St Mirren 2-1 Brechin City: Narrow win returns Buddies to summit

They say the mark of champions is to win when not at your best, but quite what it says about St Mirren '“ who managed to go back to the top of the Championship whilst at times being nothing sort of dreadful '“ remains to be seen.

Dale Hilson (right) scored the winner for St Mirren. Picture: SNS Group

But come May this could prove to have been a priceless chiselled-out victory over rock bottom Brechin City.

Saints were on the front foot from the off, and it took only 14 minutes for Brechin’s physical but very limited defensive wall to be breached, Cammy Smith easily finding the net having benefited from a lacerating through pass.

This should have seen the Buddies on the way to a comfortable three points. However, they have at times this season failed to wholly convince, with a tendency to drift out of matches, and so it proved again as Kalvin Orsi levelled matters against his old team with a simple header at the back post.

Brechin were the better team for large portions of the second period as Saints looked like they were wading through treacle, but with time starting to ebb away, a calamitous mix-up in the City ranks allowed substitute Dale Hilson to bundle home to claim the points, and the summit position.