ST MIRREN today announced they have placed playing and non-playing staff at the Simple Digital Arena on the government’s job retention scheme in order to protect their “very existence”.

The Paisley club confirmed they will ensure that employees who are furloughed during the coronavirus crisis will receive their full salaries.

A statement on the Ladbrokes Premiership outfit’s website stressed they needed to act rapidly in order to stave off the threat of financial problems.

“Your board has had to consider what action to take, and quickly, to protect our long-term future and very existence,” the statement read.

“Firstly, we don’t want our people to have to worry about their income at a time of many other family concerns. Secondly, we are protecting the club’s ability to live within our means and keeping us debt-free, a position we are currently in due to the prudence and commitment of successive boards.

“The challenge is that nobody knows when football will resume and when St Mirren will again have an income from that source. As things stand, we don’t even know if this season will be completed or when next season will begin.

“Taking all of this into account, and to make sure none of our staff is left financially worse off, we have decided to make immediate use of the job retention scheme. We are committed to ensuring we will make up any difference to their usual pay level.”

The club also confirmed that season tickets for next season would be on sale from Monday.