St Mirren 1-3 Hamilton Accies: James Keatings inspires win over 10-man hosts
- Published
Highlights: St Mirren 1-3 Hamilton Academical
A James Keatings-inspired win over 10-man St Mirren lifted Hamilton five points clear of their second bottom hosts in the Scottish Premiership.
The striker set up Dougie Imrie and Ziggy Gordon for two first-half goals against the run of play after being handed a rare start.
Stephen McGinn replied with a fine finish on the turn before the break.
But Keatings' superb long-range finish restored the advantage before St Mirren's Simeon Jackson was sent off.
The result does nothing to change either side's position in the table, but it moves Hamilton further clear of the relegation play-off spot and to within a point of neighbours Motherwell.
St Mirren remain three points clear of bottom side Dundee, who now have a game in hand.
Dead-ball expertise kills off St Mirren
The unchanged St Mirren looked confident early on as they sought to build on a win over Hearts that ended a run of 12 league games without a win.
As well as giving a debut to recently signed 35-year-old former Everton and Slovakia goalkeeper Jan Mucha, Martin Canning had restored Keatings for only his third start of the season.
And the former Hibernian and Hearts forward's dead-ball expertise cleaved out the opener, Imrie rising to loop his corner over everyone and into the far corner of the net.
St Mirren manager Oran Kearney, with new first-team coach Jimmy Nicholl at his side for the first time, replaced Ian McShane with Ryan Edwards in midfield.
However, it did not prevent Hamilton going further in front as, moments after goalkeeper Danny Rogers denied Imrie a second, Gordon poked in from Keatings' in-swinging free-kick.
The visitors were looking comfortable, but McGinn's fine finish at the close of the first half inspired the St Mirren to pile on the pressure in the second and had calls for a red card rejected after Gordon pulled down Jackson on his way to goal.
Keatings, though, was given too much time to collect and fire a looping left-foot drive over Rodgers from 25 yards.
He later went off injured, but any hopes St Mirren had of a comeback ended when Jackson picked up a second yellow card for a lunging challenge on Gordon.
The 10 men battled gamely on, with Danny Mullen firing against the crossbar, but by then the points were already destined for Hamilton.
Simeon Jackson was dismissed in controversial circumstances
Hamilton surprise again, but St Mirren in trouble
BBC Scotland's Chick Young in Paisley
Hamiltno manager Canning will have another wry smile as people continue to doubt his team. We really have to stop writing them off. They managed this match perfectly and played to their strengths - namely glorious deliveries by Keatings that were capitalised upon by Imrie and Gordon before he scored a gem himself.
The post-mortem for Kearney is more depressing but equally simple. St Mirren cannot defend set-pieces and, for all the possession they had in the first half - and for a long time they were the better team - they did not threaten the Hamilton goal.
They were a shadow of the side that beat Hearts last week and were back to their previous incarnation of a team bereft of self-belief. The manager will need to be busy in the January window or the relegation quicksand has no chance of subsiding.
'Keatings is a match-winner' - reaction
Hamilton Academical manager Martin Canning: "I said before the game we were coming here to try to win and we played in that manner.
"The quality of Keatings wins you the game. We know that, if we can get him fit and get him going, he is a match winner for us at this level."
St Mirren manager Oran Kearney: "Simeon Jackson's spun Ziggy Gordon, he's in behind and he's pulled down - I'm still really struggling with how it is only a yellow. That's that big moment.
"And there is a tackle from behind on Simeon soon after that and there is no yellow. It is a hard one to take. For all the good possession we had for parts of it, we just didn't have that cutting edge."