MAN OF THE MATCH
STUART FINDLAY was outstanding shoring up at the back for Kilmarnock. But pick of the bunch was his frantic dash to both ends of the pitch as he was denied a goal before sprinting back to block St Mirren striker Simeon Jackson with a last-ditch tackle. SICKENED St Mirren were left rooted to the foot of the Premiership by Killie supersub Liam Millar’s late sucker punch.
This game played out in atrocious weather conditions, looked set to end in a hardfought stalemate that could have left neither side with any complaints.
That would have been enough to lift the Buddies off the bottom – albeit on goal difference above Dundee – but their spirits were dealt a crushing killer blow when Millar slid in to knock home Eamonn Brophy’s shot just three minutes from time.
No wonder the healthy travelling support went daft behind the goal their hero had just bulged as it brought to an end a miserable run for the Ayrshiremen, without a win in their previous eight games.
Such a horrid night must have come as a particular shock for the Kilmarnock players after training in sunny Tenerife last week.
But St Mirren boss Oran Kearney must have felt the colour drain from his face too when his game plan took a blow before kick-off.
An injury to captain Stephen McGinn suffered in the warm-up forced a hasty reshuffle with Cammy MacPherson slotting into the skipper’s space in midfield.
That didn’t put the Buddies off their stride after draws away to Aberdeen and Hearts followed by a muchneeded win over Livingston and they showed a real desire to keep building on that boost.
As usual, positive driving runs forward by Kyle McAllister were at the heart of the Buddies’ early threats, starting with the on-loan Derby man having a pop in just two minutes.
His snapshot from just inside the Killie box screamed into the side netting and soon MacPherson had a go too, unleashing a dipping drive that dropped just over Daniel Bachmann’s bar.
Killie strived to find a foothold as Stephen O’Donnell’s cross was met with a diving header by Brophy that flew wide.
Sadly that wasn’t the only instance of the striker diving as his desperate effort to earn a penalty was waved away by referee Don Robertson but he should have been holding a yellow card in his hand. Spare a thought for Bachmann who at one stage saw a simple kick-out catch a fearsome gust that sent the ball drifting back towards his goalmouth. Chaos.
But with that wind at their backs St Mirren really needed to make it count before halftime would inevitably switch them into the jaws of these unforgiving elements.
They failed and instead the closest chance of the half came Killie’s way when Chris Burke unleashed a vicious free-kick that dipped inches over the bar seconds before the break.
Brophy came even closer five minutes after the restart when Jordan Jones scurried in from the flank to feed his mate with his back to goal.
A swift turn and shot came crashing off Vaclav Hladky’s