Love Street

Love Street stadium was a traditional football stadium with four stands that were all of different sizes. The stands were named the Main Stand, the North Bank, the West Stand, and the Family Stand.

A unique aspect of Love Street was that the ground was on the direct approach path for aircraft to the local airport, which was only three miles east in Renfrew.

Hosted one international match in the 1923 British Home Championship, which saw Scotland defeat Wales 2-0 in front of a 25,000 crowd. The ground also hosted greyhound racing, boxing, and speedway events at various points.

The infrastructure of Love Street was old-fashioned and the facilities were often subpar, especially as the club moved into the 21^st century.

Stephen McGinn, who was at the club from 2006 to 2010, believed that the stadium’s unique design gave St Mirren a distinct home advantage.

He said: “At Love Street we had a proper home advantage. We knew everything about it, plus it wasn’t great for the opposition with the tiny away dressing room and one working shower. So we lost that edge when we first moved as it felt a bit like a neutral ground in that the facilities were great for both sides.”

The main stand was the oldest stand in the stadium and was built in 1921. With a capacity of only 3,800, the distinctive Art Deco style stand was supposed to be much bigger, but the Great Depression placed financial constraints on the club.

The area to the right of the main stand in the corner of the stadium was called ‘Cairter’s Corner’ as it was commonly occupied by local Paisley carters who passionately supported the team.

Away fans were located in the West Stand at Love Street. Around 3,000 away fans could be held at this end of the stadium.

There was a large external staircase in this stand, which away supporters had to climb up to reach their elevated seat. This stand was originally known as the Caledonia Street End, but was renovated in 1995 and became ‘The Caledonia Stand’.

Vocal home fans were housed in the North Stand at Love Street, which was opposite the Main Stand. Over 4,200 hardcore fans could be situated in this area, which was known as the area of the stadium which elevated the atmosphere.

At the opposite end was the Family Stand, which had a capacity of 2,200. This seated stand was covered by a cantilevered roof.

Love Street was demolished in early 2010, and the land was sold to property developers, who began the construction of residential housing. It was originally sold to Tesco to build a new supermarket, but they pulled out of a deal in 2009.

The houses were completed in 2017, and the old Love Street ground has been honoured with street names such as ‘North Bank, ‘Saints Street’, and ‘Cairter’s Corner’ in the new estate.

There are also streets named after famous St Mirren players, including ‘Abercromby Aveneue,’ ‘Yardley Avenue’, and ‘Fitzpatrick Way,’ honouring Billy Abercromby, Tony Fitzpatrick, and Mark Yardley, who made significant contributions for the club.

Then:

Now:

The capacity of Love Street varied, particularly from 1921 onwards, when the Main Stand was built. Following the 1921 redevelopment, over 40,000 fans attended the stadium, especially for matches against Celtic and Rangers.

The highest recorded attendance at the crowd was on August 20, 1949, when St Mirren played Celtic in the Scottish League Cup.

However, in the 1980s and 1990s, the capacity of the crowd was significantly reduced to comply with modern stadium regulations. By the time the crowd closed in 2009, the capacity of the all-seated stadium was 10,800.

The last game at Love Street was a goalless draw between St Mirren and Motherwell on January 3, 2009, in the Scottish Premiership.

⏪ #OnThisDay | 2009

St Mirren play their final match at Love Street ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/owlsx2sChP

— SNS Group (@snsgroup) January 3, 2023

Moving from Love Street mid-season proved to be difficult for St Mirren, as they were winless in the remaining eight home matches at the new stadium.

St. Mirren 3-2 Celtic (1990):

St. Mirren defeated Celtic in the Scottish Cup final in front of a capacity crowd of 22,000 at Love Street.

Scotland 2-0 Australia (1988):

Love Street hosted an international friendly between Scotland and Australia, which was won by Scotland thanks to goals from Richard Gough and Paul McStay.

St. Mirren 4-1 Rangers (1984):

In one of the most famous matches in the club’s history, St. Mirren defeated Rangers 4-1 in the Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

St. Mirren 3-0 Hearts (2000):

St. Mirren secured promotion to the Scottish Premier League with a convincing win over Hearts in front of a packed crowd at Love Street.

St. Mirren 6-2 Dundee United (1999):

St. Mirren produced a stunning performance to thrash Dundee United 6-2 in a Scottish Cup tie at Love Street.

Love Street was the oldest football stadium in Scotland when it closed in 2009.

The stadium was located on Love Street, which was named after William Love, a former Provost of Paisley.

Love Street was the first Scottish football stadium to install floodlights, which were inaugurated in 1959.

The stadium’s record attendance was set in 1949, when 47,438 spectators watched St. Mirren play Celtic in the Scottish Cup.

The stadium was used as a filming location for the 1984 movie “Comfort and Joy,” which was directed by Bill Forsyth.

The ground was affectionately known as “The Old Lady” by St. Mirren fans.

Love Street was the venue for the first-ever Scottish League Cup final in 1947, which saw Rangers beat Aberdeen 4-0.

Highest Attendance at Love Street: 

47,438 v Celtic in the Scottish Cup.

Lowest Attendance at Love Street:

1,000 v Montrose (Scottish League Cup) in 1939.

Highest Scoring Match: 

9-3  victory v Dundee United (Scottish Cup) in 1954

Top Goal Scorer: 

Tommy Bryceland, who scored 125

First Ever Hat-Trick: 

George McLachlan v Arbroath (Scottish Cup) in 1898.