THE benefits of doing your January shopping early were laid bare here on an afternoon that pushed St Mirren ever closer to relegation for the second time in three seasons. Queen of the South, winless in their previous 13 league games, had not hung about this week, bringing in three new players as soon as the transfer window re-opened. That urgency paid instant dividends as they secured their first league win since mid-September and their first on the road since their previous visit to Paisley the week before that.

Their new arrivals all played a part in a victory that was far more comfortable than their manager Gary Naysmith could have dared hope. John Rankin, released by Falkirk earlier in the week, was handed the captain’s armband and led with typical tenacity. As well as offering regular vocal encouragement and piling into meaty midfield tackles, he also laid on an assist for Queens’ first goal late in the first half.

He was not the only one to make an immediate impact, with both Don Thomas – a loan signing from Motherwell – and Joe Thomson, recently arrived from Celtic via Dumbarton, both involved in the second goal nine minutes from time that killed any lingering dubiety over the result. An own goal late in the match from defender Gary MacKenzie rubbed further salt in St Mirren wounds.

If there was any good news for Jack Ross and his players it was that the two teams above them both also lost but they are running out of games in which to somehow extricate themselves from an increasingly perilous situation. Relegated from the top flight 18 months ago, they now find themselves cast adrift at the foot of the Championship, seven points from the play-off spot. A first ever stint in the third tier of Scottish football draws ever nearer.

The parlous state of events escalated after the full-time whistle when Ross took exception from the barbed comments from one irate St Mirren supporter and climbed into the main stand to share a few words.

“The supporter was frustrated and I just felt the way he was venting those frustrations was inappropriate,” the St Mirren manager explained. “So I think I’ve got the right to say that to him. I did it in a calm and relaxed manager that was hopefully sensible enough. Today the fans had every right to criticise because it’s not an acceptable result or performance but just that individual particularly I felt [went over the top]. And just because he’s near me I can do it without running across the pitch.”

Ross must be wishing his players had shown the same levels of energy and commitment. They will come to regret not making more of their first-half dominance and a second half shot from Kyle McAllister that cracked against the crossbar, but the truth was it was a largely insipid display, devoid of inspiration or creativity.

Perhaps the most alarming thing for Ross, who confirmed defender Jason Naismith would be joining Ross County in the summer on a pre-contract agreement, will be that neither his players nor the crowd seemed willing or capable of rousing the other as the game drifted on to its almost inevitable conclusion. It was all very flat, perhaps another symptom of a club seemingly resigned to its fate.

Queens had moved in front late in the first half. Rankin, having shot narrowly over the crossbar just moments earlier, selflessly chose to slide a cleverly disguised reverse ball through to Stephen Dobbie and the striker finished past Scott Gallacher.

Defensive frailties would prove to be St Mirren’s undoing as they conceded a second, decisive goal eight minutes before the end. A misplaced pass from Stephen Mallan allowed Thomas in for a shot on goal that Gallacher did well to save. Dobbie then thundered the rebound against the post, before Thomson finally made sure with a firm, instinctive shot.

St Mirren heads slumped and a third goal two minutes from time put the cap on a dreadful afternoon, MacKenzie sticking out a toe to divert a cross beyond his own goalkeeper. Naysmith, in contrast, cut a satisfied figure, the long run without a victory finally banished to the history books. “Most of the players and the fans have had to go through that long winless run and it wasn’t nice for them,” he said. “They would have other people taking the mickey out of them so for everyone at the club I’m delighted we’ve managed to put that to bed.”