St Mirren manager Jack Ross was just relieved to see his side secure the three points with a nervy 1-0 win over bottom side Brechin City at the Paisley 2021 Stadium yesterday.

The result looked like a formality on paper before kick-off, with 50 points separating the sides. Saints are top of the table and top scorers while Brechin have yet to pick up a point away from home all season and have conceded the most goals in the division. But it proved anything but, with a tense end to the game.

Saints opened the scoring via an own goal after 15 minutes from Patrick O’Neil, the Brechin goalkeeper unlucky as Kyle Magennis’s free-kick bounced off him and bobbled into the net.

There should have been more distance between the sides four minutes later after Kostadin Gadzhalov hauled down Harry Davis in the box, but Ian McShane’s penalty was saved.

For the remainder of the half, Saints dominated both territory and possession, but were unable to find a second goal.

Ross said: “It’s all about winning games at this stage of the season, and we probably made it more difficult on ourselves considering how well we started the game.

“If we had scored from the penalty I think it would have been a long afternoon for them and I think we would have go on to win the game comfortably.

“But to their credit they hung in. That gave them encouragement even though they were under huge amounts of pressure.”

Cammy Smith cracked the crossbar from long range after 49 minutes long range, but Brechin thereafter were much improved and almost equalised four minutes later.

Liam Watt’s curled effort bounced off the post, with Saints goalkeeper Craig Samson helplessly rooted to the spot, and Dylan Mackin forced the goalkeeper to scramble across his line to deny the striker after 75 minutes. Saints were able to hold on though, and moved 11 points clear of Livingston in second.

Ross is only thinking about results as his side enter the final stretch of the Championship season. He added: “I focus on us trying to win games.”

Brechin manager Darren Dods said: “Maybe St Mirren were feeling the pressure being top and only 1-0 up. It’s theirs to lose, while we had nothing to lose.”