Stephen Robinson considers 400th game in the dugout a compliment

Stephen Robinson will consider his 400th game as a manager a compliment when St Mirren travel to Falkirk in the William Hill Premiership on Saturday.

The Northern Irishman began his managerial career at Oldham and had spells at Motherwell and Morecambe before taking over the hot seat in Paisley in February 2022.

Expressing surprise at his landmark fixture at the Falkirk stadium, Robinson noted the unusual dugout longevity in the modern game.

He said: “I didn’t even want to be in management, I meant to go to America and just coach in the sunshine. I’m not sure how it ended up like this.

“I took my coaching badges with Northern Ireland and actually moved to America to coach there. Michael O’Neill is probably to blame for it.

“I ended up working with Michael in the junior international squads with Northern Ireland and then into the senior international squad and from there you get a little bug for it and I have been lucky enough to stay in management ever since.

“It is testament to the players and staff that I have worked with.

“I didn’t know I had that many games. So I must still be enjoying it if I’m not counting the hours down until I finish.

“The game as it is today, with the cut-throat nature of it, I suppose I’ll take that as a compliment that I have managed to get the 400 games.

“While I am still enjoying it and still have the same enthusiasm for the job then of course, we’ll see how far we can go with it, how far it takes us.”

It is the first time St Mirren and Falkirk have met in the top flight since May 2010 when both sides settled for a point from a 1-1 draw.

Robinson is looking forward to taking on John McGlynn’s side, who have impressed him coming up through the leagues to the top flight.

He said: “It’s fantastic. I obviously followed them coming up through the divisions.

“I see them as a big club, when you go to the stadium and how they treat you and they have a very good manager in John. He’s been nominated for manager of the year the last few years, deservedly so and that speaks volumes of a club on the rise.

“I believe he said St Mirren is a club to aspire to and I see similarities between the two clubs.

“So it’s fantastic to have them back again.

“I think fans are looking forward to a nice away day as well. They get excited when they haven’t been places for a while. So hopefully we can make it a good day for them.”