APPARENTLY one of these teams are certainties for promotion while the other all-but relegated.
But the Championship is going through a curious phase. The side which has spent almost every waking minute at the bottom are currently in better form than the league leaders.
St Mirren were superb in Paisley. Not only did they win but did so with something to spare.
Hibernian may well play Premiership football next season but they will have to do a hell of a lot better than this because they were absolutely dreadful.
Their defeat had nothing to do with Efe Ambrose who made his debut after signing on loan from Celtic. Indeed, Neil Lennon’s men not for the first time showed themselves to be lacking something in the so-called smaller games.
Nothing will be decided in this league until the very end.
Hibs had drawn their previous three league matches and didn’t start this one particularly well. Same could be said about the middle and end.
St Mirren did begin strongly with Cameron Smith’s header deflected wide and then the same player cut in from the right and at least got his shot on target.
On 14 minutes, Stevie Mallan was close again for the home side with a dipping shot, then John Sutton’s knockdown was controlled by Kyle Magennis whose left foot shot brought out the best in Hibs goalkeeper Ofir Marciano.
It was all St Mirren. On 22 minutes, Harry Davis produced a burst of speed which Hibs captain David Gray couldn’t cope with, his cross was picked out the sky by Magennis whose volley clipped the top of the crossbar.
The only fire shown from the Leith men came from Lennon on the touchline who earned a talking to from referee Euan Anderson. The Northern Irishman had overstepped in the mark with an outburst at one of the assistants.
He was even angrier after 35 minutes. Mallan’s pass through the Hibs defence was just wonderful, left-back Stelios Demetriou read the move, shifted the ball to his right foot and sent the ball in from a tricky angle.
The Championship leaders needed something to happen and that wasn’t Fraser Fyvie sending the ball high over the goal from 12 yards just before half-time.
And then 45 seconds into the second-half, St Mirren doubled their lead. It was that man Demetriou again. He wandered up the wing, collected a pass on the left, once more got the ball on his right foot and this time from distance sent the ball into the bottom corner.
So what did Hibs have? Not a lot.
Stephen McGinn, playing against his brother John for the first time, was denied making it 3-0 by Marciano and then Lewis Morgan’s shot from distance was only a few inches over
And on 63 minutes came the moment of perhaps the entire season for St Mirren.
A cross to the back post from McGinn was met by Gray who placed the ball exactly where he wanted. It was only a few yards from goal and yet Jason Cummings and then Grant Holt failed to beat St Mirren keeper Billy O’Brien.
There was only going to be won winner from that point on.
St Mirren go back to being five points off second bottom Ayr with a game in hand. Hibs go back to the Scottish Cup on Saturday against Ayr. They tend to do better in the bigger games.
St Mirren (4-2-3-1): O'Brien; Irvine (Fjelde 62), MacKenzie, Davis, Stelios; Magennis (Todd 85), McGinn, Mallan, Smith (Baird 90), Morgan; Sutton
Substitutes not used: Langfield, Webster, Storie, Fjelde, Loy
Hibernian (4-4-2): Marciano, Gray, Ambrose, McGregor, Stevenson, Bartley (Holt 58), McGinn, Fyvie, Shinnie (Keatings 60), Boyle, Cummings
Substitutes not used: Laidlaw, Crane, McLean, Martin, Graham.
Referee: Euan Anderson.
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