A Sutton penalty gave us the lead in the second half but slack defending (again), a contested red card and a terrific long range strike ended our hopes of escaping 11th place.
There was no change to the line-up. The eleven that beat Kilmarnock were handed the task of securing a fourth win over relegated St Mirren.
Lasley is dragged away from the referee
We had wait 20 minutes for our first opportunity. Erwin took a high ball on his chest but was bundled to the ground just outside the box. McDonald took the free kick but the low drive was easily saved by Kello.
The heavens opened and a fierce winter squall engulfed Paisley. Saints forced a couple of shots before Johnson got one on target at the other end. Gow should have scored when clean through but he failed to hit the target. Erwin blasted at Kello from close range as the game flowed from end to end. Plenty of effort was on show from both sides but little quality.
McDonald sparked an impressive end to the half with a thirty yard run that left defenders behind as he twisted and turned. The move finished with Erwin firing at Kello from 5 yards. The break afforded fans a chance to find some relief from the biting chill wind.
The sun appeared for the second period and we pressed for the opener. Johnson found Erwin but the near opost header was high. McDonald had a couple of goal bound attempts and Pearson skied one over the top following a corner.
Ainsworth replaced Grant on the hour as the manager made his attacking intention clear. Erwin added to the pressure on the home goal with a drive from 25 yards. Then, following a long delay following a McManus foul on Gow, Sutton replaced Johnson. We survived an amazing attack as St Mirren contrived to miss several chances with the goal gaping and our defence at sea.
Erwin drove into the box and was brought down by Reilly. Sutton converted to fire off wild celebrations as his team-mates joined the party in front of the 1,444 ‘Well fans.
As the home team seemed unable to score we choose to give them a helping hand. Naismith delivered a ball that looped over Long from a narrow angle. The ‘keeper and O’Brien collided at the far post and the ball squirmed into the net.
To add to our woes McDonald clashed with Reilly as the pair challenged for a high ball. Our man’s elbow caught his opponent’s face. The referee’s attention was drawn to the incident and the red card was shown.
Saints grabbed the initiative and pushed for the winner. Deep into the seven additional minutes we lost the game when Mallon unleashed a long range shot to send us to the play-off.
St Mirren 2 Motherwell 1
Attendance 3,912 (1,444)
Team: Long, Hammell, O’Brien, McManus, Ramsden, Lasley, Pearson, Johnson(Sutton 68), Grant (Ainsworth 58), Thomas, Moore