St Mirren posted two of their biggest attendances of the season over the past 10 days – pushing their home crowds against Rangers and Celtic down to mid-table as far as their gate receipts go.
And the Paisley club have also seen their average attendance shoot up by nearly 50 per cent amid a strong campaign under Stephen Robinson. The Buddies sparked fury from both sides of the Glasgow divide earlier in the season when they announced plans to cut visiting crowds in order to keep as much of the SMiSA Stadium as possible available to home fans.
Celtic and Rangers were previously handed both stands behind the goals when they visited Paisley but they launched a campaign asking fans to donate £30 where possible as a "voluntary three-stand retention levy" – effectively halving the tickets available to away fans. They were ridiculed for this by some elements who felt the club were shooting themselves in the foot by limiting their own income – particularly after they posted a £1.6million loss on their annual accounts.
