St Johnstone have secured their Premiership status with a superb 1-0 victory at Kilmarnock.
Captain Liam Gordon scored the winner early in the first half and, after Killie had a man sent off on the stroke of half-time, Steven MacLean’s men saw out the game with comfort.
Saints got their business done and, combined with results elsewhere, it means they’ll be a top flight team for another year.
Key moments
Saints started really badly in both their previous games here.
They didn’t start badly in this one, though.
Drey Wright forced a good save out of his old Colchester United team-mate, Sam Walker, when he took a Ryan McGowan through ball in his stride on seven minutes.
And then the Perth side were in front four minutes later.
Wright earned a corner on the right and the Killie defence was caught flat-footed when Graham Carey’s in-swinger flashed across the six-yard box, allowing Gordon to head home at the back post.
The hosts grew into the game as the first half progressed and couldn’t have come any closer to an equaliser when a Luke Chambers deflected shot hit the inside of the post and David Watson couldn’t sort his feet out in time to tuck away the rebound from close range.
Then, a minute after Liam Donnelly shaved the same post with a shot on the angle, Killie had Watson sent off.
The young midfielder foolishly made a two-footed challenge on Cammy Ballantyne and referee John Beaton went straight for his red card.
Carey had a chance to put the game to bed five minutes into the second half but couldn’t get his 10-yard shot past Walker.
The Killie goalie made an even better save to deny Wright from just inside the box on 77 minutes.
And substitute Zak Rudden fired over the bar in stoppage time.
By this stage it was all about game-management by this stage, though.
And, apart from a late goalmouth scramble, Saints did that expertly to earn their victory.
Saints’ star man – Ryan McGowan
Whatever the position, the Australian international has been a consistently excellent player for Saints this season.
Back in midfield for this match, his ability to sense danger and mop-up dangerous Killie attacks was priceless.
McGowan’s manager talked up the leaders he had in the dressing room going into the high-pressure last week of the season and the former Hearts man produced a performance that showed why.
Player ratings
Matthews 6, Brown 7, Considine 7, Gordon 7, May 6 (Rudden 3), McGowan 9, Wright 8, MacPherson 8, Montgomery 7, Carey 7, Ballantyne 7 (Wotherspoon 3).
Manager under the microscope
Four games into MacLean’s time in charge at McDiarmid Park, this was the team selection that truly separated him from his predecessor.
Injuries played their part but starting Ballantyne, who was out of the first team picture under Callum Davidson, was the definition of bold.
Ballantyne had never featured in a league game for Saints before and last played a competitive game of any sort in League One with Montrose at the start of January.
He and McGowan were the two changes to the line-up from the previous weekend.
Both played big parts in a win that may well secure MacLean the job on a permanent basis.
Man in the middle
Watson’s ordering off didn’t look like a borderline decision and Beaton’s big on-pitch call proved to be correct.
Andrew Dallas and VAR did their thing but there was no prospect of this dangerous tackle in any era being downgraded to a yellow.
Saints have had good reason to curse Beaton over the last couple of years. Not today.
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