers to look at potential options including a CVA. Meanwhile it is set to rebrand all WHSmith high street stores to TGJones. At the end of April, Modella drew up plans to initiate a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) for TOFS. Companies often use CVAs to prevent insolvency, which could otherwise result in store closures or the collapse of the entire business. They allow firms to explore different strategies such as negotiating reduced rent rates with landlords. A TOFS spokesperson previously told The Press and Journal that a "number of loss-making stores will have to close" as part of the restructuring. They continued: "Closing stores is always a tough decision and we are committed to keeping as many stores open as possible. "This is, however, dependent on successful negotiations with landlords as we strive to build a sustainable and successful business for the future." The Original Factory shop has already shuttered more than a dozen stores over the past 12 months. These are the locations that closed in 2024: Brightlingsea, Essex Bodmin, Cornwall Chepstow, Wales Fakenham, Norfolk Harwich, Essex Mildenhall, Suffolk Padiham, Lancashire Taunton, Somerset Deal, Kent Haverfordwest, Wales.

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