At the start of the season, it was a game in which Saints would’ve been given little chance, with M*rt*n being one of the bookies pre-season favourites....hold on, didn’t I say that last week?And the week before?And the week before that? And the week........

It seems every other team in the first division was given a chance of going up, with the exception of the team currently eight point clear - St.Mirren. Now though, even the pundits are beginning to have a rethink regarding their pre-season predictions and are wishing they had tipped the Paisley Men to go up.

This game was yet another show of how much Saints have improved, not only  from last season but since the beginning of this season. Having struggled to dispose of the hooped vermin (if you read my previews, you’ll know I like that phrase) at Love Street in August this game was a classic example of men versus boys(even if most of them are over thirty) with the gap in class between the sides clear for all to see.

It was M*rt*n however who made the brighter start with Saints looking ragged for an opening ten minutes in which they rarely threatened. Once they got up the pitch however, their lowly opponents had no answer to the slick passing which has become their trademark and they claimed the opening goal after eleven minutes.

Barry McLaughlin picked the ball up down the right and moved the ball on to Junior Mendes inside the box. He quickly laid the ball back into the path of Nicolson whose pass across goal was turned home from close range by Sergei Baltacha.
In the 27th minute things were to get even worse for Agent Stark’s men with Andy Millen seeing red for an elbow off-the-ball on Barry McLaughlin.

Four minutes later and McLaughlin or “lucky”, as they’ll be calling him now, was red carded for what was quite clearly a foul ON him by Stephen Whalen. Referee George Clyde saw it differently though and McLaughlin was ordered off for a “professional foul”.

Another four minutes on and it was 2-0 when a Nicolson free-kick was headed down by Mark Yardley into the path of Barry Lavety to touch the ball past Ally Maxwell from eight yards.  It was Lavety’s last contribution to the game before being replaced, almost immediately, by Tom Brown as Tom Hendrie shuffled his pack.

Not that it had any effect on the game as the visitors continued to dominate and with three minutes remaining till half time Yardley extended the lead when he controlled a Tommy Turner pass and shot into the bottom left hand corner from just inside the box.

Soon after the break though, the great unwashed were given their moment of glory - a goal against the big boys - when Harry Curran scored with a freak curling effort from the edge of the box.

Two minutes later and they should’ve found themselves three goals down once again when Scott Walker was fouled inside the box by David Murie. Yardley, successful two weeks ago from the spot against Ayr, stepped up to take the kick but his effort was well saved by Maxwell.

It wasn’t long before we were given a fourth, a tremendous strike by Scott Walker in the 60th minute. At this stage M*rt*n were having their best spell of the game and were looking to put Saints under further pressure with a corner. The kick was easily dealt with though and the loose ball fell to Walker on the edge of the area. He played the ball direct to Mark Yardley, received it again at the half way line, laid it off to Hugh Murray on the right before, 90 yards and 12 seconds after beginning his run, he met Murray’s pin point cross with a great header, in off the post from six yards.

The win for Saints lifted them eight points clear of Dunfermline but for their Greenock neighbours, it meant being cut further adrift in the relegation zone. Agent Stark - Mission, almost, complete....

M*rt*n: Maxwell, Murie (J.Anderson 66), Morrison, Millen, D.Anderson, Fenwick, Matheson, Curran, Whalen, Hawke, Tweedie (Wright 61) 

St.Mirren: Roy, Nicolson (Rudden 85), Ross, Turner, McLaughlin, Walker, Murray, Baltacha, Lavety (Brown 34), Mendes (McGarry 75), Yardley

Sizzling Saints: Where do I begin? Mark Yardley, as he always does, led the line tremendously with Junior Mendes putting in his usual non-stop shift alongside him. The midfield quartet of Murray, Brown, Ross and Nicolson were all equally outstanding while the back three, despite having little to do, were as solid as ever.

So for the second consecutive week, I’m opting for the captain - Tommy Turner - who, with Colin Hendry doubtful, could surely do Craig Brown a turn for next week!