Substitute Chris Kane netted in stoppage time as St Johnstone ground out a 1-0 win over faltering St Mirren at McDiarmid Park.

An underwhelming encounter in Perth looked set to end in stalemate until the hosts were awarded a penalty, from which the striker forced home at the second attempt after initially being denied by goalkeeper Zach Hemming.

The victory lifted St Johnstone from 11th to 10th in the cinch Premiership, while it was a third straight defeat for fourth-placed St Mirren, who have now won only one of their last seven matches.

Home boss Craig Levein made one change to the team that started Sunday’s 3-1 defeat by Celtic as Tony Gallacher was handed his first start since August in place of Dara Costelloe.

There were two tweaks to the St Mirren side that kicked off the 2-0 defeat by Rangers at the weekend as Charles Dunne and Lewis Jamieson took over from Conor McMenamin and Richard Taylor.

St Mirren had the bulk of the early possession, but it was the Perth side who had the first attempt of the evening in the 19th minute when Matt Smith shot wide from distance after Gallacher’s cross from the left caused momentary panic in the visiting defence.

The Buddies almost went ahead in the 24th minute, but Jonah Ayunga was denied by goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov after getting himself free in the box before Jamieson – on the follow-up – saw his close-range effort deflected over by Sven Sprangler.

Following a rare burst of fluent passing, St Johnstone carved out an opportunity just before the half hour but Smith was unable to get enough power on his close-range volley, from Graham Carey’s cross, to trouble Hemming.

The visitors threatened in the 47th minute but Greg Kiltie could only head straight at Mitov after Mark O’Hara’s looping cross from the right bounced into his path six yards out. At the other end, Carey fizzed a dangerous ball across goal.

Following another lengthy lull in goalmouth action, St Mirren centre-back Dunne tried his luck with a 25-yard strike that forced Hemming into an excellent save in the 71st minute.

Two minutes later, the Buddies went even closer when Toyosi Olusanya burst clear down the right and rolled the ball across the face of goal to fellow substitute Mikael Mandron who watched in dismay as his close-range effort struck the inside of the post.

Just as it looked set to end in stalemate, however, Kane – who had missed a big opportunity in the 78th minute – was given the chance to win it deep into stoppage time after Dunne was penalised for a foul on Liam Gordon.

The striker saw his penalty saved by Hemming but reacted well to force in the rebound.

Todd Cantwell gave Rangers boss Philippe Clement the post-European response he was looking for with two assists in a 2-0 win over St Mirren at Ibrox.

The former Norwich player was replaced after just 35 minutes of the 1-1 Europa League draw against Aris Limassol on Thursday night after not playing the wide-right position to his manager’s satisfaction.

After a pep-talk from the Belgian, Cantwell was moved into the middle for the visit of the Buddies and helped set up Abdallah Sima for his two goals, which took the Light Blues to within eight points of leaders Celtic having played a game fewer.

“We talked about the game on Thursday and he agreed that he was not doing what he should do,” said Clement,  who revealed that absent midfielder Nico Raskin has a “really small” chance of being back for the Viaplay Cup final against Aberdeen at Hampden Park on December 17.

“He was frustrated himself about that. So this was the reaction I wanted to see.

“It’s a team sport. Otherwise we need to become a tennis player or something.

“You’re part of a team, Todd is part of a team and we talked about that. We know it’s a better position for him but we also have to look at the other circumstances with all the injurie on the right side.

“We didn’t have many players available and he did a good job there also.

“Don’t forget this. Against Sparta Prague he was one of the best players. And he knows that.

“He stays available to play on the right side or the left side. About that we also had a really clear talk.”

Raskin has been out since injuring his ankle against Hearts on October 29 and it was not positive news that Clement delivered, albeit fellow midfielder Ryan Jack could return soon.

He said: “Ryan Jack will not be so long. Nicolas Raskin will have a new assessment in the beginning of the week because his rehab is not going well.

“So I’m not so happy about that but it’s the way it is. We need to find other solutions.

“I think the chance is really small for the moment (to make final). But I’m not a doctor and I’m for sure not a specialist in these things.

“We will go to the best people to find the best and fastest solution.”

St Mirren ended the weekend in fourth place and now have won only two of their last 10 matches in all competitions.

However, manager Stephen Robinson did not criticise his players.

He said: “I’m not sure what people expect when you look at the resources. We had a loss of £1.6 million when I arrived and now we’re sitting fourth with no debt.

“The only people that deserve credit for that are the players.

“They are the ones that have turned it round, they have made the crowds come back and they are the ones selling merchandise.

“They are putting performances in on the pitch so they won’t get any criticism from me.

“They are brilliant, brilliant boys with 100 per cent commitment and enthusiasm.

“They play for the badge every single week and I’ve got nothing but praise for this group of players.”

St Mirren are set to be without Australia international Ryan Strain for three months.

The wing-back is due to undergo surgery on the groin injury he suffered on international duty last month.

Manager Stephen Robinson said: “Ryan has gone to London for surgery. He will have surgery on Monday and unfortunately he will be in the region of three months, which is a huge blow for us.

“But it’s up to other people to step into the plate now. We have a small squad which is tested to the limit with injuries, especially long-term ones, but we are no different to anyone else.

“I don’t work on the excuse mentality, I try and work on the basis that someone else will get an opportunity to prove they should be in the side and make up for Ryan’s loss.”

The 26-year-old is approaching a crucial time in his career with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.

Robinson said: “We spoke with Ryan’s representatives about a new contract and they weren’t interested at that stage in terms of signing.

“Ryan has obviously had a huge blow with his injury and it’s a blow to us because Ryan has been a big, integral part of what we have done in our relative success.

“But you can’t feel sorry for yourself. Ryan will get the best medical treatment possible and he’s got the best physio around that will help him get back.

“He has to buy into that, he has to have the attitude and the work ethic that Jonah Ayunga had with a long-term injury.

“His aim as a young man is to come back stronger and fitter than he was before.

“Then the decision is in his hands in terms of what he does the following season but hopefully he will be back long before then.”

Saints take on Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday and Robinson is optimistic they will show more belief than they did in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat against Ross County, who scored late on through Jordan White.

“You need belief,” Robinson said. “We have got the talent.

“Our lessons from Tuesday night, my biggest frustration wasn’t actually losing the game. If we had drawn the game I would still have been frustrated with our performance because we didn’t put our stamp on the game, our style on the game.

“That has to be what we do at Ibrox, we have a belief that, when we land on the ball, we can play.

“We believe we have players who can hurt Rangers in certain areas and we will go there with a belief.

“We learn our lessons, you have ups and downs. It’s never going to be smooth journey as a football manager or a football squad but we have a group of players who totally believe in each other.

“We looked like we didn’t have a little bit of belief for certain periods but we have spoken about it and I’m sure will be better for it.”

Philippe Clement is looking for Rangers to get back to their best against St Mirren on Sunday following their Europa League struggle against Aris Limassol.

A 1-1 draw with the Cypriot side at Ibrox on Thursday night means Group C will go to the final round of fixtures, with the Light Blues taking on Real Betis in Spain on December 14 knowing that only a victory can guarantee progress in that tournament, with a Europa Conference League spot secured as an insurance policy.

Rangers turn their attention back to cinch Premiership duty with the visit of third-placed Saints, and Clement’s side will be looking to keep the pressure on leaders Celtic, who are eight points ahead at the top of the table having played a game more.

The Gers boss said: “It was the first time that I felt real disappointment in the dressing room, they were not happy with their performance.

“That is a good thing that they were not happy with their performance, but now we need to stand up on Sunday and show our best level, with what we are going to need to win that game.

“It is about making the mind-switch really fast every time and not to lose confidence for whatever reason, and go full out and get the three points from the first second the game starts.

“St Mirren will make a wall and make transitions and set-pieces like we have a lot of games in the Scottish league. So there will not be a big difference in that way and they are going to fight.

“For them, games against Rangers are maybe the biggest game of the season, so we know that.”

Defenders Leon Balogun and Ridvan Yilmaz are back in contention after missing the Aris Limassol match as they are not in the European squad.

Centre-back Connor Goldson returns from suspension and winger Scott Wright could be back from illness and a muscle problem, but Ryan Jack (unspecified injury) and fellow midfielder Nico Raskin (knee) are still out.

Clement is likely to make changes for the visit of the Buddies.

He said: “We have work to do but we are nine games together and we haven’t lost any.

“I can tell the fans that everyone is working hard to raise the level.

“With all the injuries, it was impossible for all the players to play at their best level. We play every three days and we can’t always have the same XI so we need to rotate players.”

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson remains unconvinced that VAR is improving football, despite a positive independent assessment for Scotland’s match officials.

An independent review panel (IRP) has deemed that just three of the first 407 VAR checks this season produced the wrong outcome.

It is understood that the panel of former players, coaches and managers gave match officials a higher accuracy rating for major decisions than the Scottish Football Association referees department itself.

St Mirren were on the end of one of those perceived mistakes for a so-called double-hit penalty by Aberdeen’s Bojan Miovski – and Dundee the other two – but Robinson believes it is supporters who are being short-changed by how the technology is being used.

The former Motherwell boss said: “It is not making football better for me and I would imagine the vast majority of fans.

“We have to remember football is about fans. Remember Covid, football wasn’t the same game. Fans should be asked ‘is it making it better?’ And from the fans I know and speak to, it isn’t. People pay a fortune to watch football and they should be asked.

“The authorities are trying to make things better but it needs to happen sooner rather than later because it is no consolation to us or any other team that has happened to. It has happened the right way for us as well but at least they are looking at it.”

Robinson believes improving communication is key to the success of VAR.

“Communication between the fourth official and managers has improved massively,” he said. “They do tell you what is going on when you have three or four checks at the same time.

“I think they should communicate with the fans. I wouldn’t have as many voices involved in it, it adds to the confusion.

“But the biggest thing for me, the referee should be called over to make the decision not influenced or told what somebody else thinks. He should still referee the game.

“He should be brought over to look at the incident – not, ‘I believe this is a red card, can you come and see it again’? And if he still makes the same decision, so be it.”

Miovski’s spot-kick equaliser in the 10th minute of stoppage-time in Paisley on August 27 prevented St Mirren going top of the cinch Premiership.

There was a VAR check after Saints goalkeeper Zach Hemming claimed the Aberdeen striker had touched the ball twice after slipping, but the goal was given without referee John Beaton being asked to review the footage.

The panel’s verdict was handed down to the 12 Premiership clubs during a meeting with the referees department on Thursday.

Audio of conversations between match officials and the VAR control room was relayed to the club representatives and explanations were given over how some key match incidents were dealt with.

The IRP was set up by the governing body ahead of the start of the season. Three people are called up from a pool of former players, managers and coaches for each review meeting and are guided by experts on the Laws of the Game.

They looked at the most contentious issues of the 407 reviews in the first round of cinch Premiership fixtures and the Viaplay Cup, 24 of which led to on-field reviews.

Other than Miovski’s penalty, the other two perceived errors went against Dundee.

The panel felt Josh Mulligan should not have been sent off for a challenge on Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong on September 23.

Video assistant referee Euan Anderson asked David Munro to review the incident but the referee stuck by his original decision.

The IRP also felt Dundee were on the receiving end of an injustice when Amadou Bakayoko had a goal disallowed in a 2-0 win at Livingston on October 28. Referee Willie Collum ruled the goal out after reviewing footage, deciding the offside Jordan McGhee was interfering with play.

Stephen Robinson fears Ryan Strain could be out for weeks with a groin strain as he welcomed back fit-again Jonah Ayunga to his St Mirren squad.

The 26-year-old wing-back had to go off in the first half of Australia’s World Cup qualifier against Palestine in Kuwait and had a scan on his injury on returning to Scotland.

Ayunga has not played for the Buddies since he ruptured his ACL against Motherwell in January, but the 26-year-old striker has worked himself back into contention for the cinch Premiership game against Livingston on Saturday.

The St Mirren boss is looking for a “reset” after a 4-0 defeat by Dundee before the international break, but will also have Keanu Baccus suspended for the visit of the Lions to Paisley.

Robinson said: “Ryan Strain came back with a groin injury, which we had scanned yesterday, so we are still waiting on results from it but we are not very hopeful.

“He certainly won’t be available for Saturday. It looks like it will be weeks rather than days so it is a big blow for us.

“Jonah has been training for nearly six weeks now which is a lot of good training time.

“He played 90 minutes last week (bounce game) and was very good. So he is certainly ready to be involved, at what stage or level we will decide in the next 24 hours.

“Jonah is a very laid back boy. There is not a lot that gets him up or down. I am sure there is maybe a different side to him at home, but he is a great boy, a boy who I have worked with at two clubs.

“He has pushed himself and credit must go to Gerry Docherty (physio) and Gary McColl (strength and conditioning), who have pushed him to the limit and got him into a condition that he is ready to go. It is credit to all three.

“I felt the game against Dundee was a one-off game, where as a collective we didn’t play particularly well and we need to reset ourselves again and do what we were doing which was not playing in front of people and I am comfortable we will do that on Saturday. We want to get another win under our belt.”

Dundee made it two cinch Premiership wins in a row as they swept St Mirren aside 4-0 at Dens Park.

The victory came thanks to an Amadou Bakayoko double with Zak Rudden netting from the penalty spot and substitute Zach Robinson scoring a fourth late on.

The win moved Dundee up to fifth in the Premiership table, just two points behind the Buddies in third.

Dens manager Tony Docherty made just one change from the side that beat Livingston last Sunday with Malachi Boateng coming in for Mo Sylla, who dropped to the bench.

Buddies boss Stephen Robinson also made one change to the team that drew with Hibs in midweek with Keanu Baccus replacing ill skipper Mark O’Hara.

The hosts wasted a gilt-edged opportunity to open the scoring in the second minute when Rudden robbed St Mirren defender Richard Taylor but with just keeper Zach Hemming to beat, the striker smacked his shot off the post.

However, the Dark Blues had another chance in the 16th minute – and this time they took it.

Owen Beck swung a corner in from the left with the ball only being cleared as far as Bakayoko, who clinically drilled a low shot past Hemming and into the back of the net.

The Buddies looked to respond with Conor McMenamin making room for a shot but he dragged his effort wide of home keeper Trevor Carson’s left-hand post.

As the half-hour mark approached, both sides were struggling to carve out further clear-cut chances with too many attacks breaking down before they had fully developed.

However, the Dark Blues doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time.

Another Beck corner was headed on by Antonio Portales with the ball hitting Marcus Fraser’s arm and referee Matthew MacDermid had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Rudden stepped up to take responsibility and hit an empathic penalty into the back of the net, sending Hemming the wrong way.

Buddies boss Robinson rang the changes at the break, bringing on four subs, but the Dark Blues scored their third of the afternoon in the 57th minute.

Rudden broke down the right and hit a fierce shot that was saved by the diving Hemming but Bakayoko was on hand to gleefully slot home the rebound.

Dundee did net their fourth in the 85th minute to complete a miserable day for St Mirren, with Luke McCowan breaking forward before laying off a pass to Robinson, who shot past Hemming for his first Premiership goal of the season.

Hibernian manager Nick Montgomery admitted he was frustrated at his side’s failure to close out victory at St Mirren.

Hibs looked set for a first win in seven games only to concede a stoppage-time equaliser to Lewis Jamieson to draw 2-2.

Goals from Josh Campbell and Joe Newell – either side of Mark O’Hara’s penalty – had Hibs in control before Jamieson struck with his first ever St Mirren goal.

Montgomery said: “It’s another game we could have got three points out of, but we only have ourselves to blame.

“We can talk about managing the game and finishing it off and I thought we had plenty of chances to do that even in the first half. We were outstanding.

“But the equaliser is of our own doing. There’s a minute to go and we just need to see the game out.

“We had a breakaway and we somehow turn the ball over and the next thing it’s in the back of the net.

“It’s another game where we have led away from home, and it might be a good point come the end of the season but right now it’s a difficult one to take.”

Montgomery felt that St Mirren defender Richard Taylor had dived for the penalty that was converted by O’Hara.

He added: “I’m not here to talk about refereeing or VAR, but if that’s a penalty there are going to be 10 penalties in every game. I’m a little bit frustrated by that one as well.

“Look, the ball wasn’t even going in that area. I’ve watched it and the lad has got in front of Jordan Obita – but he’s six-foot-five and he’s just dropped to the floor with no contact.

“If players want to just throw themselves on the floor and they’re going to go and look at VAR, there are going to be a lot of stoppages.”

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson admitted his team had been defensively sloppy but felt they had created enough chances to win the match.

He said: “I thought it was a point we thoroughly deserved. We weren’t as defensively good as we could have been but our forward play and some of our movement and deliveries were excellent.

“I thought we were calm, we kept the ball, and we moved it well and got balls into the box. We should have been level before we were, we could have potentially been going for a winning goal.

“It wasn’t to be, but overall I think it’s one of our best performances this season, the way we played, the way we battled, the response we showed to adversity was excellent. I’m actually disappointed that we didn’t win the game.”

Lewis Jamieson’s stoppage-time strike earned St Mirren a battling 2-2 draw at home to Hibernian in the cinch Premiership.

Joe Newell’s second-half goal looked to have earned Hibs a first win in seven games after Josh Campbell’s opener had been cancelled out by a Mark O’Hara penalty.

Jamieson, though, grabbed his first goal for Saints, who remain in third but have now won just one of their last six games.

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson made just one change from the team beaten by Celtic a week earlier, with Mikael Mandron coming in for Toyosi Olusanya.

Hibs were looking to bounce back from the disappointment of their Viaplay Cup semi-final loss to Aberdeen and made two changes to their line-up.

Martin Boyle and Lewis Miller both dropped to the bench, their places taken by Rory Whittaker and Campbell, the former making his first league start at the age of 17.

The home side had the first chance when Scott Tanser shot well wide from just outside the box but it was Hibs who moved in front after 12 minutes.

Alex Gogic misjudged Jordan Obita’s ball forward and allowed it to run under his foot. Dylan Vente took advantage to play in Campbell who finished well.

St Mirren rallied from the setback but it was Hibs who looked more likely to score again.

Richard Taylor did well to block an Elie Youan goalbound effort before Vente tried his luck from a tight angle, his shot only narrowly off target.

Saints responded with a hopeful O’Hara long-range header that was easily held by David Marshall, before Youan was twice denied at the other end, the second by a smart Zach Hemming save. The winger then thrashed a shot wide of the far post when he ought to have hit the target.

At the other end, Caolan Boyd-Munce tried his luck from distance but failed to hit the target to leave Saints trailing at the break.

They started the second half again on top and Marcus Fraser’s volley went just wide.

Hibs nearly doubled their lead after another Gogic mistake. The defender was weak with a back pass allowing Campbell to nip in but Hemming did brilliantly to save the forward’s shot.

That save became even more significant when St Mirren were awarded a penalty after a VAR intervention. Obita fouled Taylor at a corner and, after referee Steven McLean confirmed the decision, O’Hara stroked home the spot-kick.

Hibs responded with a Youan strike that Hemming did well to tip around the post before forging back in front after 69 minutes.

Youan spun away from Taylor to send Vente clear and the Dutchman’s cross was finished at the back post by Newell.

That looked like being the winner until Jamieson’s finish from close range earned his team a point.

Brendan Rodgers hailed Celtic’s traditional never-say-die spirit following their late 2-1 cinch Premiership win over St Mirren at Parkhead.

Saints attacker Conor McMenamin headed the visitors in front in the seventh minute but returning Hoops midfielder David Turnbull levelled in the 18th minute with a fine strike before hitting the post with a penalty just before the half-hour mark.

The league leaders kept chipping away in the second half and eventually got their reward in the 83rd minute when South Korean attacker Oh Hyeon-gyu took a pass from fellow substitute Odin Thiago Holm and fired high past excellent Buddies goalkeeper Zach Hemming.

The Celtic boss smiled as he said: “It was coming.”

He added: “Listen, it’s one of those ones – you know the game lasts 90 plus minutes so you trust your team.

“They’ve scored late goals already this season. It’s the make-up of this club to keep going and persevere.

“I was really just pleased with the quality of the winning goal. We saw that at Motherwell when we got that winner (Matt O’Riley) late on.

“With 80-odd minutes on the clock here, you can start to panic but we worked the ball really well.

“The goal was terrific. Of course you can never be sure but I trust the team that they will keep going until the end and when you do that opportunities will come.

“It’s part of the value of this team – that ability to keep going. When you bring in players you are always looking for players who have that resilience in their make-up.

“It’s part of what you do when you recruit a player. When you play for a club like this one, there’s no choice – you keep fighting, you keep running and allow your quality to come through and that’s exactly what happened.

“We had a penalty and Kyogo (Furuhashi) had a chance as well. So we could have been more comfortable in the scoreline.

“At 2-1, you just want to grind it out and get the result.”

It was Oh’s first goal of the season and Rodgers was pleased for the South Korean.

Rodgers said: “It was a great finish. Nice little very combination with Kyogo and Odin can shoot if he’s selfish. But he plays a lovely pass in and the big guy takes his touch and it’s a wonderful finish.

“I’m really pleased for him. For the guys who aren’t playing so much, you always have to recognise and acknowledge their efforts which I did with them.

“He looks after his body, his diet, everything is superb. He’s so professional, he looks at his training and he knows when asked upon he can come in and make an impact. And what an impact.”

St Mirren remain in third place and boss Stephen Robinson also praised his side as he acknowledged the quality of Celtic’s goals.

He said: “We got beat by a fantastic goal. Sometime you look for fault but it was a fantastic goal and so was the first one.

“Defensively we were excellent, Zach Hemming made three fantastic saves.

“I have nothing but credit and praise for the players.

“To be disappointed shows we have come a long way but we are a good side and I have a lot of confidence in these players.

“We got beat by quality but in terms of where we want to go it was a big statement in terms of performance.”

A late strike by substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu gave Celtic a hard-fought 2-1 cinch Premiership win over St Mirren at Parkhead.

Saints attacker Conor McMenamin headed the well-organised visitors into a shock lead in the seventh minute but the Hoops responded as expected.

Returning midfielder David Turnbull levelled in the 18th minute with a terrific strike before hitting the post with a penalty just before the half-hour mark.

Brendan Rodgers’ men kept working away in the second half and eventually got their reward in the 83rd minute when South Korean attacker Oh, on for Turnbull, fired high past excellent Buddies goalkeeper Zach Hemming for his first goal of the season.

Rodgers’ side had dropped points at the weekend with a goalless draw at Hibernian but the main talking point ahead of the game was the Green Brigade’s ban from Celtic Park for “increasingly serious escalation in unacceptable behaviours”.

The move came after incidents including the fan group’s co-ordination of a display showing solidarity with the people of Palestine at last week’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid and their absence impacted on the atmosphere.

Rodgers, however, had to get on with winning a game of football and with centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers rested he brought in Nat Phillips, with Turnbull and winger James Forrest reinstated as Paulo Bernardo and Daizen Maeda dropped to the bench.

The visitors, with Ryan Strain back from suspension and Caolan Boyd-Munce and Toyosi Olusanya back in the side, stunned the home side with the early opener.

Greg Kiltie’s curling cross from wide on the left was met by Northern Ireland attacker McMenamin and he gave keeper Joe Hart no chance with his header from close range.

The goal concentrated Celtic minds while the fans began grumbling at St Mirren taking the lead.

But they had cause to cheer when Turnbull picked up a Matt O’Riley pass 20 yards from goal and curled a shot high past Buddies keeper Hemming.

There was a handball check by VAR when Turnbull’s shot came off the sliding Buddies midfielder Alex Gogic and when referee John Beaton checked his pitchside monitor he inevitably pointed to the spot.

Turnbull’s spot-kick struck the post, Luis Palma’s effort from the rebound was well-saved by Hemming and then Matt O’Riley headed past the post and Saints breathed again.

Celtic increased the pressure just before the break with Hemming preventing Gogic inadvertently slicing a clearance into his own net before making a good save from Palma’s low drive.

An intricate move early in the second half ended with Hemming making a fine save from Forrest’s drive from 10 yards before the winger and Palma made way for Maeda and South Korean attacker Yang Hyun-jun.

Celtic kept knocking at the door and seven minutes from the end Oh took a pass from fellow substitute Odin Thiago Holm inside the box and drove high into the net.

The hosts should have scored again in added time when Kyogo Furuhashi was clean through, only to be foiled by Hemming.

Liam Gordon remains steadfast in his belief that St Johnstone can recover from their disastrous start to the season and preserve their cinch Premiership status.

The Perth club are five points adrift at the foot of the table and without a manager after Steven MacLean was sacked in the wake of Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at St Mirren – a ninth successive league match without a win.

Alex Cleland is in interim charge for Wednesday’s match at home to Kilmarnock, and captain Gordon is confident Saints – who have been in the top flight since 2009 – can get themselves out of their grim predicament in the months ahead.

“I 100 per cent believe we can turn it round quickly,” he said. “We’ve got a good squad here. We just need to start putting together performances and churning out results, which we’re more than capable of doing.

“I’m positive we will go on and do that under whoever the new manager is. This league is where we should be. We’ll keep fighting until the end.

“We’ve got a good squad here and we know what we’re capable of. Now it’s up to us to produce results to put points on the board and get ourselves up that table.”

MacLean claimed after Saturday’s defeat at St Mirren that some Saints players had “chucked it”, and Gordon admitted that is an accusation that everyone at the club is never able to be repeated.

“As a professional, that’s one thing you’d never want to be associated with,” he said. “As for those comments, I don’t know who they were aimed at, but all we can do as a group is take that on the chin and make sure it can never be said again about us either as individuals or as a group because as professional athletes we should pride ourselves on turning up and doing our jobs as best we can.

“Yes, there will be mistakes – they happen all the time – but the bare minimum here at St Johnstone is to give 110 per cent.

“We’ve had a lot of success here from past years, whether that be top-six finishes, European runs and cup success. But obviously it’s been a bit different the past few seasons and you learn a lot from that.

“When you’re winning stuff it’s all smooth and it’s great, but you start learning stuff when your back’s against the wall, and that’s where we’re at now.

“We’ve been here before as a group, I’ve been here before as an individual, so we know what’s expected and what’s required going forward. We’re ready for it.”

Storm Babet disrupted football in England and Scotland on Saturday as adverse weather conditions swept the UK.

Ross County’s home match against St Mirren in the cinch Premiership was the latest fixture to be postponed north of the border.

And in England, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold was involved in an accident after a 40ft electricity pylon smashed onto a car in front of the England international, according to The Sun.

The high voltage power line was pulled up by 70mph winds and landed in front of Alexander-Arnold’s black Range Rover near Knutsford, Cheshire, the newspaper reported.

Alexander-Arnold reportedly slammed on the brakes before colliding with a BMW X5. Cheshire police said nobody was injured in the incident.

The footballer’s agent was contacted by the PA news agency, but declined to comment on the story.

The storm showed no signs of abating as downpours continued to batter the UK on Saturday, with three people dead and another red “danger to life” warning in place.

After conversations with the SPFL and Police Scotland, the decision was taken to call the St Mirren game off on Saturday morning with supporters’ safety in mind.

A club statement said a new date and kick-off time would be rearranged in due course.

County’s match at the Global Energy Stadium became the first fixture to be called off on Saturday but several others were already postponed on Friday, including Aberdeen’s home game against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to St Johnstone.

Other Saturday fixtures to have fallen include Mansfield’s home clash with Forest Green in Sky Bet League Two, and Altrincham’s match against Dorking in the Vanarama National League.

Chesterfield’s home fixture against Gateshead has also been called off “on the recommendation of various external partner agencies”.

The Scottish Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers – in the worst-hit area of Angus – was called off, as was Greenock’s match against Inverness.

Cove Rangers against Montrose in League One was also postponed along with two games in League Two – Elgin versus Forfar and Stenhousemuir against Peterhead.

Saturday’s race card at Market Rasen was also postponed due to standing water on areas of the track.

An inspection was held on Friday but the race course confirmed after 50mm of rainfall in the area that the decision was made to abandon the meeting.

Rotherham’s Championship game with Ipswich, scheduled to be played on Friday night, was also postponed due to the stormy conditions.

The area was hit with torrential rain which caused the River Don, which runs behind the AESSEAL New York Stadium, to burst its banks which left areas around the stadium flooded.

Ross County’s home match against St Mirren in the cinch Premiership is the latest fixture to be postponed due to the adverse weather conditions caused by Storm Babet.

The storm shows no signs of abating as downpours continued to batter the UK on Saturday, with three people dead and another red “danger to life” warning in place.

After conversations with the SPFL and Police Scotland, the decision was taken to call the St Mirren game off on Saturday morning with supporters’ safety in mind.

A club statement said a new date and kick-off time will be rearranged in due course.

County’s match at the Global Energy Stadium became the first fixture to be called off on Saturday but several others were already postponed on Friday, including Aberdeen’s home game against Dundee and Motherwell’s trip to St Johnstone.

Other Saturday fixtures to have fallen include Mansfield’s home clash with Forest Green in Sky Bet League Two, and Altrincham’s match against Dorking in the Vanarama National League.

The Scottish Championship game between Arbroath and Raith Rovers, in the worst-hit area of Angus, has been called off as has Greenock’s match against Inverness.

Cove Rangers against Montrose in League One has also been postponed along with two games in League Two – Elgin versus Forfar and Stenhousemuir against Peterhead.

Rotherham’s Championship game with Ipswich, scheduled to be played on Friday night, was also postponed due to the conditions.

The area was hit with torrential rain which caused the River Don, which runs behind the AESSEAL New York Stadium, to burst its banks which left areas around the stadium flooded.

Rangers gave themselves some much-needed respite with a 3-0 cinch Premiership win over 10-man St Mirren in Paisley.

Former Gers midfielder Steven Davis began his spell as caretaker manager with an embarrassing 2-1 Europa League defeat against Aris Limassol in Cyprus on Thursday night and there was a sense of foreboding about the trip to the SMiSA stadium.

Some Rangers fans unravelled banners early in the game which read ‘heartless passionless leaderless; not fit to wear our colours’ before skipper James Tavernier scored from the spot in the 29th minute after Saints’ Ryan Strain was handed a red card by referee Nick Walsh for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Attacker Abdallah Sima added a second in the 70th minute for his seventh goal of the season before Tavernier smashed in a third in the 90th minute as the Light Blues leapfrogged Stephen Robinson’s side into second place, seven points behind leaders Celtic but the prospects of a genuine title race is another thing altogether.

Rangers will appoint a new boss during the international break and the Ibrox club clearly need fresh ideas, strategy and motivation going forward.

The only radical change Davis made to the team was to give a first senior start to 17-year-old attacker Zak Lovelace – he would go off injured in the first half – with John Souttar, Jose Cifuentes and Kemar Roofe also coming into a fragile Ibrox outfit.

Defender Richard Taylor and striker Toyosi Olusanya were reinstated into the Buddies side who clearly fancied their chances but there was little between the teams in the opening exchanges.

In the 21st minute St Mirren defender Scott Tanser, who signed a new deal until 2026 on Saturday, found himself alone at the back post from a Conor McMenamin free-kick but blasted his shot over the bar.

Rangers, however, would soon take the lead.

Lovelace found space on the right and blasted the ball across goal with Strain appearing to knock it away from in-rushing Sima with his hand.

After a long VAR check, referee Walsh checked his pitch-side monitor, sent off the St Mirren player and awarded a penalty to the visitors which Tavernier converted to the ire of the home supporters.

In the 34th minute Goldson met a Borna Barisic corner with his head but Buddies keeper Zach Hemming acrobatically tipped the effort over the bar and the home side ultimately escaped.

In the 41st minute Lovelace limped off the field and was eventually taken away from the sidelines on a stretcher, after being replaced by Ross McCausland.

In added time, the 20-year-old knocked a Barisic pass down to Nico Raskin inside the St Mirren box but the midfielder’s goal-bound drive was blocked by Hemming for a corner, which came to nothing.

There was no immediate improvement from Rangers in the second half and striker Cyriel Dessers replaced the anonymous Roofe on the hour-mark, while Saints soon brought on Mikael Mandron, Alex Greive and Caolan Boyd-Munce.

Rangers doubled their lead in the 70th minute with an unusually swift break, Tavernier sending Raskin scampering through the middle with a first time pass and he squared for Sima, on loan from Brighton, to beat Hemming from close range.

St Mirren were on their way to the first league defeat of the season.

Dessers ran clean through in the 86th minute only to have his unconvincing drive saved by Hemming but there was time for Tavernier to thrash in a second from the edge of the box, after his first effort was blocked, a fine goal out of keeping with the most of the game.