Scottish round-up: Steve MacLean secures Aberdeen’s top-flight status

• MacLean tap-in earns Dons draw at St Johnstone
• Falkirk defeat leaves their SPL future in doubt

Aberdeen secured their Scottish Premier League status for next season despite conceding a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw at St Johnstone.

Derek McInnes’s side started the contest stronger, with Chris Millar forcing a fine save from Stuart Nelson inside 50 seconds and the resulting Danny Grainger corner saw Davidson mistime a header, Dave Mackay have a shot cleared off the line and Jody Morris fire wide following up.

But, in remarkably similar fashion, it was the visitors who opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Graeme Smith tipped a Davide Grassi header on to the bar from a Paul Marshall corner, Darren Mackie steered the follow-up goalward and Steven MacLean got the final touch on the line.

As the Dons finished the first half strongly, MacLean beat Grainger to Marshall’s deflected cross but was under enough pressure for his volley to strike the bar.

The Saints’ second-half pressure was finally rewarded with an 88th-minute equaliser. Nelson could only parry a Liam Craig free-kick and injury-plagued Saints striker Andy Jackson was first to the rebound to scuff the ball against the post, off the goalkeeper and over the line. The draw bolsters the home side’s position in seventh.

A first-half header from Marco Paixão gave Hamilton all three points at Falkirk but the visitors had to withstand a second-half onslaught.

There were 19 minutes on the clock when the Portuguese midfielder found himself with lots of time to steer a Dougie Imrie cross past Robert Olejnik, and the Lanarkshire side were good value for their interval lead.

After the break it was one-way traffic towards the Accies’ goal but the equaliser failed to arrive leaving the Bairns at the bottom of the table. Accies enjoyed some luck in the 70th minute when a Pedro Moutinho corner from the right was met by Darren Barr whose header struck the post, rebounded off the unwitting Mikaël Antoine-Curier and back into the arms of Sean Murdoch. The visitors were now in retreat mode and they brought on Joel Thomas for Antoine-Curier in a bid to take the game to Falkirk.

With four minutes left Moutinho had an effort from distance that went just wide, and the home side passed up several chances to level in a dramatic finale, leaving their SPL future in doubt.

Andy Dorman snatched the late winner as St Mirren took a massive step towards SPL survival with what could be a crucial 1-0 victory over relegation rivals Kilmarnock. Dorman struck late on with the only goal in what was a scrappy game at new St Mirren Park as both sides desperately tried to haul themselves away from the danger zone.

In a further boost for the Paisley club, with Falkirk suffering defeat against Hamilton, Saints are now four points clear of the drop zone, while Killie remain a single point ahead of rock-bottom Bairns. Kilmarnock and Falkirk meet on the final week of the season.

Scottish Cup Finalists Dundee United host Celtic at Tannadice today and Walter Smith’s Rangers travel to Easter Road to play fourth-placed Hibernian.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s manager, Terry Butcher, hailed his club’s “absolutely brilliant” supporters as his side celebrated winning the First Division title with a 7-0 away victory against Ayr United. Seven different scorers helped the Highlanders to an SPL return. Butcher’s team are undefeated in their last 20 matches. Nial Briggs

Celtic’s Robbie Keane makes it a sweet start for Neil Lennon

• Parkhead side move within 10 points of Rangers
• Aberdeen end dismal run of form

Neil Lennon's first game as Celtic's caretaker manager saw Kilmarnock trounced 3-1 in a one-sided Scottish Premier League clash at Parkhead.

A Robbie Keane double and a Scott Brown strike took the Hoops back to within 10 points of leaders Rangers, having played two games more than their rivals.

The home side took the lead when Keane found his way into the box and delicately chipped the ball over Cammy Bell for his 10th goal since arriving on loan. In the second half, Keane settled the destination of the points when he took a Brown pass, turned inside Frazer Wright and drilled the ball past Bell from 12 yards.

Four minutes later, Brown made it 3-0 when he turned McGeady's cross-cum-shot past Bell from eight yards, with the visitors' defence in tatters. Killie captain Craig Bryson scored a consolation goal for the Ayrshire men, who were outplayed from the first whistle to last.

Dundee United followed up their Scottish Cup triumph over Rangers in midweek with a 3-0 victory over Motherwell. United emphatically recovered from Paul Dixon's early dismissal to consolidate third place and end Motherwell's 12-match unbeaten run in the league.

Peter Houston's side never looked back after edging ahead in the 38th minute, when David Goodwillie claimed the final touch to a Andy Webster header. Prince Buaben soon capitalised on a rare error from John Ruddy and Danny Swanson broke away midway through the second half to finish off Motherwell's uninspired comeback attempts.

Hibernian fought back from a goal down to win 3-1 at Falkirk. The home side took a deserved lead through Mark Stewart in the 19th minute but poor defending from the home side helped John Hughes's team storm back to claim a 3-1 lead by half time.

Derek Riordan curled in a free-kick, before Anthony Stokes and Sol Bamba netted to leave the bottom-placed Bairns facing a uphill task in the second half. As an entertaining game unfolded, Steven Pressley's side threatened once more. Stewart cut in from the right and Graham Stack had to beat away his fierce drive. The wind refused to ease up, making play difficult, and it was Hibs' defence who appeared the more unsure in the conditions. But after being second-best, the hosts claimed a 34th-minute lead. As Falkirk struggled to clear, a Colin Nish shot broke back to Stokes and he wrong-footed Robert Olejnik with the aid of a deflection off Tam Scobbie.

Three minutes from half-time, Olejnik had to be alert to palm away a David Wotherspoon effort before Hibs took advantage of more poor Falkirk defending to score a third. A John Rankin cross was headed on by Nish and Bamba was well placed to head home from four yards at the back post.

Hamilton beat St Johnstone 1-0 at New Douglas Park. James Wesolowski's second goal for the club was enough to seal Accies second win in four days and take them 11 points clear of rock-bottom Falkirk.

Ten-man Aberdeen ended their dismal run of form with a tense 2-1 victory over St Mirren at Pittodrie.

The Dons had gone into the match on the back of a dreadful 11-match winless sequence but goals from Zander Diamond and Sone Aluko gave them a two-goal lead. Steven Robb pulled a goal back for the Buddies with 11 minutes remaining before Aberdeen's Steve MacLean was sent-off for a second booking to set up a nervy finish, but the Reds managed to hang on for a welcome victory.

Robbie Keane on target again as Celtic crush St Johnstone

• Tony Mowbray’s team still 10 points behind leaders Rangers
• Aberdeen come from 2-0 down to draw with Dundee United

Robbie Keane kept up his impressive scoring rate for Celtic as his second-half penalty helped the Parkhead team to a comfortable 3-0 Scottish Premier League victory over St Johnstone.

Teenage defender Josh Thompson’s first goal for the Hoops gave them a half-time advantage before Saints keeper Graeme Smith conceded a penalty in the 67th minute for fouling Marc-Antoine Fortuné, allowing the on-loan Republic of Ireland striker to take his tally to nine in nine games since arriving from Spurs in January. Keane has now matched his tally for his permanent employers this season.

Georgios Samaras, on for Fortune, made it 3-0 with three minutes remaining when he slotted the ball past Smith from 14 yards. However, despite their victory Tony Mowbray’s men are still 10 points behind leaders Rangers.

The league’s other two fixtures both ended in 2-2 draws. The New Firm derby between Aberdeen and Dundee United ended level at Pittodrie, with the struggling Dons giving a spirited display to fight back from 2-0 down to claim a point. Aberdeen have now gone 11 games without a win, having only twice previously gone on such a dire run, in 1917 and 1927. But under-fire manager Mark McGhee can take some solace from this performance.

The hosts made a bright start with United’s Slovakian goalkeeper Dusan Pernis called upon to punch clear a Derek Young free-kick inside four minutes.

However, some careless Aberdeen defending gifted United the lead after only eight minutes. Irishman Jon Daly took advantage of some hesitant play between Zander Diamond and Charlie Mulgrew to advance on goal before thrashing the ball high past Jamie Langfield for the opening goal.

The visitors scored a second goal after 24 minutes when Daly outjumped a static Dons defence to head home a Danny Swanson free-kick.

McGhee’s team fought back with a Diamond header and a Michael Paton penalty in first-half stoppage time. Steven MacLean and Fraser Fyvie were introduced into the action for the Dons in place of the tiring Michael Paton and Sone Aluko, while the visitors introduced the lively Jennison Myrie-Williams and Francisco Sandaza for Prince Buaben and David Goodwillie.

Both sides pressed for a winning third goal in the closing stages but some poor finishing and resolute defending ensured the two teams had to settle for a draw.

The winger Ryan Flynn earned Falkirk a crucial point in their battle to avoid relegation as the Bairns came from behind to draw a see-saw encounter at Hamilton. The visitors earned themselves the advantage at half-time thanks to Scott Arfield’s 26th-minute strike but Accies drew level through a Mickaël Antoine-Curier header and went ahead with a Simon Mensing penalty. The Accies’ lead lasted only three minutes, however, as former Liverpool youngster Flynn volleyed in what could prove to be a vital equaliser on the hour mark.

Three league fixtures take place this midweek. St Johnstone host Steven Pressley’s Falkirk side on Tuesday night while Kilmarnock play Hamilton. St Mirren host Celtic, who will seek to reduce Rangers’ advantage. The leaders follow up their League Cup final against St Mirren with a visit to Dundee United for a Scottish Cup sixth-round replay on Wednesday evening.

Derek Riordan lifts Hibs to third with late winner against Kilmarnock

• Derek Riordan free-kick eases Hibs' nerves
• Aberdeen end losing streak in draw at Hamilton

A Derek Riordan free-kick gave Hibernian a narrow 1-0 victory against Kilmarnock at Easter Road, despite Abdessalam Benjelloun missing a penalty. The win ended a five-match winless run and raised John Hughes's team to third place in the Scottish Premier League ahead of Dundee United's fixture with Hearts tomorrow.

Benjelloun, on as a substitute, won a 59th-minute penalty when Manuel Pascali appeared to bundle him over just inside the area. Benjelloun took the spot-kick himself, but it was too close to Lee Robinson, who sprang to his left to keep it out. The home fans were becoming increasingly frustrated as the second half wore on, but their nerves were settled in emphatic fashion by Riordan 12 minutes from time.

James Fowler was booked for bringing down Danny Galbraith 25 yards out and Riordan curled a stunning free-kick high past Robinson. Killie might have equalised in the 85th minute, when Frazer Wright sent a free header from an Iain Flannigan corner straight at Graham Stack. Stokes could have added gloss to Hibs' win in stoppage time after Liam Miller sent him clear, but Robinson thwarted him again, while Maguire volleyed over under pressure.

Zander Diamond prevented Aberdeen's losing streak from reaching four games with a 76th-minute goal against Hamilton Academicals as the teams shared a 1-1 draw at New Douglas Park. Diamond struck the equaliser following a quickly-taken free-kick to cancel out a Flávio Paixao second-half header. But Hamilton were left with a strong sense of injustice after being denied a penalty moments earlier when Jim Paterson brought down Dougie Imrie. The Aberdeen manager Mark McGhee brought on Darren Mackie for Derek Young to revert to a three-man strike force, but Aberdeen escaped the strong penalty claim in the 75th minute, when Paterson brought down Imrie after the forward had cut in from the right wing. Aberdeen were level within 60 seconds when the unmarked Diamond slotted in from Steven MacLean's cutback after a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick . The Dons soon had another chance, but Alex Neil cut out Mackie's square ball as MacLean waited for an open goal and Cerny held McDonald's header from a Mulgrew cross.

Hamilton had another penalty claim, but Paixao's shout was more ambitious after he was brushed off the ball by Mulgrew, and the Portuguese forward soon fired just over from 18 yards after being set up by Imrie. David Elebert had a great chance to win it for the hosts in the 89th minute, but he headed just wide after James McArthur's measured ball had found him unmarked eight yards out.

A late goal from John Sutton gave Motherwell a 2-1 away win at St Johnstone. The two sides could not be separated at the midway point of the match at McDiarmid Park. The in-form striker Jamie Murphy put the visitors ahead in the 12th minute when he beat the offside trap, rounded Graeme Smith and slotted in at the second attempt after Graham Gartland had blocked his initial effort. Saints responded well and spurned several chances before Steven Milne equalised from close range in the 26th minute. Sutton scored the winner with four minutes remaining when he converted from close range. The Steelmen are now unbeaten in ten games, with increased hopes of securing European football next season.

Aberdeen’s Gary McDonald denies Raith cup shock with late leveller

• Raith foiled by injury-time goal in Scottish Cup tie
• Hibernian ease past Montrose to reach quarter-finals

A 95th-minute equaliser from Gary McDonald denied Raith Rovers a shock victory against Aberdeen in their fifth-round tie. A brilliant first-half volley from the Rovers midfielder Iain Williamson looked to have won the tie at Stark's Park.

The First Division side, winners of the League Cup in 1994, appeared set to become the fifth Scottish Football League side to defeat the Dons in the past four seasons, but five minutes' added time proved to be the undoing of Raith, with the Dons' relentless pressure finally paying off when McDonald met a cross to force a replay.

Alan Gow marked his Hibernian debut with a superb solo goal as the Easter Road side cruised into the quarter-finals with a 5-1 victory over Montrose. Gow, on as a substitute, found the net with two minutes left, although the result was beyond doubt by then. Colin Nish scored twice in the first half while Derek Riordan and Abdessalam Benjelloun also found the target, and the Montrose midfielder Chris Hegarty had his moment of glory with a 25-yard consolation effort.

Dundee recovered from going behind to a 10th-minute Tam McManus goal to beat Ayr 2-1 with goals from Ben Hutcheson and a deflected shot from Lee Griffiths either side of half-time.

Liam Kelly scored his first two goals for Kilmarnock as Jimmy Calderwood's side booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Cup with a 3-0 win at home to Inverness Caley. Conor Sammon put the SPL side ahead with a cool finish over the goalkeeper Ryan Esson midway through the first half. He then set up Kelly to net from the edge of the area seven minutes later. The scorer doubled his tally just before the hour.

Gary Wood scored a hat-trick and Michael Gardyen got two as Ross County hammered Stirling Albion 9-0. County, who are second in the First Division, coasted into a three-goal advantage by half-time against the Second Division team.

A scrambled goal from David Goodwillie on the stroke of half-time was enough to send Dundee United through at the expense of Tayside rivals St Johnstone 1-0.

Lukas Jutkiewicz gave Motherwell victory against Hamilton Accies in the sole SPL fixture. Jutkiewicz bundled in his 10th goal of the season to continue the Steelmen's revival and keep their Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton at the bottom of the table.

Csaba Laszlo moves closer to Hearts exit

• Hearts 1-2 St Johnstone
• St Mirren 1-1 Hibs
• Motherwell 1-1 Aberdeen
• Falkirk 2-0 Hamilton

Nial Briggs

Hearts were forced to clarify that their manager, Csaba Laszlo, had "100% not resigned" after the former Hibs striker Jonatan Johansson earned St Johnstone a 2-1 away win against his side. Hearts are without a league win in six games and Laszlo used his post-match press conference to appeal for talks with the Hearts hierarchy this week "for the best way to stabilise us".

The home side took the lead 10 minutes before half-time when a spectacular 20-yard shot from striker Christian Nadé gave him his first goal for Hearts in nine months. Collin Samuel claimed a headed equaliser for the Saints with an hour played. The Hearts defender José Goncalves was shown a red card before Johansson pounced with three minutes remaining to secure Saints' third league victory of the season.

Hibernian continue their decade-long search for a win in Paisley after sharing a 1-1 draw with St Mirren at a blustery St Mirren Park. A combination of poor finishing and fine saves from the Hibs goalkeeper, Graham Stack, had kept the game goal-less until the 29th minute, when Derek Riordan took a pass from Liam Miller 25 yards from goal and curled past Paul Gallacher to put the visitors ahead.

In the second minute of additional time, Chris Innes headed in a Jack Ross free-kick from eight yards out.

The SPL' s draw specialists, Motherwell and Aberdeen, served up a 1-1 draw. Gary McDonald was sent off for celebrating Aberdeen's equaliser but his team-mates held on to save manager Mark McGhee from defeat on his return to Fir Park. The midfielder headed home midway through the second half after the Motherwell goalkeeper, John Ruddy, had looked set to defy the visitors' attempts to equalise an early opener from Lukas Jutkiewicz. McDonald received a second yellow card for lifting his shirt over his head, but it was the 10 men who came closest to claiming all points.

Falkirk collected a long overdue first league win of the season with a 2-0 home victory against Hamilton. Second-half goals from Chris Mitchell and Lee Bullen saw off Accies to close the gap at the foot of the table to one point. Mitchell, the Scotland Under-21 full-back, broke the deadlock with a stunning free-kick in the 64th minute, and Bullen, a second-half substitute, beat the offside trap to score the second 11 minutes from time.

Deadly Damian Casalinuovo at the double for Dundee United

• Argentinian striker scores twice in 2-0 win
• Edinburgh derby ends scoreless at Tynecastle

Damian Casalinuovo scored two goals as Dundee United ran out comfortable 2-0 winners at Kilmarnock to keep the pressure on third-placed Hibernian, who drew at Tynecastle in the day's early kick-off.

The Argentinian striker put the Taysiders ahead from the spot in the 21st minute after Killie left-back Garry Hay had upended United midfielder Jennison Myrie-Williams inside the area. In a game which saw good performances from both goalkeepers, and several missed chances, Casalinuovo was handed his second goal on a plate in the 57th minute when he was set up by Myrie-Williams. United sit two points behind the Edinburgh side with a game in hand.

Aberdeen put their recent bad form behind them to record a welcome 2-1 win over St Johnstone in an entertaining tussle at Pittodrie. Sone Aluko gave the Dons the lead with a superb solo effort in the first half before Liam Craig equalised with 14 minutes to go, after Jamie Langfield and Kenny Deuchar contested a high ball and Langfield spilled . However, an 83rd-minute penalty from Lee Miller gave the Dons their first win since the middle of September. Michael Paton could have put the icing on the cake with a ferocious 30-yard shot that rebounded back off the crossbar in the dying stages.

The first Edinburgh derby of the season finished goalless as Hearts denied their rivals Hibs a place at the top of the SPL. The goal-shy Jambos dominated most of the game, but were unable seriously to test Graham Stack. Csaba Laszlo's men almost paid the price for their missed chances, as goalkeeper Janos Balogh tipped a David Wotherspoon drive on to the post before having to be alert to deny substitute Derek Riordan.

Motherwell levelled twice in the final 12 minutes of a dramatic Lanarkshire derby to deny 10-man Hamilton a memorable victory. Midfielder Simon Mensing headed the opener on the hour after Tomas Cerny had kept Accies level with a string of saves, including a penalty stop from Ross Forbes. Motherwell sub Jamie Murphy scored a spectacular equaliser, but the visitors needed a Lukas Jutkiewicz goal to earn them a point four minutes from time after Marco Paixao had headed Accies back in front with eight minutes to go.

Falkirk host Celtic today with Eddie May without Jackie McNamara, Burton O'Brien, Thomas Scobbie and Kjartan Finnbogason for the clash.

Casalinuovo and Gomis give Dundee United New Firm win at Aberdeen

• Lucasz Jutkiewicz double earns Motherwell draw with St Mirren
• Falkirk show resolve to pick up a point in 0-0 draw with Hearts

Dundee United were deserved 2-0 winners in the New Firm derby against Aberdeen at Pittodrie. The Dons were made to pay for some poor finishing as United won the contest in the first half. Fraser Fyvie and Lee Miller were both guilty of missing gilt-edged chances, before the Argentinian striker Damian Casalinuovo found the net for the visitors on the half-hour mark from a Mark Fotheringham corner. The United midfielder Morgaro Gomis doubled the lead five minutes later with a smart finish from the edge of the area to consign the home team to their first defeat since the opening day of the season.

Motherwell fought back from two goals down to earn a 3-3 draw at St Mirren. Hugh Murray gave the Buddies a half-time lead with a cool finish three minutes before the interval. Billy Mehmet and Tom Brighton combined to set up Murray to steer the ball past John Ruddy for his first goal in two and a half years.

The visitors equalised when they were awarded a penalty four minutes after the interval, Ross Forbes dispatching it for his eighth goal of the season. Andy Dorman regained the lead for the home team after 59 minutes before Murray added to a fine performance to pounce on a corner and score his second from close range.

Motherwell responded immediately when the on-loan Everton striker Lukas Jutkiewicz pulled a goal back for Jim Gannon's side. Jutkiewicz then completed a fine comeback for 'Well when he held off several defenders to lash the ball high into the net with nine minutes remaining.

Hearts fans showed their consternation as Csaba Laszlo's team failed to break down the bottom-placed side, Falkirk, in a goalless draw at Tynecastle. After David Obua and Andy Driver wasted first-half chances to find the net, the Bairns battled their way to a well-deserved point after the break. Kjartan Finnbogason wasted the visitors' best chance, in the first half.

Two goals from Kevin Kyle gave Kilmarnock a 2-1 win against St Johnstone at Rugby Park. Saints were the better side in a scrappy first half with both Jody Morris, with a header, and Colin Sammon coming close to breaking the deadlock. Kyle took advantage of a moment of hesitation by goalkeeper Alan Main to head the ball into the net for his fifth goal of the season six minutes into the second half. Kyle then picked up on a clearance to strike a 30-yard volley over Main to give his team a two-goal advantage with 64 minutes played. Frazer Wright headed into his own net for the visitors' stoppage-time consolation.

Celtic play Hamilton today seeking to recover from their midweek defeat to Hamburg and earn a win that would take them above their Old Firm neighbours.

Scottish Premier League: St Johnstone 1-2 Rangers

• Hibs consolidate third place with 1-0 win against Killie
• Falkirk remain winless after 3-1 loss at home to St Mirren

A late Sasa Papac goal gave Rangers a 2-1 victory at St Johnstone and a one-point lead at the top of the SPL. Walter Smith's side recovered from falling behind to a 17th-minute Collin Samuel goal in the lunch-time contest thanks to Kris Boyd's equaliser five minutes before half-time.

Rangers had already thrown Steven Naismith and Nacho Novo into the action, and they were joined by Kenny Miller with less than 10 minutes to go in a desperate push for a winner. Naismith provided the pass for Papac in plenty of space and he had time to switch to his preferred left foot before firing home with seven minutes left.

"We were pleased to win," said Smith, but added: "The performance was patchy, we've not had a great deal of consistency since the start of the season. For us getting back-to-back wins was a big thing because we have struggled to do that ."

Aberdeen and Hearts shared a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie. The Dons went into the game three points ahead of their opponents and they took the lead after 42 minutes . Peter Pawlett and Charlie Mulgrew combined on the left to release Michael Paton and, although there was a touch on his cross, the ball found its way to Lee Miller who nodded the ball past Janos Balogh at the back post. Hearts substitute Christian Nadé slipped in England under-21 midfielder Andrew Driver, who picked his spot from 15 yards with a curling effort beyond keeper Jamie Langfield.

A penalty from Abdessalam Benjelloun with six minutes left earned Hibs a 1-0 win over Kilmarnock at Easter Road and they remain in third place. Killie's striker Kevin Kyle came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half when his fourth-minute header hit the post. In the same move, Conor Sammon had an effort cleared off the line by Kevin McBride.

St Mirren beat bottom-placed Falkirk 3-1 despite going a goal down. The substitute Alex MacDonald claimed the Bairns goal 10 minutes into the second half before the visitors equalised when Craig Dargo pounced at the back post with 67 minutes played. Goals from Billy Mehmet and Tom Brighton secured the points.

Hamilton Academical had a first win at Tannadice in 20 years snatched from their grasp in stoppage time when Gary Kenneth rose above the Accies defence to secure a 1-1 draw for injury-hit Dundee United. Mikaël Antoine-Curier had put the visitors ahead earlier in the second half with his second goal of the season for Accies.

Lukas Jutkiewicz ends drought to give Motherwell victory over Falkirk

• Motherwell move level with Dundee United and Rangers
• St Mirren beat Hearts to record first win at new stadium

Motherwell moved level on points with Dundee United and Rangers after their 1-0 win against Falkirk at Fir Park, taking advantage of United's draw at Hibernian and the champions being out of action until today, when they face Celtic in the Old Firm derby.

Lukas Jutkiewicz scored his first goal in two-and-a-half years to bring Motherwell victory. The on-loan Everton striker headed in from a Chris Humphrey near-post corner in the 18th minute of a low-key first half. The visitors improved considerably in the second half and looked certain to equalise when Scott Arfield's shot rebounded off the bar. It left Mark Stewart eight yards out with the goal gaping, but he blazed the chance over. Falkirk have now not scored for five games.

An impressive volley from Craig Dargo gave St Mirren their long-awaited first victory at their new stadium with a 2-1 victory over Hearts. A glancing header from José Gonçalves gave Csaba Laszlo's side the lead 31 minutes into the first half. Hearts should have doubled their advantage when Suso Santana squandered an excellent opportunity. Instead, it was Saints who scored next when Steven Thomson levelled seven minutes after conceding. Substitute Tom Brighton set up St Mirren's second when he nodded on for Dargo to volley the winner past Janos Balogh after 64 minutes.

Aberdeen extended their unbeaten run in the SPL to six games with a 1-1 draw at Kilmarnock. Both teams hit the woodwork, but failed to score in the first half. The crowd had to wait until 12 minutes before the end of an absorbing contest before the first goal was scored by Danny Invincibile. Six minutes later, a free-kick from Aberdeen midfielder Charlie Mulgrew was well saved by Mark Brown, but the goalkeeper could not gather the ball and Gary McDonald pounced to score against his former team.

St Johnstone finally ended their wait for a first league win this season with a richly-deserved 2-0 victory at Hamilton. A goal from Steven Anderson on his league debut and a stunning first for the club from Danny Grainger hauled promoted Saints off the foot of the table and above their opponents. Liam Craig struck the bar for Derek McInnes's team before they took a deserved lead on the stroke of half-time when Martin Hardie nodded Craig's corner across goal and Anderson headed in from close range. Grainger made it 2-0 when he cut in from the left and shot past Tomas Cerny.

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