St Mirren 0-3 Ross County

St Mirren were consigned to a bottom-two finish in the Scottish Premiership as Ross County's impressive revival continued with a Liam Boyce hat-trick.

Third-bottom County cruised to a win that lifts them 16 points clear of the Buddies at the basement.

County merited their lead thanks to Boyce's close-range toe-poke.

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.

The continuation of the fine form under Jim McIntyre was not only bad news for St Mirren but also for Motherwell.

County 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 manager Gary Teale had gone for aerial power up front as he brought back captain Steven Thompson to partner Yoann Arquin up front, with Gregg Wylde on the wing to supply the ammunition and James Dayton and Kieran Sadlier dropping out.

The problem for a team who have only scored eight times at home this season was that, for all his qualities, Thompson has never been prolific while Arquin has now helped two sides to the bottom of the Premiership this season having left County just before the Dingwall side's revival.

St Mirren's one moment of threat before falling behind came via a rare bit of skill as John McGinn performed a neat Zidane-turn before firing powerfully over.

The home side had hoped for a big turnout as they drank at the last-chance saloon, but the funereal atmosphere suggested the fans had already given up the ghost.

Viktor Genev was sent off by referee Willie Collum just after the break

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 in a season bereft of Paisley-patterned luck for that to last.

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 prodded finish.

County consistently threatened to break behind a St Mirren defence playing a dangerously high line and pot shots from Boyce and Martin Woods threatened to extend the lead.

The Buddies' cause was not helped by an injury that forced defender Marc McAusland to be replaced with forward Thomas Reilly before 45 minutes had passed.

It was made even more impossible when Genev was shown the red card three minutes after the break for a last-man challenge on the goalscorer.

St Mirren took 60 minutes to force Mark Brown into a save, but McGinn's deflected drive presented a simple catch for the goalkeeper.

Either side of that, the traffic was all towards the home goal, Gardyne striking the outside of the post with the free-kick that followed the red card and the diving Ridgers superbly denying Woods and Raffaele De Vita.

Boyce showed the skill that won him a spell with Werder Bremen by gathering a Gardyne cross on his chest, nutmegging Jim Goodwin and firing past Ridgers from 12 yards.

The Northern Ireland international completed County's first top-flight hat-trick in stoppage time as he turned in a Tony Dingwall cross.

St Mirren chairman Stewart Gilmour looked in a gloomy mood before kick-off

County were denied twice from close rangers before Boyce opened the scoring

Boyce scored County's first-ever hat-trick in the top flight

The mood of the two sides were in stark contrast at St Mirren Park

St Mirren manager Gary Teale looked disconsolate at the final whistle