Kilmarnock 0 St Johnstone 1: Saints secure Premiership safety after crucial win in Ayrshire

St Johnstone will be playing Premiership football next season.

The Perth club has fended off relegation fears following a hard-earned 1-0 win against 10-man Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Skipper Liam Gordon had nodded Saints ahead before David Watson was shown a straight red card for the hosts on the stroke of half-time.

Steven MacLean’s men held out in the second half and, sitting ninth, can no longer be caught by the bottom two with just two games remaining.

The big talking point pre-match had been the decision to hand midfielder Cammy Ballantyne a first appearance for the club since last summer. And his first in the top-flight.

Ballantyne, who has enjoyed numerous productive loan spells at Montrose, was deployed in the middle of the park alongside Cammy MacPherson and Ryan McGowan.

It was McGowan looking to pull the strings in the eighth minute when his lovely clipped pass sent Drey Wright powering into the box.

At a slight angle, his right-footed attempt certainly had the required power but goalkeeper Sam Walker saved well.

Walker, however, was unable to keep Saints out 11 minutes in. That was when Graham Carey’s wonderful corner kick delivery found its way to the back post for Gordon to nod home.

‘Liam Gordon, he’s one of our own’ soon belted out from the travelling support.

Saints had grown into the game rather nicely although there was a scare - a rather big one - on 32 minutes.

Luke Chambers smashed a shot off the inside of the near post and the ball then diverted at pace across the face of goal. Watson was inches from turning in the afters.

The same post saved the Perth side in the 43rd minute, albeit the outside of it, when Liam Donnelly went close with an angled, low strike.

Killie were very much in