Footballer Ally McCoist made his professional debut at age 16 with which Scottish club?

Alistair Murdoch McCoist, (24 September 1962) is a Scottish retired footballer, who has since worked as a manager, pundit and actor.

McCoist's first professional club was St Johnstone, having signed from Fir Park Boys Club in 1978. McCoist had trained with St Mirren as a 16-year-old but was rejected by manager Alex Ferguson for being "too small". He made his debut for St Johnstone on 7 April 1979 in a 3–0 win over Raith Rovers. McCoist didn't score his first goal for the club until netting the third against Dumbarton in a 3–0 win in August 1980. He went on to score 23 goals in 43 appearances that season, including a consolation against Rangers in a 3–1 defeat in Scottish Cup replay.

With several English clubs interested in his signature due to his form with both St Johnstone and the Scotland under-18 side including Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur, he started the 1981–82 season with four goals in five League Cup games including the opening goal in a 2–0 win over Celtic at Muirton Park and the consolation in a 4–1 defeat in the corresponding fixture at Parkhead. Sunderland manager Alan Durban signed McCoist in August 1981. The £400,000 transfer fee spent on McCoist made him Sunderland's most expensive ever signing.