Rory Loy's 77th minute goal wasn't enough to stir up a comeback for St Mirren as they lost 2-1 at home to Falkirk.
Peter Houston's side went ahead on 11 minutes with a controversial goal from John Baird. The striker then doubled the Bairns' lead just after the hour mark when he swept home.
Loy got his first goal for The Buddies with a tidy finish that nestled into the back of the next beyond Danny Rogers. But despite Jack Ross' side trying to put pressure on the visitors, it wasn't enough to gain a point as they look to move themselves from the foot of the table.
Saints almost got off to the perfect start though with less than a minute on the clock when new loan signing Cammy Smith almost opened the scoring. The debutant picked up the ball in the middle of the park and drove forward with it before unleashing a shot from outside the box that went whistling by.
It was a bright start for the Buddies who continued to put on the pressure in the early stages with Rory Loy winning a corner kick after his attempted cross inside the box was blocked.
However, the visitors were ahead with just 11 minutes on the clock when John Baird opened the scoring. But Saints felt aggrieved by the manner in which it was scored. Falkirk won a throw-in on the left side with Myles Hippolyte running a good 10 or 15 yards further forward before finding Baird who ran through and dispatched the ball beyond Billy O'Brien. The Buddies supporters and coaching staff were left furious as the officials failed to pull the play back despite the Bairns gaining a clear advantage.
Falkirk then started to look dangerous and could've stretched their lead soon after with Fraser Aird and Hippolyte both going close.
Saints were dealt a blow when Gary MacKenzie was forced off with an injury, but began to grow back into the game as they looked to grab an equaliser. Smith was looking lively in his first start for the Buddies and forced a good save out of Rogers before the Falkirk defence cleared with Stevie Mallan lurking. Then Loy made the opposition 'keeper work with a looping shot that was well held.
The visitors were keen to try and put some breathing space between the sides and could've done twice through Craig Sibbald. The 21 year-old looked certain to score as he burst into the box, only to be denied by O'Brien who did brilliantly to block. A minute later Sibbald cracked the Saints cross bar with a volley. O'Brien was made to work again when Hippolyte smashed a low drive down the face of goal.
Half Time: St Mirren 0-1 Falkirk
Stephen McGinn came on early in the second half in place of Mallan to a rapturous applause from the home support. And it looked to be a positive change when he sent Pål Fjelde in down the right hand side before the Norwegian's cutback found Smith in the box. The loanee saw his shot saved well by Rogers before the goalie captured the ball at the second attempt.
Frustratingly for the Buddies though, Falkirk were two ahead just a few minutes later when John Baird got his second goal. Aird played the ball down the side to Lee Miller who crossed the ball into Baird. The striker did well to control the ball before putting it beyond O'Brien to double the visitors advantage.
Saints looked to hit back quickly and some excellent defending from Peter Grant denied John Sutton what would surely have been an easy headed goal by leaping just above the Englishman to knock the ball out for a corner.
The game hit a bit of a lull, but with around 15 minutes to go Saints halved the deficit to give themselves a fighting chance of taking something from the match. Some neat footwork by Loy got the striker through on goal where he drilled the ball into the back of the net.
The Buddies had one last big chance to salvage a point, but only after O'Brien made a tremendous stop to deny Luke Leahy. In the dying embers of the match Saints won a corner from which Jack Baird rose the highest to bullet towards goal but agonisingly it went beyond the post and meant St Mirren left the match empty handed.
Full Time: St Mirren 1-2 Falkirk
St Mirren: O'Brien, Fjelde, Baird, MacKenzie (Webster, 22), Irvine, Storie (Todd, 82), Mallan (McGinn, 55), Morgan, Smith, Loy, Sutton
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Stelios, Clarkson, Magennis
Falkirk: Rogers, Leahy, Muirhead, Kerr, Baird (Gasparotto, 90), Sibbald, Hippolyte, Grant, Miller (McHugh, 89), Aird (Kidd, 90), Watson
Subs Not Used: Thomson, Gallacher, Shepherd, Craigen
Referee: Alan Muir
Assistant Referee: Michael Banks
Assistant Referee: David Dunne
Attendance: 3,316
Match gallery pictures by Allan Picken – © Allan Picken Photography and John Millar - © millarpictures
