Aberdeen gameplan 'gone' after seven minutes as St Mirren edge closer to third-placed Hearts

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson suggested he is happy for his side to go under the radar as they moved up to fourth place in the cinch Premiership after a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Aberdeen.

Aberdeen's Ross McCrorie (centre) appeals to referee Grant Irvine after he is sent off following a VAR check. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

It took until nearly the hour mark for Curtis Main to score against his former club despite a seventh-minute red card for Aberdeen’s Ross McCrorie, and Main netted his second after Bojan Miovski had levelled from the penalty spot.

A VAR-assisted goal from another former Don, Declan Gallagher, made sure of the points for the visitors.

But despite being just six points behind third-placed Hearts with a game in hand, Robinson insisted his main aim is still top-flight survival.

“I’m delighted with the performance,” he said. “It’s difficult to play against 10 men and we’ve had problems playing against 10 men.

“We’re fairly hard to break down and very hard to beat, and we don’t get the credit for the technically good players we have in the side.

“We don’t get the credit we deserve, and the players have a real belief in themselves and each other, but we have to make sure we stay in this division.

“We know what we expect in the dressing room. We have to keep our standards high and do the simple things better than other teams, and I believe our quality will shine through.”

Aberdeen caretaker boss Barry Robson was left frustrated that his side were not given the chance to show their mettle on an even footing after McCrorie’s early dismissal.

“I’ve not seen the red card yet, but when I saw it in real time, I thought it was our free-kick,” Robson said. “To lose your most experienced player at that point, the game plan is gone, but I thought we were outstanding for 70-75 minutes after that.

“I would have loved to have seen the game 11-v-11. I thought we started brightly and the crowd were with us. We looked energetic and the couple of new faces brought a freshness to us.

“The players have had a hard week, and to come out and perform like that when they’re down, I thought they were outstanding. I’m not happy we lost the game, but I was proud of the spirit and the way they fought. That’s what I expect from Aberdeen. I need that every week.”