A last gasp goal consigned Saints to a disappointing defeat to Motherwell.
The game appeared to be heading for an instantly forgettable goalless draw, neither side doing anywhere near enough to win the game. However, in the final seconds of injury time Alex Gogic was shown a second yellow for a clip and when Lennon Miller swung in the free-kick, Tony Watt sent the away fans wild when his glancing header found the net.
Conor McMenamin had had the best Saints' chances up to that point, twice being denied by Aston Oxborough, while Ellery Balcombe in the opposite goal had dealt with efforts from Steve Seddon and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos and looked to have done enough to ensure the spoils were shared until the late drama.
Marcus Fraser's red card against Dundee United being overturned meant Saints could start with the same team for the fourth game in a row. Lennon Miller, who had caused the Buddies problems when the sides met at Fir Park earlier in the season, captained the visitors, who also started one-time Saints loanee Tony Watt.
Conor McMenamin tried to catch Aston Oxborough out with an early Saints free-kick but it lacked the necessary pace to cause any real problems, Greg Kiltie then seeing his shot deflected wide. Motherwell threatened when Jair Tavares hit the bar after Ellery Balcombe had punched the ball away, although the whistle had already gone for a foul on the Saints keeper. It was then the hosts' turn to be denied by the woodwork as Kiltie set up McMenamin and his effort appeared to be tipped onto the bar by Oxborough, although the officials only gave a goal kick.
The Motherwell goalie dealt easily enough with Alex Gogic's header from a free-kick after Shane Blaney was booked for fouling Killian Phillips. It was then Gogic's turn to enter the book when he tripped Andy Halliday just outside the box, the former Rangers man curling the free-kick past the far post although one of his team-mates had strayed offside.
Saints almost made a spectacular start to the second half as McMenamin cut inside before stinging Oxborough's palms from distance. However, the scrappiness of the first half soon returned, what little flow there was being interrupted by a series of needles bookings. As the final quarter approached, Motherwell went close to breaking the deadlock when Halliday lifted the ball over the top and Steve Seddon met it perfectly on the volley, only to see his shot tipped onto the bar by Balcombe.
Mikael Mandron and Roland Idowu were introduced in place of Kiltie and Toyosi Olusanya and the latter quickly won a free-kick, McMenamin's effort being saved by Oxborough. Moments later the Saints defence were caught out by a ball over the top and Apostolos Stamatelopoulos was through, however Balcombe was alert to the danger and blocked the shot.
As the game looked set to peter out, Gogic was shown a second yellow card in the final few seconds. Miller delivered a wonderful free-kick into the box and Watt was there to head home and snatch victory for the visitors.
Full-Time: St Mirren 0-1 Motherwell
St Mirren: Balcombe, Fraser, Gogic, Taylor, Bwomono (Ayunga 84), Phillips, O'Hara, Tanser, McMenamin, Olusanya (Mandron 68), Kiltie (Idowu 67)
Subs Not Used: Urminsky, Iacovitti, John, Boyd-Munce, Smyth, Mooney
Motherwell: Oxborough, Tavares (Kalete 77), Casey, Gordon, Blaney, Seddon, Wilson (Paton 72), Halliday (Nicholson 83), Miller, Watt, Stamatelopoulos (Moses 77)
Subs Not Used: Hegyi, O'Donnell, Balmer, Zdravkovski, Maswanhise
Referee: Dan McFarlane
Assistant Referee: David McGeachie
Assistant Referee: Craig Ferguson
Fourth Official: Duncan Williams
VAR: Don Robertson
Attendance: 6,111
