St Mirren 0
Ross County 3
League (Premiership)

Match Report

Source unknown.

County striker Liam Boyce turned in a 5-star performance to help his side maintain their superb run against bottom side St Mirren, at New St Mirren Park.
The former Werder Bremen and Cliftonville striker led the line superbly throughout, and capped an excellent display with a superbly taken hat-trick.
County cruised to victory with a win that lifts them 16 points clear of the Buddies at the basement in the SPFL Premiership.
The visitors merited their lead thanks to Liam Boyce's close-range effort, after Ridgers had pulled of a fine block to deny Craig Curran.
St Mirren's Viktor Genev was sent off shortly after the break and two more clinical Boyce finishes ensured an eighth win in nine unbeaten games for the Staggies.
The continuation of the fine form under Jim McIntyre was not only bad news for St Mirren but also for Motherwell.
The Dingwall side are now six points clear of the second-bottom side and the Buddies are left with Ian Baraclough's Steelmen as their only remaining, if distant, target if they are to avoid the one automatic relegation spot.
St Mirren had opted for a physical presence up front as they brought back captain Steven Thompson to partner Yoann Arquin up front, while Gregg Wylde was brought in on the left side to supply valuable ammunition.
St Mirren's one moment of threat before falling behind came via a rare bit of skill with John McGinn firing powerfully over.
Their mood of gloom deepened as County's understandably unchanged starting line-up started the game the more confident side.
St Mirren were dogged in defence and survived a series of corners, but they were living too dangerously.
Indeed, it proved third time lucky for County when Michael Gardyne's shot was blocked, Craig Curran's follow up was parried at point-blank range by Mark Ridgers, but the goalkeeper was beaten by Boyce's right foot finish.
County consistently threatened to break behind a St Mirren defence playing a dangerously high line and efforts from Boyce and Martin Woods threatened to extend the lead.
The Buddies' cause was made even more difficult by an injury that forced defender Marc McAusland to be replaced with forward Thomas Reilly just before the interval.
Things were made even more difficult when Genev was shown the red card three minutes after the break for a last-man challenge on the hitman Liam Boyce.
St Mirren took almost an hour to force Mark Brown into a save, but John McGinn's deflected drive presented a simple catch for the goalkeeper.
The onslaught continued towards the home goal, Michael Gardyne striking the outside of the post with the free-kick that followed Genev’s red card and the diving Mark Ridgers superbly denying Woods and Raffaele De Vita in quick succession.
Liam Boyce showed the skill that won him a spell with Werder Bremen by gathering a Michael Gardyne cross on his chest, rounding Jim Goodwin and firing high into the net past Ridgers from 12 yards.
The Northern Ireland international completed County's first top-flight hat-trick in stoppage time as he turned home a Tony Dingwall cross.