Finish line in sight for Ross after Saints extend title gap
ST MIRREN impressively took advantage of Dundee United’s inactivity to pull 14 points clear of their rivals and take another significant step towards the title.
They won the game in the opening half with goals from Liam Smith — his first for the club — and Harry Davis, who converted a penalty.
And in the end, they were never really stretched by a Queens side that enraged manager Gary Naysmith for failing to carry out instructions. United and third-place Livingston both have two games in hand, but Saints are now looking good for the title.
Manager Jack Ross said: ‘It’s good for us psychologically to look at the lead we have and the old adage is it’s better to have the points on the board rather than games in hand.
‘As we approach the final quarter, it’s all about results for us but I felt it was a good performance, especially in the first half.
‘We don’t have many games to go now and it’s another three points towards the title.
‘It reflects where we’re at as a squad. They have a belief and trust in what they’re doing.
‘There is a carrot there now and they can see what they are aiming for.
‘The one thing is we might have been more ruthless with the chances we had in the first half.’
Smith gave Saints the lead in the fourth minute when he curled a terrific 20-yard shot into the top-right corner.
Then Davis netted the second from the spot in 33 minutes after Queens skipper John Rankin had blocked Adam Eckersley’s shot with his arm.
Craig Samson made good saves to deny Lyndon Dykes and Kyle Cameron, but Naysmith was furious with his players.
He said: ‘I was very angry at half-time because we had worked on tactical things all week and they just completely forgot what we had done in the first ten or 15 minutes.
‘I told the players I will speak to them on Monday because I was still too angry after the game.’