Yesterday the doors were open to the fans at St Mirren Park and the training complex in Ralston for a two venue open day.

At the stadium team manager, Danny Lennon and his assistant, Iain Jenkins took the player through a training session explaining to the fans the training methods.

Next up was a bounce match made up of two sides from the squad during which Danny and Iain explained to the fans the thinking behind the formations and tactics.

Afterwards the players mingled with the fans for some chat as well as posing for photographs and signing autographs.

Meanwhile over at Ralston, David Longwell and his youth players were conducting tours of the new training complex.

The sun was shining for most of the day and all-in-all events proved to be a success with the fans.

One such fan, Brian Doig said, "The whole day was a breath of fresh air, and a fantastic move by the Club.

"I reckon that if fans can see what the coach and players are trying to achieve and the work they are putting in, then they will be more supportive during the hard times.

"Chatting to players - making it personal in a positive way, also should make some fans a bit less inclined to dish out criticism when a player is going through a bad patch.

"St Mirren has shown great initiative, and this was much more than a token gesture - it was a genuine attempt to make the supporters, youth players, players and staff of St Mirren all feel and be part of the Club.

"This augers well for the future, and the number of youngsters in attendance shows that we have the fan base for the future if we treat them as we did today and encourage their attendance through further incentives.

"Well done Saints, and THANK YOU!"

Web team member Karin Irvine was also in attendance and she has no doubt that the Open Day has won the Club new fans.

She said, "The open day was a great success. We took our 7-year-old nephew with us, who was delighted to meet all the players on what seemed to be an individual basis.

"The players were a great credit to our football team and to Paisley as a town - nothing was a trouble for them, they were excellent with the kids.

"Our 10-year-old niece came along too, she wasn't interested in football until today! Now she wants to go to our game on Saturday against Dundee United.

"Danny Lennon and Iain Jenkins were open and honest, seemed like a breath of fresh air. Positivity oozed from the management team.

"We're all looking forward to watching the Stars in Stripes this season and thank you St Mirren for a great day out, you've gained another two fans!

"Good luck for season 2010-2011!"

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