It was a disappointing night for St Mirren as they went down 2-0 to Raith Rovers in Kirkcaldy.
Two second half goals from Ryan Hardie gave the Stark's Park outfit a vital win in the battle to avoid relegation in the Ladbrokes Championship.
Raith started the game off with a break straight from kick-off. Chris Johnston took the shot but it was straight at the Saints' keeper Billy O'Brien.
Play switched to the other end of the park instantly as St Mirren won a corner with Stevie Mallan to take. It was swung over and headed back out to Mallan by Harry Davis but play was stopped after Iain Davidson of Raith took a knock to the head.
The game continued to swing back and forth with a shot blocked by Lewis Morgan and a shot wide by Mark Stewart.
The home side were forced into an early change after Stewart picked up a knock in a challenge with Adam Eckersley earlier in the match. He made way for Ross Matthews.
With 25 minutes played it was still goalless and Rovers' defender Kyle Benedictus took an speculative shot from distance which O'Brien watched go high over his goal.
St Mirren had another shot blocked after Cammy Smith linked well with John Sutton and Mallan to get his shot away. The follow up corner was held well by Raith Rovers' recent signing Pavol Penska.
As the half wore on, Raith Rovers' pressure continued to build. Chris Johnston looked like he was through on goal but Eckersley stepped in at the last minute to nick the ball away to safety.
St Mirren then had an almost identical chance as Kyle Magennis broke up the right flank but before he could pull the trigger on his shot, Benedictus nicked the ball out for a corner that came to nothing.
The closest the Saints came to scoring in the first half came on the 38th minute as Smith played Morgan in and the midfielder's shot missed the target by the slimmest of margins.
It was Raith who had the final opportunity of the half after they won a free kick in a dangerous area but Declan McManus' shot came off the post and came to nothing as the first half ended goalless.
HALF TIME: Raith Rovers 0-0 St Mirren
St Mirren had a good opportunity to open the scoring early in the second half as the ball fell perfectly for Cammy Smith but his attempt was straight at Penska.
Raith then looked to break with McManus playing the ball forward but the receiving player was judged to be offside. The resulting free kick was whipped towards the Raith box and Harry Davis tried to control but his shot was well over.
The home side then had a shot blocked and as St Mirren broke up the park, Cammy Smith was hauled down by Iain Davidson, winning a free kick in a dangerous area. Both players were booked by Crawford Allan after a confrontation. The free kick was taken by Mallan but came to nothing in the end.
As the game got past the hour mark, both sides looked to make changes as Kyle Magennis made way for Josh Todd for the Saints and Ryan Hardie replaced Iain Davidson for Raith Rovers.
With a quarter of an hour left to play, the deadlock was broken. Raith Rovers had a throw in almost in line with the penalty area. The ball was played into the box and Ryan Hardie headed the ball past O'Brien to make it 1-0 to the home side.
Raith Rovers quickly doubled their lead as Hardie scored again. O'Brien's throw out went straight to the striker who rounded the keeper and buried it in the net.
Ryan Hardie had his chance at a hat trick after Raith got a free kick right on the edge of the box. He played it low but O'Brien got down and held the shot.
With four minutes left on the clock, Gary MacKenzie's bullet header was off target. This was St Mirren's last opportunity of the match as the home side took the three points.
FULL TIME: Raith Rovers 2-0 St Mirren
St Mirren: O'Brien, Stelios (Loy 74), MacKenzie, Davis, Eckersley, Magennis (Todd 64), McGinn, Smith, Mallan, Morgan, Sutton
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Irvine, Baird, Storie, Fjelde
Raith Rovers: Penksa, Jason Thomson, Callachan, M'Voto, Benedictus, Johnston, Stewart (Matthews 20) , B. Barr, Davidson (Hardie 69) , McManus, C.Barr
Subs Not Used: Stevenson, Roberts, Coustrain, Skacel, Jordan Thomson,
Referee: Crawford Allan
Assistant Referee: John McCrossan
Assistant Referee: Willie Ferguson
Attendance: 2124
