THIS was a result welcomed all the way from Paisley to Leith. St Mirren's first league victory since December 27 had the twin effect of helping ease their relegation worries while also ensuring Hibernian clinched their place in the top half of the SPL for the remaining league fixtures without having to kick a ball.

Hibs manager Mixu Paatelainen, who started the week making mischievous claims that Motherwell would crumble under the pressure, must have been chuckling up his sleeve.

Motherwell have not won in front of the Setanta cameras since the final day of the 2005 season and are now resigned to five relatively meaningless matches in the bottom six. The Fir Park side enjoyed plenty of possession, especially in the first half, but could not find a way beyond a stuffy St Mirren back four who defended heroically, if desperately, at times. A point would have severely damaged the chances of Mark McGhee's team making the top six but defeat killed them off entirely, leaving the manager to rue what might have been.

"I'm disappointed that it's happened the way it has," he said. "If we had won and then Hibs had won tomorrow we could have borne that given the time we had in November and December with injuries. We've only lost three in 15 which isn't bad but to work as hard as that and then throw it away is disappointing."

St Mirren's two goals came late and were vastly differing affairs. Steven Thomson's tap-in was his first goal since 2007, while Andy Dorman's 25-yard half-volley was his fourth notch in as many games. The Englishman recently added a year to his contract but bigger clubs will surely be sniffing around him in the summer on this form.

"People asked could he better Monday night's goal against Hibs and he's gone some way to doing that today," Gus MacPherson, the St Mirren manager, said. "The one thing we say about him is that he has composure when he gets into those areas. If he's not scoring then invariably he hits the target."

The Paisley club can now look forward to next weekend's Homecoming Scottish Cup semi-final with Rangers with a sense of relief having eased their relegation plight, but MacPherson was taking nothing for granted.

"It's a vital three points but nothing's been decided," he said. "It probably wasn't the prettiest game or performance but we've got the job done and got the three points."

Motherwell, in truth, could have been out of sight by half-time and would pay later for their profligacy. A policy of taking the game to the opposition in the early stages of a match has often paid dividends but on this occasion their relentless endeavour went unrewarded.

John Sutton enjoyed two fruitful seasons as a St Mirren player, scoring the goal on this very ground that spared them relegation two years ago, but he gave his old side a torrid time, in the first half especially.

He was inches away from connecting with the rebound after Mark Howard could only parry David Clarkson's fizzzing shot, before sending a header over the bar from Paul Quinn's cross and another into the arms of the goalkeeper after the break.

For all their pressure, though, Motherwell should have gone behind as the interval beckoned. Dorman sent Craig Dargo clear on goal moments before half-time only for the striker to shoot wastefully into the arms of the grateful Graeme Smith.

Motherwell's play became increasingly ragged in the second period, although a rutted pitch that could have doubled as a crazy golf course didn't help. St Mirren began to hope that they could sneak a point or possibly more. And so it proved. Dargo's hopeful hoist forward was not adequately dealt with by Mark Reynolds, allowing Thomson to nudge his side in front after 77 minutes.

MacPherson's men sealed the victory with a late second. Dorman collected possession around 25 yards out from goal and launched an audacious effort that sailed over the head of Smith and into the net.