A stunning late goal saw Saints end their losing run and take a valuable three points against Ross County.

The visitors took the lead midway through the first half, Brian Graham finding the net with a fine strike from the edge of the box. There was little sign of Saints drawing themselves level before the break but an unlikely source provided the equaliser, Sean McLoughlin bagging his first Buddies goal after a bit of chaos in the penalty box.

It looked as if they game would end in a draw before some late drama at both ends. First, County's Lee Erwin saw a header cleared off the line by McLoughlin, then Sam Foley bagged a fantastic winner, thumping home his first goal in the stripes after great work by Tony Andreu.

The Frenchman found himself on the bench as Saints boss Jim Goodwin shuffled his pack, Stephen McGinn also among the subs with Ryan Flynn and Ilkay Durmus starting. There was also a change at the back as Gary MacKenzie took over from the injured Kirk Broadfoot, with fit again pair Kyle McAllister and Cody Cooke on the bench. Former Buddies Sean Kelly and Ross Stewart started for the Staggies.

Durmus volleyed wide early on when County could only clear a free-kick as far as the edge of the box and Saints continued to force set-pieces but looked fragile on the break, Josh Mullin curling a shot into the arms of Vaclav Hladky. The next Buddies corner provided a chance at the right end as again County didn't properly clear their lines, Kyle Magennis' dipping shot going narrowly over the bar.

Staggies goalie Nathan Baxter had had a quiet opening quarter but should have been tested by Jon Obika after Foley released him on the right. He got the better of Liam Fontaine to force an opening only to blaze his effort over the bar. It was to prove a costly miss as a few minutes later the visitors took the lead, Graham exchanging passes with Billy McKay before working himself some space at the edge of the area and poking a shot beyond Hladky.

Flynn drilled a low shot straight at Baxter as Saints looked for an equaliser but they nearly fell further behind when McKay got in behind the home defence, Hladky getting his fingertips to his shot. It looked as if the visitors would hold their lead at the break before the Buddies finally made one of their numerous corners count. The initial delivery was cleared and when it was played back in there was a bit of a scramble with bodies everywhere, Flynn clearly being fouled as he tried to force the ball home. It looked like ref Euan Anderson was going to award a penalty but the ball trundled to McLoughlin and he stabbed it past Baxter to level things up.

The turnaround should have been completed early in the second half when Obika got the better of his man but the shot meekly at Baxter. He then teed up Durmus, whose shot deflected off Morris and didn't fly far wide with the visiting goalie stranded, before Mullen smashed a chance over the bar when passing to Flynn in the middle would perhaps have been the better option. That was the striker's last involvement as he was replaced by Andreu before play resumed.

The Saints fans were screaming for Callum Morris to be sent off when he brought down Obika near the half way line with no one else between the striker and goalie Baxter, however ref Mr Anderson felt a yellow card was sufficient punishment.

The County defence were struggling to deal with the bustling frontman, Fontaine the next to be booked for hauling Obika down as he burst through on goal. The Buddies were on top and when Obika knocked the ball to Flynn at a corner, he danced past a couple of challenges before squaring for Durmus who completely missed the ball as he tried to thump it into the net.

County had barely looked like scoring since the break but they suddenly stepped things up in the last 10 minutes and thought they'd snatched a winner. Blair Spittal picked out fellow sub Lee Erwin at the back post and he headed the ball back across goal past Hladky, only for McLoughlin to hack it away just before it crossed the line.

Had it gone in, it would have been cruel on Saints as they had been far the better side in the second half and deserved the winner that a couple of minutes from the end.

McAllister flicked the ball on to Andreu to burst forward and as things opened up in front of him he laid it off to Foley at the edge of the box who gave Baxter no chance as he thumped a shot into the roof of the net.

There could be few complaints about Saints going in front and they comfortably saw out four minutes of stoppage time to move off the bottom of the Premiership.

Full-Time: St Mirren 2-1 Ross County

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, McLoughlin, MacKenzie, Waters, Magennis (McAllister 75), Flynn, Foley, Durmus (S.McGinn 90), Mullen (Andreu 58), Obika
Subs Not Used: Lyness, MacPherson, Cooke, Morias

Ross County: Baxter, Fraser (c), Kelly, Fontaine, Morris, Henderson, Spence (Chalmers 71), Mullin, McKay, Graham (Erwin 78), Stewart (Spittal 58)
Subs Not Used: Laidlaw, Watson, Foster, Paton

Referee: Euan Anderson
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: Ralph Gordon
Fourth Official: William Collum

Attendance: 4,708

It was a day to forget in the capital as Saints fell to a 5-2 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The Buddies twice came from behind in the first-half to level but still went into the break 3-2 down. And a disappointing day was compounded by second half goals from Jamie Walker and Jake Mulraney gave the Edinburgh side an emphatic win. 

Jim Goodwin made two changes to the side that lost 2-0 at Celtic Park the previous midweek. Tony Andreu and Danny Mullen came in for Ryan Flynn and Ilkay Durmus who dropped to the bench.

Saints came into the match bottom of the table but level on points with Hearts and could have moved up to eighth place with a win depending on results elsewhere.

But it was the hosts who seized the initiative, taking the lead with just six minutes on the clock. The Jambos won a corner after a good break from Uche Ikpeazu. Andy Irving swung the low ball in to Steven Naismith who peeled away from the Saints defence and clipped into the back of the net at the front post. 

It was the exactly the sort of start the Buddies wanted to avoid, but despite a half-chance from Ikpeazu a few minutes later the Saints response was decent. Good pressure on the Hearts defence by Jon Obika won the away side a corner on 16 minutes. Danny Mullen went down inside the box after the ball was swung in but referee Euan Anderson was unmoved. 

Five minutes later Saints were level. Stephen McGinn forced Hearts goalkeeper Joel Pereira to push away a drive from the edge of the area. The Jambos couldn't clear their lines allowing the ball to come back into the box with Sam Foley swinging the ball into the box on to the head of Andreu who nodded down perfectly into the direction of an unmarked Obika. The striker finished with aplomb to make it 1-1 and get his second goal in St Mirren colours.

However, less than 10 minutes later Hearts were in-front for a second time. A throw-in from the left found Ikpeazu at a tight angle. Vaclav Hladky came out to close the angle but the striker still got a shot away that unfortunately came off the face of defender Sean McLoughlin and landing in the back of the net.

It was setback for Saints who had settled into the game, but they responded in perfect fashion - levelling just three minutes later. The Hearts defence switched off as Hladky launched the ball forward allowing Mullen the chance to race clear on goal. The striker made no mistake as he kept his composure to slot beyond Pereira to get the Buddies level for a second time. 

With just two minutes to go until half-time Hearts went 3-2 ahead. The Saints defence didn't deal with Michael Smith's cross allowing Ollie Bozanic to head home from close range. 

Sam Foley went close to getting Saints level for a third time a minute later when he rose highest to meet an Andreu free-kick from the left but nodded just wide.

Coming out after the break it was imperative that Saints got the next goal if they wanted to get anything from the match. But the second half got off to the worst possible start as Jamie Walker headed home within the first minute of the restart to put Hearts 4-2 ahead.

That goal looked to effectively seal the match for the hime side. Not long after the hour mark Andreu smashed a free-kick well over the bar from 30 yards, while a few minutes later the Frenchman also flashed a half-volley over from the edge of the area. 

There were 13 minutes remaining when Jake Mulraney put the seal on a good day for the home side with an excellent finish from 20 yards. The substitute played a neat one-two with Naismith on the left touchline, drifted inside and curled high into the right corner of the net to make it 5-2.

Sean McLoughlin almost grabbed a consolation with less than 10 minutes remaining after a powerful effort from 35 yards that Pereira did brilliantly to tip over the bar, while Hladky made a good stop to push Mulraney's attempt wide to deny Hearts a sixth a few minutes later. 

Up next is Ross County at home following the international break and with three of the next four matches at the Simple Digital Arena Jim Goodwin's men will be desperate to put today's result behind them and try to lift themselves from the foot of the table. 

Full-Time: Hearts 5-2 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, Broadfoot (MacKenzie 68), McLoughlin, Waters, S.McGinn (Durmus 58), Foley, Magennis, Andreu (Morias 78), Mullen, Obika
Subs Not Used: Lyness, MacPherson, Flynn, Djorkaeff

Hearts: Pereira, Smith, White (Mulraney 50), Berra, Dikamona, Hickey, Bozanic, Irving, Walker (Damour 62), Naismith, Ikpeazu (Meshino 80)
Subs Not Used: Zlamal, Whelan, Maclean, Brandon

Referee: Euan Anderson
Assistant Referee: David Roome
Assistant Referee: Alastair Mather
Fourth Official: Kevin Clancy

Attendance: 16,165 (766 St Mirren supporters)

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

Two early second half goals saw St Mirren fall to a 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park. 

After a strong first-half performance from the Buddies, goals from Mohammed Elyounoussi and James Forrest gave league leaders Celtic the three points and saw Saints fall to the bottom of the table on goal difference. 

As was to be expected, Celtic started off brightly with Callum McGregor forcing Vaclav Hladky into a save inside the first two minutes before flashing a low drive wide a few minutes later. 

With 15 minutes on the clock, Saints made their first real foray forward after a quick counter. Ilkay Durmus switched the ball from left to right finding Kyle Magennis who rolled the ball onto the overlapping Paul McGinn. The right-back aimed to put a low ball into the Celtic box but it was cleared. 

Ryan Christie went close for the hosts a minute later with a powerful effort from 25 yards that skimmed the top of the bar as it flew over. 

Saints were well in the match with Durmus firing well over from distance before Jon Obika forced a save from Fraser Forster after being found by a tremendous defence splitting ball down the middle from defender Sean McLoughlin. The striker was closely marshalled by Celtic defender Kris Ajer, but still managed to get a low shot in at goal with the Celtic goalkeeper down well to save. 

Christopher Jullien should have given Celtic the lead on 25 minutes when he glided into the six yard box to meet a Christie corner but somehow managed to head over. 

Both sides would come close before the end of the first-half. Durmus almost caught Forster out with a long-range free-kick. Everyone had expected the Turkish winger to send the ball from the right into the middle, but instead he went for goal with Forster pushing off the bar before gathering at the second attempt. 

Ryan Flynn and Hladky made two vital interventions to stop Celtic taking a lead into the interval. First, on 37 minutes, Flynn was in the right place at the right time to clear Jullien's header off the line, while Hladky made an important block to push James Forrest's effort off the post with just a minute of the half remaining. 

Despite a solid first-half showing, Saints frustratingly fell behind just a few minutes after the restart. Odsonne Edouard cracked the post from the edge of the box. The ball fell to McGregor whose shot came off Calum Waters and was tucked home by Elyounoussi from six yards. 

Celtic doubled their lead five minutes later. Christie laid the ball off to Forrest inside the area with the winger cutting in from the right and firing into the bottom corner with his left foot.

That was enough to seal victory for Celtic with results elsewhere moving St Mirren to the bottom of the league.

Full-Time: Celtic 2-0 St Mirren 

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, Broadfoot, McLoughlin, Waters, S.McGinn (c), Flynn (Andreu 63), Foley, Magennis (Mullen 74), Durmus (Morias 83), Obika
Subs Not Used: Lyness, MacKenzie, MacPherson, Djorkaeff

Celtic: Forster, Bauer, Jullien, Ajer, Taylor (Hayes 88), Brown (Ntcham 69), McGregor, Forrest, Christie, Elyounoussi, Edouard (Morgan 82)
Subs Not Used: Gordon, Bitton, Elhamed, Rogic

Referee: Kevin Glancy
Assistant Referee: Frank Connor
Assistant Referee: Andrew McWilliam
Fourth Official: Alan Newlands

Attendance: 56,127

A late Gary Dicker header consigned St Mirren to a 1-0 loss at Rugby Park in the Ladbrokes Premiership this afternoon. 

The Buddies created a number of chances and arguably deserved to take at least a point from the match, but left Ayrshire with nothing to show for their efforts.

Jim Goodwin was forced into one change from the side that defeated St Johnstone last week. Cammy MacPherson came in in place of Calum Waters who was ineligible to play against his parent side due to the terms of his loan agreement.

The opening exchanges were fairly even with neither side creating anything clear cut in the first 20 minutes. Eamonn Brophy had an effort smothered by Vaclav Hladky, while Kyle Magennis had a shot from 20 yards was blocked and Sam Foley sent an attempt over from the edge of the area.

Kilmarnock were forced into a change on 25 minutes with Alex Bruce coming on to replace Stuart Findlay who had to be stretchered off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

Seven minutes after coming on Bruce was lucky not to be penalised for a pull on Danny Mullen inside the Kilmarnock box. Saints were left frustrated at the decision not to award a penalty but Mullen did manage to get a shot on goal after wriggling clear of the defender but it was palmed away by goalkeeper Laurentiu Branescu. 

Tony Andreu almost gave Saints the lead on 38 minutes. The Frenchman picked the ball up, drove in from the left and flashed a powerful drive just inches wide of Branescu's right-hand post.

The Buddies could have taken a lead into the interval but for a last-gasp block from Niko Hamalainen and Bruce to halt Jon Obika as the forward broke into the Kilmarnock box just before Willie Collum called time on the first-half.

Kilmarnock started the second-half brightly with Hamalainen firing a long-range effort into the arms of Vaclav Hladky less than two minutes after the restart.

But Saints were still creating opportunities with Obika flashing wide from the edge of the area before Branescu made a wonderful diving save to claw away a Mullen header. Kirk Broadfoot's long-ball into the box came off the head of Stephen O'Donnell and met Mullen who was denied by the Romanian goalkeeper at full-stretch. Mullen was up again less than two minutes later to meet a Paul McGinn cross but this one was easier for the Kilmarnock goalkeeper.

Andreu should have put Saints in front on 72 minutes when he got on the end of a terrific through ball from Obika but the Frenchman knocked wide from 15 yards out. Andreu, unfortunately, injured himself in the process and had to be replaced by Junior Morias.

With 12 minutes remaining the home side took the lead. Killie skipper Gary Dicker peeled away from Foley inside the box to meet a corner kick and bulleted home a header that proved to be the winner. 

Substitute Chris Burke should have doubled the home side's lead with just three minutes remaining but missed from just a few yards out. In the end, Dicker's header proved enough to seal Kilmarnock the points. 

Full-Time: Kilmarnock 1-0 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hladky, MacPherson, Broadfoot, McLoughlin, P.McGinn, S.McGinn (c), Foley, Magennis (Durmus 85), Andreu (Morias 73), Mullen, Obika
Subs Not Used: Lyness, Erhahon, Flynn, Henderson, Djorkaeff

Kilmarnock: Branescu, O'Donnell, Del Fabro (Thomas 81), Findlay (Bruce 25), Hamalainen, Power, Dicker (c), El Makrini, Millar (Burke 68), Brophy
Subs Not Used: Koprivec, Hendrie, Jackson, St Clair

Referee: William Collum
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: Graham McNeillie
Fourth Official: Grant Irvine

Attendance: 6,389 (1,038 St Mirren fans)

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

St Mirren ended the long wait for a goal and the even longer wait for a victory with a win against St Johnstone at the Simple Digital Arena.

The Buddies produced two goals of real quality to end the drought that stretched more than three games. The first was just before the break when Jon Obika opened his St Mirren account with a cracking overhead kick.

That was a fine individual goal, the second was a tremendous sweeping move. Kirk Broadfoot played the ball out wide to Paul McGinn and the fullback whipped in a great cross that was thumped into the top corner by Danny Mullen. There was still half an hour to go but after that setback the Saintees rarely looked like producing a comeback.

Paul wasn't the only McGinn in the home line-up as brother and skipper Stephen made his first appearance since the Betfred Cup group game against East Kilbride three months ago. He replaced Ryan Flynn, who missed out with an Achilles' injury, with Tony Andreu coming in for Ilkay Durmus. Stevie May led the St Johnstone attack with Matty Kennedy and Drey Wright offering support.

The opening stages weren't great despite Murray Davidson firing an early rasping shot wide. A rare piece of neat passing play allowed Anthony Ralston to get a shot in with Stephen McGinn in the right place to clear it. Jason Holt then looped a shot onto the roof of the net before there was a minute's applause to pay tribute to Buddies fan Steven Ingram, who recently passed away. Soon after that ended the visitors almost took the lead, Danny Swanson seeing his initial shot blocked by Broadfoot but the ball fell kindly for Kennedy, who should have done better than shoot wide.

The home Saints had posed little attacking threat but had a penalty shout turned down when Mullen was kicked in the head by a flying boot. It seemed to spur the home side on, goalie Zander Clark having to be alert to tip away Kyle Magennis' corner, before the goal drought finally came to an end. With the Saintees defence rather hesitant to mop up after a free-kick, Broadfoot headed the back back across goal for Obika to thunder a spectacular overhead kick past Clark that was in the net before he'd even seen it. Not a bad way to bag your first goal in the stripes! The visitors tried to respond before the interval, Vaclav Hladky doing well to parry Ralston's shot.

Andreu was denied by Clark just after the break as the Buddies looked to double their advantage before Mullen went agonisingly close to doing just that. Obika's tremendous flick-on found his strike partner and he lifted the ball past the hesitant Clark but was relieved to see it hit the far post and bounced to safety.

St Johnstone had done little after the break but had a decent penalty shout turned down when Kennedy went down at the end of a mazy dribble. It was a rare foray forward and the home Saints made their pressure pay soon after in fantastic style.

It soon got even harder as St Mirren bagged a tremendous second. Broadfoot fed the ball out wide to Paul McGinn and he delivered a delicious first time cross that was emphatically tucked away by Mullen for his first goal of the season.

It was the striker's last involvement as his afternoon was then cut short by injury, Junior Morias replacing him. May failed to trouble Hladky with a couple of efforts as the Perth Saints tried to reduce the deficit before Morias went close to adding a third, leaving two defenders on their backsides before shooting straight at Clark. Another chance came when Obika slipped Foley in behind the visiting defence but he tried to square to Andreu rather than go himself and played the ball behind his team-mate. It didn't prove costly, Kennedy shooting over from miles out in stoppage time pretty much summing up how the second half had gone for the visitors.

Full-Time: St Mirren 2-0 St Johnstone

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, Broadfoot, McLoughlin, Waters, S.McGinn (c), Magennis, Foley, Andreu (Durmus 84), Obika, Mullen (Morias 66)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, MacKenzie, MacPherson, Breadner, Djorkaeff

St Johnstone: Clark, Ralston, Kerr (c), Duffy, Tanser, Holt (McCann 76), Davidson, Kennedy, Swanson (Hendry 59), Wright (O'Halloran 59), May
Subs Not Used: Parish, Vihmann, Booth, McCann, Wotherspoon

#SMFCMOM - Jon Obika

Referee: Nick Walsh
Assistant Referee: Frank Connor
Assistant Referee: Craig Ferguson
Fourth Official: Andrew Dallas

Attendance: 4,791 (499 away fans)

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

St Mirren suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss away to Motherwell at Fir Park this afternoon.

It's the first time Jim Goodwin's side have lost by two goals since a 2-0 loss at home to Celtic in April as goals from James Scott and Christopher Long either side of half-time gave Motherwell the three points.

The manager made two changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Hearts last week with Jon Obika and Danny Mullen coming in for Junior Morias and Tony Andreu. 

It was one of the changes, Obika, who had the first opportunity of the game with seven minutes played. Ilkay Durmus played a teasing low ball into the box but Declan Gallagher did a good job staying tight to Obika who could only get a slight flick of his boot on to the ball that trickled wide.

Saints goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky was forced into them action twice in the space of two minutes making good stops to deny Liam Polworth and Sherwin Seedorf. The Czech keeper was down well to push away Polworth's low drive from 20 yards, before making himself big to block Seedorf whose good skill on the right cleared a path to get his shot away.

Danny Mullen did well to get on the end of an Obika flick-on on 18 minutes that saw the striker break into the box. But before he could steady himself to get a shot away, Peter Hartley got a foot on the ball to sweep it wide for a Saints corner. Motherwell dealt with the corner and raced forward on the counter. Polworth was sent charging through the middle but the Buddies got numbers back quickly which saw the midfielder take the shot early from distance, dragging wide.

Saints began to grow into the match after a good start from the home side. Obika picked up the ball on the right but his attempt to find Ryan Flynn was too short. But the ball would fall kindly to Sam Foley whose fizzing effort was deflected just over. 'Well goalkeeper Mark Gillespie collected the resultant corner and again sent Motherwell bursting forward at speed. The ball eventually found its way to the lively Polworth inside the box but Hladky again was there to deny the hosts.

Once again Hladky kept the visitors at bay as he made another terrific stop after Devante Cole wriggled through the Saints defence on 36 minutes. The striker broke into the box, but Hladky was quickly off his line to tighten the angle and blocked well with his feet.

But that was only delaying the inevitable as Motherwell took the lead with six minutes of the first half remaining. Scott danced by Durmus and Sean McLoughlin on the edge of the Saints box before checking back and curling into the top corner from 18 yards to give the home side a half-time lead.

After a disappointing first 45, Saints started the second-half brightly with Mullen forcing Gillespie to tip over with a rasping strike on 47 minutes after collecting a lovely through ball from Flynn. The Buddies came close to an equaliser from the resultant corner when it found its way to Sean McLoughlin at the back post. The Irishman's low effort ricocheted into the feet of Paul McGinn whose touch was cleared off the line by 'Well.

Hladky did well to block a deflected Seedorf a minute later, while Mullen felt he had been denied a penalty when he went down in the box on 51 minutes. A minute later, Foley drove forward with a brilliant run from the half-way line but shot straight at Gillespie from 20 yards. 

With 20 minutes to go, Hladky made another brilliant save as he, at full-stretch, clawed away Polworth's curling shot from 20 yards out as Motherwell looked to add a second.

Saints were still in the game and almost found an equaliser on 72 minutes. Paul McGinn slipped the ball through to Tony Andreu who clipped the ball into the middle of the box from the byline. Kyle Magennis brought the ball down before flicking goalward. It looked set to find the net only for Liam Grimshaw, on the line, to head wide to deny Saints a precious equaliser.

With less than 10 minutes remaining the Buddies had two opportunities in quick succession. Junior Morias had a low shot pushed away by Gillespie. Motherwell couldn't clear their lines allowing Calum Waters finding Ryan Flynn in space on the edge of the area, but the midfielder side-footed over. 

Jim Goodwin made a third and final change with less than five minutes to go with Oan Djorkaeff replacing Ryan Flynn. The Frenchman had a chance to make an instant impact for Saints but he fresh air swiped at Morias' low cross. 

And, unfortunately, Djorkaeff's misplaced pass allowed Chris Long the opportunity to make it 2-0 to Motherwell. The Steelman striker needed no second invitation to slam home from close range to secure the points for the Lanarkshire side.

Full-Time: Motherwell 2-0 St Mirren 

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, McLoughlin, Broadfoot, Waters, Magennis (c), Flynn (Djorkaeff 85), Foley, Durmus (Andreu 62), Obika, Mullen (Morias 73)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, S.McGinn, MacKenzie, MacPherson

Motherwell: Gillespie, Tait, Grimshaw, Gallagher, Hartley, Campbell, Seedorf (Long 69), Maguire, Polworth, Scott (Hylton 56), Cole (Ilic 79)
Subs Not Used: Carson, Mugabi, Semple, O'Hara

Referee: John Beaton
Assistant Referee: Calum Spence
Assistant Referee: Gordon Crawford
Fourth Official: Colin Steven

Attendance: 5,101 (896 St Mirren supporters)

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

St Mirren had to settle for a point following this afternoon's 0-0 draw with Hearts at the Simple Digital Arena.

Both side had chances throughout the 90 minutes in an end-to-end contest that saw Tony Andreu have a first-half goal chopped off for offside.

Substitute Jon Obika almost won the game at the death for Saints, but a point was probably a fair result in the end.

Hearts came into the match on the back of a good week having beaten Hibernian in the Edinburgh derby last weekend, before qualifying for the Betfred Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night.

And the Jambos started the brighter of the two sides. Veteran striker Steven MacLean turned one just past the post on six minutes, before Michael Smith's piledriver from 35 yards drifted wide just a minute later. 

Saints began to grow into the game and a good driving run from Kyle Magennis on 12 minutes saw Joel Pereira get a strong hand on the low ball across to deny the midfielder. 

Just a minute later, Tony Andreu sent across a terrific ball from the right that just missed Ilkay Durmus who attempted to scissor-kick from 16 yards out. 

Junior Morias could have gone one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but failed to beat the Hearts defender in his way. The striker did manage to feed the ball wide for Durmus whose ball into the box was knocked agonisingly wide by Magennis. 

The Buddies thought they were in front on 26 minutes when Tony Andreu had the ball in the back of the net. The French forward picked up on a deflected effort inside the box and slotted home from close range. It was a late flag from linesman Douglas Ross, however, it appeared to be the right call.

Vaclav Hladky made a terrific block to deny Hearts substitute Christophe Berra as half-time approached. The experienced defender got on the end of a Jambos corner but the powerful effort was well denied by the Czech goalkeeper. Berra went close again just a few minutes later but his header was easy enough for Hladky. 

Aaron Hickey tested Hladky two minutes after the restart, but the long-range strike was well held by the goalkeeper. 

Both sides had opportunities throughout the 90 minutes, Tony Andreu fired over on 55 minutes before Hearts broke up the field and had a Callumn Morrison shot blocked by Calum Waters. 

Good work from Sam Foley fashioned a promising opportunity as he slipped the ball into the box to find Durmus, but the winger sent  his shot wide. 

Hearts should have scored with 15 minutes remaining when Uche Ikpeazu's terrific dinked ball caught out the Saints defence and found MacLean. Hladky was out quickly to close down the striker whose slight touch went over the bar. 

Both sides would have a further chance each to win the game in the final moments. Ikpeazu struck wide from close range after getting on the end of a low ball from Jake Mulraney.

Jon Obika had the final chance of the match deep into stoppage time. The English striker was sent racing through by Danny Mullen and did ever so well to hold off three Hearts players to get a shot away that curled agonisingly wide of the far post.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-0 Hearts

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, Broadfoot, McLoughlin, Waters, Flynn, Foley, Magennis, Andreu (Mullen 62), Durmus (McAllister 70), Morias (Obika 62)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, MacKenzie, S.McGinn, Djorkaeff

Hearts: Pereira, Smith, Halkett (Berra 25), Hickey, Whelan, Damour (Irving 39), Mulraney, Morrison, Meshino (White 77), Ikpeazu, MacLean
Subs Not Used: Doyle, Bozanic, Clare, Keena

Referee: Andrew Dallas
Assistant Referee: Douglas Ross
Assistant Referee: Andrew McWilliam
Fourth Official: Greg Aitken

#SMFCMOM - Ryan Flynn

Attendance: 5,901

Saints were held to a disappointing draw against a stubborn Hamilton Academical side who finished up with 10 men.

Junior Morias wasted an early chance for the Buddies which proved to be a sign of what was to come as they struggled to convert their first half dominance into meaningful chances.

The dismissal of Accies' George Oakley early in the second half could have provided fresh impetus but that failed to appear and when Sam Foley's late goalbound effort hit team-mate Jon Obika it pretty much summed up a frustrating afternoon for the hosts.

Morias started up front on his own as Tony Andreu replaced Obika, who was relegated to the bench. So to was Kyle McAllister with Ilkay Durmas restored to the team, while Kirk Broadfoot was handed his first start since his return to the club as he replaced Gary MacKenzie. The Hamilton defence included Sam Stubbs, son of former Saints boss Alan, with Oakley and Marios Ogkmpoe leading the attack.

Large sections of the home support thought their side had taken an early lead when Kyle Magennis spun and let rip with his left foot, however his effort from the edge of the box found the wrong side of the net. Another nice passing move allowed Paul McGinn to tee up Morias but unfortunately his shot posed more of a threat to the corner flag than the Accies goal. Morias turned provider when he fired in a cross for Magennis but he was unable to react quickly enough and the ball bounced off his head and away.

The visitors hadn't threatened at all in the opening quarter but nearly took the lead with their first effort on goal. Ogkmpoe had plenty of time and space on the right to pick out Oakley and Vaclav Hladky got the slightest of touches to the striker's shot as it went inches wide of the post. Accies were able to force a series of corners without making them count and it proved to be just a blip as Saints were soon back on the attack, Andreu heading Magennis' dinked delivery straight at Hamilton goalie Owain Fon Williams.

Things got a bit scrappy after that, both teams enjoying possession but not able to do a great deal with it. Magennis shot wide from a well worked corner before the Saints fans were screaming for a penalty. Foley sent Morias bursting through on goal and he went down under a challenge from Brian Easton, however ref David Munro was unmoved. A Blair Alston header from a corner gave Accies a rare chance just before the break, Oakley's header flying just wide.

Saints started the second-half brightly but hadn't created anything of note before the visitors were reduced to 10 men. Oakley had already been booked in the first half for flattening Ryan Flynn and when he caught Sean McLoughlin with his elbow Mr Munro felt he had no option but to show the striker a second yellow card. McLoughlin nearly rubbed salt into the wound a few minutes later as he fizzed a shot over from 25 yards.

The Buddies quickly looked to take advantage of their extra man, Paul McGinn sending in a teasing cross that Stubbs did well to clear with Morias lurking. However, they were finding it difficult to break down the well organised Accies defence so it was little surprise to see McAllister replace Durmas after an hour. His arrival forced the visitors even further back but chances, let alone goals, were rare, Magennis flashing a shot from the edge of the box just wide of the far post.

Both keepers had made few meaningful saves but Hladky did well on the rare occasions he was called into action, palming away a stinging Alston drive. Saints just couldn't create anything and McAllister wasted a free-kick when he curled it tamely into the arms of Fon Williams. The winner should have arrived a minute later. Andreu's replacement Danny Mullen saw his header from a corner deflected back to Foley and his effort was going in – only to be blocked by Jon Obika. Despite five minutes of added time it proved to be Saints' final chance of note and a fitting end to frustrating afternoon.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-0 Hamilton Academical

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, McLoughlin, Broadfoot, Waters, Flynn, Foley, Magennis (c), Andreu (Mullen 69), Durmus (McAllister 62), Morias (Obika 76)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, S.McGinn, Breadner, Djorkaeff

Hamilton: Fon Williams, McGowan, McMann, Stubbs, Easton, Collar (Hughes 62), Alston, Gogic, Smith (Beck 78), Ogkmpoe (Moyo 74), Oakley
Subs Not Used: Southwood, Fjortoft, Davies, Want

Referee: David Munro
Assistant Referee: Frank Connor
Assistant Referee: Graham McNeillie
Fourth Official: William Collum

Attendance: 4,807

Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography

St Mirren were looking to leapfrog Hamilton in the table, as the two sides faced off on a surprisingly warm Saturday in September. The home side were hoping to give their fans their first win since beating Aberdeen 1-0 back in August at the Simple Digital Arena. Whilst Hamilton, in similar form, also hadn’t won since beating Kilmarnock at home on the 10th of August.

St Mirren started the more energetic of the two sides as Paul McGinn and Kyle Magennis tried putting early pressure on the left flank of Hamilton. But as the early proceedings passed Accies started to come into life. Only minutes later Magennis gets a chance to give the Saints the lead. Andreu played a wide ball through Morias, whose cross finds the head of the captain, but he just fails to guide the shot on target.

For large parts of the first-half, St Mirren were left frustrated as Hamilton’s defence stayed strong against most of their advances. Accies had some flurries forward, with Ogkmpoe and Oakley driving forward all of their counter attacks. But on his home debut Kirk Broadfoot helped to keep control on a lot of the visitor’s attacks.

Midway through the half Andreu came close, with Magennis chipping a ball over the Accies defence and Andreu ran through to push the ball goal-wards, but a lack of power made an easy stop for Owain Fon Williams in net.

As half-time approached Morias and St Mirren had a penalty claimed turned down as the striker went through on goal. Smith made contact with the attacker and Morias went down in the box, but referee David Munro turned down the claims from Jim Goodwin’s men.

Smith came close at the other end for Accies, he met Alston’s corner at the near post, only for his header to fly just wide of Hladky’s near post. A warning to St Mirren, who were getting caught on the counterattack.

St Mirren should be frustrated at the fact they had not gone into the break in the lead, they struggled to take the opportunities they had through the first half, leaving the door open for Accies to come back into the game.

But after the interval St Mirren looked to have gained a huge advantage as George Oakley was sent for an early shower for the visitors, the referee gave the attacker his second yellow for leading with his elbow, leaving Hamilton a man down and forty minutes left of play.

The man advantage shows straight away for St Mirren as they pushed Hamilton deeper into their half. But this also made life more difficult for the home side as they had an even tougher challenge of breaking down a stubborn Hamilton side, who looked set to hold out for a point.

As the last 20 approached Magennis went close, he cut inside on the edge of the Accies box. While his shot may not have tested Fon Williams, it just went wide as the Saints continued their search for a goal. Hamilton nearly took the lead from the boot of Alston. A pass from Beck was hit first-time by the Accies player, forcing Hladky into action, pushing the ball wide with a dive to his far right. Beck seemed to have an instant impact for the travelling side as they began to push out of their half for the first time since the sending off.

With minutes left of normal time, St Mirren nearly take the lead from a scramble in the box. A lose header forces Fon Williams into a save and an open goal shot is blocked by the leg of Saints' sub Jon Obika, who was also offside, giving Hamilton a lucky break. The five minutes of additional time was dominated by the home side, as they fired cross, after cross into the Hamilton box. Accies defender Sam Stubbs was there to clear and stifle most opportunities.

Sadly, for Jim Goodwin’s men they couldn’t take advantage of their late dominance and Hamilton steal a point at the Simple Digital Arena, something that will frustrate the whole team with today’s overall positive performance.

Full-Time: St Mirren 0-0 Hamilton Academical

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, McLoughlin, Broadfoot, Waters, Flynn, Foley, Magennis (c), Andreu (Mullen 69), Durmus (McAllister 62), Morias (Obika 76)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, S.McGinn, Breadner, Djorkaeff

Hamilton: Fon Williams, McGowan, McMann, Stubbs, Easton, Collar (Hughes 62), Alston, Gogic, Smith (Beck 78), Ogkmpoe (Moyo 74), Oakley
Subs Not Used: Southwood, Fjortoft, Davies, Want

Referee: David Munro
Assistant Referee: Frank Connor
Assistant Referee: Graham McNeillie
Fourth Official: William Collum

Attendance: 4,807

Marcus Fraser's injury time goal stole the points for Ross County as they defeated St Mirren 2-1 in Dingwall.

The Staggies captain finished from close range in added on time to sicken Saints who thought they'd done enough to earn a point after Tony Andreu levelled following Ross Stewart's opener.

Jim Goodwin had made one change to the side that lost 2-1 away to Livingston before the international break with Junior Morias coming in for his first start in place of Tony Andreu.

The game didn't really get going in the first half until the latter stages with only a long range effort from Ewan Henderson which dragged wide and a Kyle Magennis free-kick that was easily held by Ross County goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw all either side had to show in the opening 30 minutes.

It was, however, Magennis who almost opened the scoring on 37 minutes as Saints looked to turn the screw heading towards half-time. The stand-in skipper cracked the bar from 20 yards after a terrific driving run into the County half.

The first-half came to a close in controversial fashion as referee Colin Steven disallowed a Saints goal two minutes before the break. Laidlaw punched a free-kick away, but it fell to Sean McLoughlin whose low shot towards goal was touched home by Jon Obika inside the six-yard box. There was no flag forthcoming and after a bit of deliberating, Steven decided to disallow the goal feeling that Obika had been in an offside position when McLoughlin got his shot away. Subsequent TV footage appears to show that Obika was onside, but the half would finish goalless.

If the first half started slowly, the beginning of the second 45 was anything but. Less than two minutes after the restart Vaclav Hladky made a great save to turn a Harry Paton effort by the post. The Canadian midfielder played a neat one-two with Michael Gardyne before curling a low effort towards the far post.

Paton quickly turned from attacker to defender when Saints' Sam Foley looked to race one-on-one with Laidlaw. The Buddies midfielder ran on to a flick from Junior Morais after a quick counter but Paton made a terrific recovery to block as Foley looked to pull the trigger from the edge of the box.

It was the home side made the breakthrough just after the hour mark when Ross Stewart slammed home from close range. Richard Foster's cross evaded everyone in the box and found its way to the former Saints striker who, unmarked, took the ball down on his chest and blasted into the back of the net to put the home side ahead.

Saints looked for a quick response and almost got it within two minutes after County's opener with Magennis smashing off the post from the edge of the box.

The response would come less than 10 minutes later when substitute Tony Andreu scored his first goal for the club. It's one Laidlaw will want to forget after allowing the Frenchman's low free-kick to squirm underneath him and over the line.

It looked like Saints were going to take a point back to Paisley, but were hit by a stoppage time sickener as Fraser met a cross to win the game for County at the death.

Full-Time: Ross County 2-1 St Mirren

St Mirren: Hladky, P.McGinn, McLoughlin, MacKenzie (Broadfoot 49), Waters, Magennis (c), Flynn, Foley, McAllister, (Durmus 73) Morias, Obika (Andreu 66)
Subs Not Used: Lyness, MacPherson, Broadfoot, Durmus, Andreu, Djorkaeff, Mullen

Ross County: Laidlaw, Fraser, Fontaine, Watson, Foster, Henderson (Mullin 78), Paton, Vigurs (Chalmers 36), Gardyne, McKay (Graham 72), Stewart
Subs Not Used: Subs: Ruddy, Grivosti, Spittal, Power

Referee: Colin Steven
Assistant Referee: Dougie Potter
Assistant Referee: Stuart Hodge
Fourth Official: Andrew Dallas

Attendance: 3,637 (456 St Mirren fans)