Saints made it back-to-back cinch Premiership victories with our first win at Tynecastle since 2013. Two goals in the space of five second-half minutes from Curtis Main and Alex Gogic gave Stephen Robinson's men a deserved 2-0 win in the capital and moved Saints to within a point of the Jambos.
The manager named the same starting eleven that defeated Livingston 3-0 at the SMiSA Stadium last week and, as they did last week, Saints began brightly with the first chance of the game on nine minutes when captain Joe Shaughnessy glanced wide from a Thierry Small corner.
Hearts had their first real opportunity on 17 minutes when their skipper Lawrence Shankland saw an effort deflected just wide of the target.
But still Saints had the better of the opening period with Gogic coming close twice in the space of two minutes for the Buddies with headers from two Small corners. The first - on 24 minutes - came closest when the Cypriot headed into the ground and it bounced over before his second came off the side-net.
The hosts' best chance of the half came in the final minutes before the interval when Andy Halliday rose to meet a Stephen Kingsley cross from the left, but saw his header come back off the post.
The second-half got off to a fast start with Carson making a big save at the start of the second-half to deny Michael Smith opening the scoring for the home side on his 200th appearance. But it was Saints who started with more intent and when Main opened the scoring on 52 minutes it had felt like it had been coming. Keanu Baccus fired over from inside the area, Gogic nodded wide and Tony Watt saw an effort saved by Ross Stewart all in the space of two minutes before the goal. The goal then came after Main got on to a long-range pass from Gogic and held off Kye Rowles before lashing home from 20 yards to score his seventh goal of the season.
Five minutes later it was 2-0. Mark O'Hara looked like he'd scored his fifth goal in four games and his 11th of the season but his strike from inside the box found the net via a deflection off Gogic who was credited with the goal.
Alex Gogic celebrates after deflecting O'Hara's effort into the net for the second goal (Image: Craig Brown)
Saints were in control of the match and the home side's slim hopes of getting back into the match were dampened when veteran midfielder Robert Snodgrass was given his marching orders with a second yellow card after a late challenge on Main.
The Buddies were comfortable and saw the game out with no issues to go on to 44 points - matching last season's tally - and move within a point of Hearts in fourth.
Full-Time: Hearts 0-2 St Mirren
St Mirren: Carson, Fraser, Shaughnessy (c), Dunne (Gallagher 75), Strain, Baccus (Kiltie 90), O'Hara, Gogic (Flynn 90), Small (Tanser 46), Watt (Greive 75), Main
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, R.Taylor, Boyd-Munce, Offord
Hearts: Stewart, Smith (Cochrane 59), Hill, Rowles, Kingsley, Halliday (Humphrys 59), Devlin (Haring 76), Grant, Snodgrass, Forrest (McKay 76), Shankland (c)
Subs Not Used: Stone, Kio, Sibbick, Kuol, Oda
Referee: Matthew McDermid
Assistant Referee: David Roome
Assistant Referee: Paul O'Neill
Fourth Official: Calum Scott
