Saints' disappointing run of form continued as Kilmarnock consigned them to a fifth successive defeat at a sun-soaked Paisley.

The decisive moment came as the half hour mark approached, Killie making their possession dominance count when Chris Burke's cross was converted by Nicke Kabamba.

Lee Erwin had hit the bar for Saints before the goal but the hosts rarely looked like finding an equaliser, while the returning Jak Alnwick had a fairly quiet game at the other end aside from a fine stop from Ross Millen early in the second half.

Alnwick was one of four changes made to the side that lost at Tannadice a week ago, with Junior Morias, Ilkay Durmus and Cammy MacPherson also coming into the side. That meant Jon Obika and Kyle McAllister dropped to the bench, with Richard Tait suspended. The Killie defence was packed with former Buddies including goalie Danny Rogers and defenders Kirk Broadfoot, while Andy Millen was in the technical area with son Ross on the field.

Killie had plenty of possession in the opening quarter but it was Saints who had the better of the chances. When a visiting corner was cleared to Morias, he released but he perhaps let the angle get a bit too tight before dragging a shot wide of the far post. The winger was the provider for the Buddies' next opportunity as his corner found Erwin and his header appeared to be tipped onto the bar by Rogers, however the officials gave a goal-kick.

Kilmarnock's crosses had been causing a few problems for the Saints defence and it was from one of those that they took the lead. The ball was worked out wide to Burke and when he put it into the danger area Kabamba was there to sweep home. Saints tried to respond and Rogers failed to hold Jamie McGrath's corner but Joe Shaughnessy poked the loose ball over the bar. The Ayrshire side had a chance to double their lead just before the break but Burke curled his free-kick from the edge of the box well over the bar.

Jim Goodwin made a double change at the break, Obika and Nathan Sheron coming on for Foley and McGrath. Before they could do anything, the visitors nearly added a second, Millen finding Greg Kiltie and his shot was superbly tipped behind by Alnwick, the goalie comfortably dealing with Broadfoot's header from the corner that followed.

Marcus Fraser was then perhaps a bit fortunate to escape with a yellow card when he caught Millen in the chest with his studs, the contact unintentional as the Saints fullback tried to bring the ball under control.

Dylan Connolly replaced Durmus as the hour mark approached and the change did give Saints a bit more attacking intent but chances were few and far between at both ends. McAllister replaced Ethan Erhahon for the final 10 minutes and Saints had a penalty shout turned down soon after when Broadfoot clearly caught Shaughnessy as they jostled at a corner, however ref David Munro was unmoved.

In stoppage time, Connolly did well to dig out a cross but neither Obika or Morias were able to connect and any hope of salvaging a point was gone.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-1 Kilmarnock

St Mirren: Alnwick, MacPherson, Shaughnessy, McCarthy, Fraser, McGrath (Obika 45), Foley (Sheron 45), Erhahon (McAllister 82), Durmus (Connolly 60), Morias, Erwin
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Jamieson

Kilmarnock: Rogers, Millen (Rossi 90), Broadfoot, Findlay, Waters, Power, Dicker (c), Kiltie, Tshibola, Burke (McKenzie 72), Kabamba
Subs Not Used: Doyle, McGowan, Haunstrup, Dikamona, Whitehall, Pinnock, Cameron 

Referee: David Munro
Assistant Referee: Calum Spence
Assistant Referee: Drew Kirkland
Fourth Official: David Lowe

St Mirren were reduced to 10 men as they fell to a narrow loss away to Dundee United.

Lawrence Shankland and Adrian Sporle had United 2-0 in front before Richard Tait was shown a straight red card on the hour mark. Dylan Connolly netted his first St Mirren goal on 64 minutes but Saints couldn't find an equaliser that would have seen us take a point back to Paisley.

Jim Goodwin made two changes to the side that was edged out by Celtic on Wednesday night with Kyle McAllister and Jon Obika coming in for Connolly and Junior Morias. 

And it was McAllister who went mightily close to opening the scoring in the opening minutes with the first real opportunity of the match. The winger had United goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist at full stretch as his free-kick from 30 yards went inches wide.

The Buddies started brightly with Siegrist having to be alert to get in front of Lee Erwin to punch away a dangerous looking ball from McAllister on the right-hand side.

Erwin, who scored his first goal for Saints on Wednesday night, came close to putting the Buddies ahead on 17 minutes when managed to get himself in ahead of two Dundee United defenders to meet Obika's chested flick-on. But his touch from close-range was easily gathered by Siegrist. 

It was the forward who was involved again in Saints next chance when he sliced wide after being met in space by a Conor McCarthy header on the half-hour mark.

But it was United who took the lead through a stunning strike from Lawrence Shankland. A corner from the left was headed clear by Conor McCarthy but only as far as Shankland who turned and volleyed home.

Both sides would have chances before the interval with Tait having a header well saved by Siegrist while Nicky Clark should have done better as he sent a strike wide from inside the Saints box. 

United started the second-half the stronger of the two sides and could have doubled their lead on 51 minutes when Clark found himself in on goal but smacked his strike off the post.

However, United would find their second a minute later when Adrian Sporle took advantage of poor Saints defending. Ian Harkes initial effort was saved by Zdenek Zlamal with the Czech goalkeeper then making another block to deny Shankland, but the Buddies couldn't clear their lines which allowed United a third bite at it with Sporle finishing from close range.

Saints day looked to have gone from bad to worse when Richard Tait was given his marching orders on the hour mark for a challenge on Logan Chalmers. But just four minutes later the Buddies were given a route back into the match when substitute Dylan Connolly scored his first Saints goal after robbing Mark Reynolds inside the box and slotting beyond Siegrist.

Clearly boosted by the goal Saints had the bulk of the territory and possession in the following minutes. With 15 minutes remaining Ilkay Durmus will feel he could have done better when he met McCarthy's flick-on at the back post. The Turkish winger got his head on it but sent straight into the arms of Siegrist. 

Zlamal would make a good save to deny Sporle a second with less than 10 minutes remaining as the game petered out with the points remaining in Dundee.

Full-Time: Dundee United 2-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Zlamal, Fraser, Shaughnessy, McCarthy, Tait, McGrath (Durmus 56), Erhahon (Morias 85), Foley (c), McAllister (Connolly 56), Erwin, Obika (MacPherson 66)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Sheron, Jamieson

Dundee United: Siegrist, Sporle, Reynolds, Clark (Glass 83), Edwards, Chalmers (Pawlett 81), Robson, Butcher, Bolton, Harkes, Shankland
Subs Not Used: Deniz, Powers, McMullan, Smith, Freeman, Appere, Neilson

Referee: Colin Steven
Assistant Referee: David Doig
Assistant Referee: Craig Ferguson
Fourth Official: Craig Napier

Lee Erwin scored his first St Mirren goal, but it wasn't enough to prevent Saints from being edged out against Celtic. 

The forward, who joined Jim Goodwin's side last week, was making his first start for the Buddies as the manager selected the forward to lead the line the evening. 

His selection paid dividends as he netted inside the first three minutes to give us the perfect start. Joe Shaughnessy, returning from suspension, nodded a corner on to the back post where it met the forward who got in ahead of Vasilias Barkas to bundle home. 

But Celtic levelled on 21 minutes when Shane Duffy scored his second goal in as many games. The Irish defender ghosted in ahead of the Saints defence to nod Ryan Christie's free-kick beyond Zdenek Zlamal to equalise.

Callum McGregor and Odsonne Edouard were both denied by Zlamal as Celtic looked to take control. The former's powerful drive from range was well held by the Czech goalkeeper, while the latter saw an effort blocked from point blank range. But the Hoops weren't to kept at bay much longer as James Forrest gave the away side the lead on 36 minutes when he headed a Christie cross home from eight yards. 

Zlamal was called into action early in the second-half as he did well to push away an Edouard free-kick on 49 minutes. 

Saints were still very much in the match and had a decent opportunity on the hour mark after a good counter attack which saw Erwin fire over from the edge of the Celtic area. Seven minutes later it was McGrath who would send a strike over after getting on the end of Morias' headed ball inside the area. 

Celtic could have wrapped up the win with 15 minutes remaining when they were awarded a penalty after Christie went down in the box under the challenge of Jamie McGrath. Edouard stepped up and stuttered with Zlamal diving the right way to push away the spot kick. 

Jim Goodwin brought Jon Obika and Ilkay Durmus on as he searched for a late equaliser, but it wasn't to be as Celtic left Paisley with the points. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-2 Celtic 

St Mirren: Zlamal, Fraser, Shaughnessy, McCarthy, Tait, Morias (Obika 80), McGrath, Foley (Durmus 90), Erhahon, Connolly (McAllister 64), Erwin
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, MacPherson, Sheron, Jamieson

Celtic: Barkas, Elhamed, Ajer, Duffy, Taylor, Forrest (Frimpong 80), McGregor, Brown (c), Christie, Klimala (Ajeti 66), Edouard (Ntcham 80)
Subs Not Used: Bain, Jullien, Bitton, Soro, Turnbull, Elyounoussi

Referee: John Beaton
Assistant Referee: Dougie Potter
Assistant Referee: Andrew McWilliam
Fourth Official: Craig Napier

A difficult week for Saints came to a forgettable end as they lost to Hibs in Paisley.

With coronavirus meaning Saints' three signed goalies were unavailable, Zdenek 'Bobby' Zlamal was signed on loan from Hearts hours before kick-off. Hibs opened the scoring when deflections off Sam Foley and Kevin Nesbit took the ball under Zlamal and they quickly added a second through Joe Newell.

There was some improvement from Saints after that and they made a decent start to the second half, however any hope of a comeback was wiped out when Zlamal failed to deal with a cross and Martin Boyle headed in at the backpost.

The keeper was one of three changes to the Saints side who had lost in Perth a fortnight ago. There was a first start for recent arrival Kristian Dennis and a rare outing for Ethan Erhahon, making his first start for the senior side in more than a year. Junior Morias and Kyle McAllister were the outfield duo dropping to the bench, where they joined new signing Lee Erwin and 40-year-old goalie coach Jamie Langfield. Former Buddies boss Jack Ross included ex-Saint Paul McGinn in his team with Stevie Mallan and Darren McGregor among the subs.

Hibs lined up with plenty of attacking intent, Boyle causing the early problems. A great tackle from Richard Tait stopped him getting a shot away from a decent position and the next time he got in behind, Zlamal did enough to put him off. The forward was to prove more effective in Hibs' next attack, collecting Christian Doidge's crossfield pass before finding McGinn, who sent a dangerous cross into the middle that hit off Foley then Nisbet before trickling into the net.

Before Saints could respond, they were two down. Once again Boyle was involved as he teed up Newell and he curled past Zlamal from the edge of the box. Saints were aggrieved not to be given a penalty when Ryan Porteous handled inside the box, ref Willie Collum having none of it. As Hibs pushed for a third, Josh Doig fired in a shot that looked to be bending into the bottom corner before it was blocked by a Saints defender.

The Buddies finally had a shot when a corner was only cleared as far as Sheron but he fired over from distance, with Dennis then being crowded out as he tried to shoot. Hibs still looked the more dangerous and when they countered, Nisbet looked to have shot well wide before a deflection almost spun the ball into the opposite corner with Zlamal stranded. Ofir Marciano had been a virtual spectator in the Hibs goal but proved his worth twice just before the break. Ilkay Durmus drew a great save with a fine free-kick and when the ball was crossed played back in, Marcus Fraser nodded it down for Sheron to thump towards goal only for Marciano to palm it away.

Erwin was handed his Buddies debut at the break as he replaced Dennis. Zlamal came out to save from Nisbet after he'd got the better of Foley before Erwin had a chance to reduce the deficit, shooting over from the edge of the box after a great pass from Conor McCarthy. Just as Saints were beginning to pose a few questions of the Hibs defence, the visitors put the game to bed. Newell delivered a cross to the back post and Zlamal missed it, Boyle nodding home.

The forward went close to adding a fourth soon after the restart, Zlamal saving his shot well, before Saints sub Dylan Connolly curled a shot over at the other end. Another sub, Kyle McAllister, had a free-kick deflected over as the Buddies pressed for a consolation, Marciano producing a good save to keep out Cammy MacPherson's powerful effort shortly after he'd replaced Jamie McGrath, the last real chance either side had.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-3 Hibernian

REACTION: Jim Goodwin Post-Hibernian

St Mirren: Zlamal, Fraser, McCarthy, Foley, Tait, McGrath (MacPherson 82), Sheron (McAllister 59), Erhahon, Durmus (Connolly 59), Dennis (Erwin 45), Obika (Morias 87)
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Jamieson

Hibernian: Marciano, McGinn, Hanlon, Porteous, Doig, Murphy (Wright 81), Newell (Mallan 87), Gogic, Boyle (Shanley 87), Nisbet (Gullan 77), Doidge
Subs Not Used: Barnes, Gray, Stevenson, Hallberg, McGregor

Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: Ralph Gordon
Assistant Referee: Ross MacLeod
Fourth Official: Steven Kirkland

St Mirren head into the international break on the back of a disappointing defeat at McDiarmid Park.

The Buddies could have no arguments about the final result as Stevie May scored the game's only goal on 72 minutes to give St Johnstone a 1-0 win this afternoon.

St Johnstone created a number of chances throughout the 90 minutes with Callum Hendry the first to fashion an opportunity on seven minutes. The forward robbed Saints defender Conor McCarthy and raced clear on goal only to be stopped by a wonderful save from Jak Alnwick. 

Six minutes later, Michael O'Halloran smashed just wide from 20 yards after Junior Morias has been denied a free-kick in the St Johnstone half.

Jim Goodwin's men couldn't get going with Craig Conway slamming over the bar from close range after meeting a cut-back before Scott Tanser passed up a glorious opportunity when he volleyed wide on 34 minutes.

The St Mirren gaffer had seen enough and decided to change shape with Cammy MacPherson coming on to replace Kyle McAllister.  But still St Johnstone would go close again just a few minutes later when Hendry headed over from 10 yards.

The home side would have one more chance before the interval with Alnwick saving well again from Jason Kerr to keep the score at 0-0.

St Mirren were forced into two quick changes with Junior Morias replaced at half-time by Dylan Connolly after picking up a knock, while Marcus Fraser had to come off on 50 minutes with a dead leg.

St Johnstone's pressure told as they opened the scoring on 72 minutes.  Substitute Stevie May, who had only been on the park five minutes, met Conway's low ball in from the left to knock home from close range. 

With 10 minutes to go the Buddies registered their first real chance as substitute Kristian Dennis slammed into the arms of Elliot Parish from the edge of the box. A minute later Jon Obika met a cross but his volley was tame and easy for Parish to gather. 

Alnwick would make a further save to deny St Johnstone a second as he tipped's Danny McNamara's shot over, but one was enough for the points to stay in Perth.

Full-Time: St Johnstone 1-0 St Mirren 

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser (Dennis 50), McCarthy, Tait, McGrath, Sheron (Jamieson 89), Foley (c), Durmus, McAllister (MacPherson 38), Obika, Morias (Connolly 45)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Baird, Erhahon, Henderson, Jack

St Johnstone: Parish, Kerr, Gordon, McCart, McNamara, Tanser, Wotherspoon, McCann, Conway (Kane 90), Hendry (Davidson 83), O'Halloran (May 67)
Subs Not Used: Sinclair, Duffy, Robertson, Booth, Rooney, Olaofe

Referee: Kevin Clancy
Assistant Referee: Alan Mulvanny
Assistant Referee: Craig Ferguson
Fourth Official: Kevin Graham

Saints had to make do with a point after drawing with Ross County in an entertaining game in Paisley.

The Buddies led at the break thanks to Jon Obika's second goal in as many games, the striker showing great composure to tuck the ball away after a good run from Kyle McAllister.

Both keepers pulled off great saves in the second half before the hosts had Joe Shaughnessy sent off for a tackle on Ross Stewart, Michael Gardyne's deflected effort levelling things up soon after. Unsurprisingly, the visitors had plenty of possession after that but couldn't make it count as the sides shared the spoils.

Foley was back in midfield as Conor McCarthy was fit enough to return to defence with Cammy MacPherson dropping to the bench, where he was joined by new signing Kristian Dennis. Former County skipper Marcus Fraser lined up against his old side, with ex Buddie Stewart in attack for the visitors.

The opening quarter of an hour was scrappy with neither side carving out anything of note but the first real show of quality in the game resulted in a goal. McAllister made a fine run across the park and tried to pass to Jamie McGrath, only for Gardyne to stick a foot out to try to intercept it. The ball then broke lose and McAllister poked it forward, via a County player, to Obika, who turned and fired low into the bottom corner.

Things got worse for County when they lost Coll Donaldson to injury after Nathan Sheron's challenge, former Saints' favourite Keith Watson taking his place. Staggies goalie Ross Laidlaw needed two goes to save Junior Morias' shot after he was played in by McAllister moments before Billy Mckay headed wide from a Gardyne cross. With the game beginning to open up, Obika and McGrath combined to create an opening for Sheron but he lashed his shot into the empty stand behind the goal.

There was a scare when Josh Reid's shot took a huge deflection off Fraser and threatened to spin into the Saints goal before going behind. County went even closer from the corner, Harry Paton's delivery being met by Stewart but his header hit the bar. The Buddies almost added a second before the break, Obika nodding the ball through for Morias but Laidlaw blocked his shot.

County replaced Paton and Reid with Carl Tremarco and Regan Charles-Cook at the break and the change almost paid instant dividends as Charles-Cook picked out Stewart with a great cross but his header was superbly cleared off the line by Richard Tait. The fullback showed he could also be effective at the other end, whipping in a low ball that Obika was unable to get enough on to force home. The Buddies had a chance to add a second soon after, McAllister's shot being deflected to Morias but he was once again denied by Laidlaw.

County went back on the offensive, Gardyne trying to curl a shot into the bottom corner only for Jak Alnwick to produce a great save, the ball then bouncing off Charles-Cook and going behind before he had a chance to react. If that was a bit of luck for the hosts, what happened next would have infuriated Buddies fans watching at home. Shaughnessy and Stewart both went for the ball and the Saints defender won it but also caught Stewart with his follow through. As the County striker writhed in pain, play continued before ref Mike Roncone stopped proceedings so Stewart could receive treatment. Tempers flared between the two sides but after they had calmed down, Mr Roncone then decided that not only was it a foul after all, Shaughnessy's tackle was bad enough to merit a red card. It was a bizarre situation, aggrieved Saints boss Jim Goodwin replacing McAllister with MacPherson and dropping Foley into defence as he adjusted his side.

It took the Staggies just five minutes to make their numerical advantage count. Connor Randall headed the ball back into the mix from the byline and Gardyne's shot deflected off both Foley and Sheron before nestling in the bottom corner. The visitors could sense a winner and Saints were sitting deeper and deeper, although they did force a corner from one rare foray forward that was cleared to Foley at the edge of the box but he smashed it well over.

Goalscorer Obika was replaced by newboy Dennis for the closing stages, County sub Stephen Kelly shooting well wide as the visitors pushed for a winner. They almost got it in stoppage time as a cross found Mckay but he could only prod it wide.

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-1 Ross County

WATCH JIM GOODWIN'S POST-MATCH REACTION HERE.

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Tait, Sheron, Foley (c), McGrath, McAllister (MacPherson 65), Morias, Obika (Dennis 85)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Urminsky, Baird, Erhahon, Henderson, Jamieson, Jack

Ross County: Laidlaw, Randall (Mullin 82), Donaldson (Watson 24), Iacovitti, Reid (Tremarco 45), Draper, Vigurs (Kelly 71), Stewart, Paton (Charles-Clark 45), Gardyne, McKay
Subs Not Used: Doohan, Watson, Tillson, Spittal, Shaw

Referee: Mike Roncone
Assistant Referee: Dougie Potter
Assistant Referee: Gordon Crawford
Fourth Official: William Collum

Jon Obika's first goal of the season was enough to give St Mirren a second win from three at the start of the 2020/21 season.

The forward's first-half effort secured a 1-0 win for Jim Goodwin's men at the Foys Stadium. 

Saints started brightly winning a corner inside the first 60 seconds. It was Joe Shaughnessy who met the resultant corner with Accies goalkeeper Ryan Fulton doing well to turn away. 

Accies then threatened with David Templeton testing Jak Alnwick on four minutes before Scott Martin's deflected shot fell into the path of David Moyo on 10 minutes but the striker's effort was held at the second attempt by the Saints goalkeeper. 

Shaughnessy went close again on 15 minutes with the Hamilton defence just managing to clear his effort from a corner.

Saints took the lead four minutes later when Obika scored his first goal since the final game of last season. The Hamilton defence couldn't clear a ball into their box and it fell kindly to Richard Tait at the far right hand of the Hamilton box. The defender sent the ball low across to find Obika who touched home to get off the mark for the season.

Saints were well in control at this point and could have found a second when Kyle McAllister's strike from the left-hand side was deflected just wide of Fulton's left-hand post before ex-Saint Lee Hodson's vital interception denied the St Mirren number 10 again. McAllister's powerful left-footed effort looking primed for the bottom corner of the Hamilton net but Hodson's touch managed to divert. 

Fulton made a brilliant save to deny the Buddies a second on 35 minutes. Junior Morias' initial attempt from the edge of the area was blocked by Hakeem Odoffin but fell to the forward again who shifted his feet and cracked a strike towards the top corner with Fulton at full stretch to touch over.  

Morias should have made it two just three minutes to half-time. Marcus Fraser played a brilliant low ball into the feet of the unmarked striker but he scooped over. 

Hamilton started the stronger after the break with Alnwick having to make a terrific save less than a minute after the restart to deny Ross Callachan. The Accies midfielder had another good chance moments later but screwed wide from close range.

Alnwick again made good stops with his feet to deny Andy Winter and Scott McMann in the 66th and 77th minute as the home side pushed for a leveller. 

Saints had struggled to get a foothold in the second-half but could have wrapped the game up with 12 minutes to go. Morias found substitute Ilkay Durmus with a lovely pass but Fulton was down quickly to hold the Turkish winger's low drive. 

Durmus had another strike which he sent into the arms of the Hamilton goalkeeper as the game entered it's final minute, but Obika's first-half strike proved to be enough to see all three points return to Paisley. 

Full-Time: Hamilton Academical 0-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, Foley (c), Shaughnessy, Tait, MacPherson, Sheron, McGrath, K.McAllister (Durmus 61), Morias, Obika
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Urminsky, Baird, Erhahon, Henderson, Thorvaldsson, Jack, Jamieson

Hamilton: Fulton, Odoffin, McMann (c), Martin, Hodson, Templeton, Callachan (Mimnaugh 81), L.Smith (Johnson 55), Want, Winter, Moyo (Ogkmpoe 55)
Subs Not Used: Gourlay, Hamilton,Trafford, Fjorttoft, Munro, C.Smith

Referee: Steven Kirkland
Assistant Referee: Frank Connor
Assistant Referee: Graham McNeillie
Fourth Official: Don Robertson

St Mirren were beaten by Rangers on match day two of the Scottish Premiership.

A Conor McCarthy own-goal gave Rangers a first-half lead before an Alfredo Morelos double rounded off the win for the Ibrox side.

Steven Gerrard's side were on the ascendancy from the off with Ianis Hagi having a good opportunity inside the first five minutes when the ball fell to the Romanian just eight yards from goal. But the forward shot into the ground which took the sting out of it for Jak Alnwick. 

The Saints goalkeeper would have a busy first-half saving a low effort from Morelos on 12 minutes before having to gather an Aribo strike two minutes later. 

Rangers pressure told when they took the lead on 23 minutes. It was unfortunate for defender McCarthy who could do nothing as Morelos' ball across the box cannoned off him and into the Saints net.  

The home side pushed for a second before the interval with Alnwick saving well from James Tavernier twice, while Ryan Kent lashed a fierce shot just by the right-hand post.

Saints started the second-half brightly and may feel aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty when Jamie McGrath appeared to have been fouled inside the Rangers box. The midfielder's foot was inside the area when he was brought down but referee Andrew Dallas awarded a free-kick. Durmus stepped up to take the free-kick but Gers goalkeeper McLaughlin was level to it.

Rangers doubled their advantage with a little over 20 minutes remaining. Morelos, who had already gone close twice in the second-half, somehow found himself free in the Saints box to head home a corner from the right-hand side. 

Morelos rounded off the win for Rangers when he scored his second and Rangers third on 74 minutes. Borna Barisic burst into the Saints box but had his shot blocked by Alnwick only for it to fall to Morelos two yards from goal to knock home.

Full-Time: Rangers 3-0 St Mirren 

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Tait, McGrath, Foley (Erhahon 85), MacPherson (Jamieson 85), Sheron (Morias 74), Durmus (McAllister 78), Obika (Thorvaldsson 85)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Baird, Henderson, Jack

Rangers: McLaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Balogun, Barisic (Bassey 79), Kamara, Jack (Davis 74), Aribo (Arfield 74), Hagi, Kent (Barker 79), Morelos (Itten 74)
Subs Not Used: Firth, Helander, Patterson, Jones

Referee: Andrew Dallas
Assistant Referee: Douglas Ross
Assistant Referee: Graeme Leslie
Fourth Official: Gavin Duncan

Richard Tait's debut goal secured an opening day win for St Mirren as football returned to St Mirren Park.

The full-back's header was enough for Saints, in competitive action for the first time since a 1-0 win over Hearts in March, to pick up all three points in Paisley.

The win means that the Buddies have won there last three home matches on opening day and extended our unbeaten run at home in the league to six matches.

There was very little of note in the opening stages with it taking until 20 minutes for either side to register any real opportunity with Livingston's Efe Ambrose having an effort from the edge of the area held by Jak Alnwick.

Saints took the lead with their first real opportunity on the half-hour mark. Jamie McGrath swung the most inviting ball into the box allowing Richard Tait, who had ghosted into the box, to bullet home a header from six yards out.

With a little over five minutes of the first-half remaining, Craig Sibbald cracked the Saints post with a powerful hit from range.  

Livingston started the second-half strongly with Alnwick getting the slightest touch on an Alan Forrest effort after the Livi winger had jinxed his way into the Saints box.

Nicky Devlin should have done better for the visitors six minutes later when he stuck a free header from close range over the bar. 

Ambrose had a shot from the edge of the area deflected over with Joe Shaughnessy, a colossus at the back on his Saints debut, clearing the resultant corner. 

Substitute Junior Morias should have wrapped the game up with eight minutes remaining. The forward was unmarked 10 yards from goal as he met an Jon Obika header but he smashed off the post. 

Again Saints could have put the seal on the points when Shaughnessy rose well to meet a pinpoint Cammy MacPherson cross but nodded wide.

Scott Pittman came close to an injury-time equaliser for the visitors with a strike from the edge of the box, but as they had done the whole match, the Saints defence stood up to block to secure a well earned three points and a much deserved clean sheet. 

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-0 Livingston 

St Mirren: Alnwick, Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy, Tait, McGrath, Foley, MacPherson, McAllister (Morias 61), Obika, Durmus (Thorvaldsson 76)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Urminsky, Baird, Erhahon, Henderson, Jamieson, Jack

Livingston: McCrorie, Devlin, Fitzwater, Taylor-Sinclair (Souda 83), Guthrie, Ambrose, Bartley, Pittman, Sibbald (Robinson 68), Forrest (Kouider-Aissa 61), Dykes
Subs Not Used: Stryjek, Crawford, McMillan, Tiffoney, Hamilton, Pignatiello

Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: Alan Mulvanny
Assistant Referee: Kylie McMullan
Fourth Official: David Munro

St Mirren moved up to ninth in the Ladbrokes Premiership and six points away from bottom after a deserved 1-0 win over Hearts at the Simple Digital Arena.

Jon Obika's 12th goal of the season at the beginning of the second-half was enough to secure an important three points for Jim Goodwin's men.

The Buddies started with intent with Akin Famewo knocking just wide after swinging his foot at a Cammy MacPherson corner in the fourth minute. 

Sam Foley almost grabbed the opener on 10 minutes after good work from Alex Jakubiak on the right saw the striker cut the ball back across the box. The Hearts defence couldn't deal with the danger and sent it as far as Foley who put his effort over.

Four minutes later it was Ilkay Durmus who almost opened the scoring after strong play down the left-hand side. The winger knocked the ball beyond a Hearts defender and swung a cross in from the byline that almost caught out Jambos goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal who had to tip over. From the resultant corner Loic Damour did well to block as he denied Calum Waters' goal-bound piledriver from 20 yards.  

Still Saints pressed for the first goal and could have had it on 23 minutes had Obika got anything on a wonderful Ross Wallace cross.

Hearts had their first real opportunity on 25 minutes when Aaron Hickey had a go from distance but Vaclav Hladky was down well to gather. A minute later Sean Clare managed to get his head onto a Michael Smith cross from the right but nodded well over. 

Saints were dealt a major blow at the half-hour mark when Conor McCarthy went down near the half-way line clutching his left hamstring. The defender initially looked like he may have been okay to continue after returning to his feet but again went down and had to be replaced by Jamie McGrath with Sam Foley moving into centre-half.

The Buddies almost had the lead with five minutes of the first-half remaining. Jakubiak's cut-back found its way to the oncoming MacPherson who smashed towards goal only for Zlamal to somehow block and send over. The resultant corner eventually found its way to Durmus at the far end of the box but the Turkish winger put it just over.

Hearts made a change at the break with Daniel Stendel bringing on Liam Boyce in place of Clare. But it was Saints who started the brighter and had their reward on 48 minutes as Obika netted the opener. Wallace intercepted the ball deep in the St Mirren half and sent a sensational long ball forward that found a galloping Obika as he burst through on goal. The forward did so well to hold off challenges from Clevid Dikamona and Craig Halkett before slotting beyond Zlamal for his 12th goal of the season and his seventh of 2020.

The Buddies almost grabbed a second quickly after with Zlamal having to deny Jakubiak. McGrath picked the ball up in middle of the park, knocking beyond Dikamona and Hickey, before sliding through to Jakubiak whose low drive across the face was touched wide by the Jambos goalkeeper Zlamal.

The Buddies were forced into another change on 55 minutes when MacPherson pulled up and had to be seen by the physio. The midfielder had to be replaced by Tony Andreu.

As if Saints luck with injuries wasn't bad enough, Jim Goodwin was forced into a third substitution on 70 minutes when Durmus had to come off.

As was probably expected in the final throes of the match, Hearts were having most of the pressure but were failing to create anything. But with 10 minutes to go, the Jambos had a glorious chance to find an equaliser when Smith rolled a low ball across the face of the Saints box where it fell kindly for Lewis Moore. It looked like Moore would slide home from close-range but it came off his knee and behind for a goal kick.

With six additional minutes to be played, St Mirren had a great opportunity to kill the game off on the counter only for Jakubiak's attempted pass to Obika being cut out by the Hearts defence.

In the final seconds Hearts sent goalkeeper Zlamal up for a corner but the delivery was poor allowing the Saints defence to clear with referee Alan Muir blowing his whistle to signal the end of the match and what could prove to be a massive three points for Jim Goodwin's men.

Full-Time: St Mirren 1-0 Hearts

St Mirren: Hladky, Hodson, McCarthy (McGrath 31), Famewo, Waters, Wallace, MacPherson (Andreu 55), Foley (c), Durmus (McAllister 70), Obika, Jakubiak
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Morias, Mullen, Chabbi

Hearts: Zlamal, Smith, Halkett, Dikamona, Hickey, Clare, Damour (Meshino 74), Moore, Bozanic (Irving 60), Naismith (c), Washington
Subs Not Used: Pereira, Walker, Langer, Henderson

Referee: Alan Muir
Assistant Referee: Graham Chambers
Assistant Referee: Joseph Lawson
Fourth Official: Kevin Graham

Attendance: 5,662