Superb Connor Ronan strike seals St Mirren win to boost Buddies' top six hopes

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Connor Ronan's sublime finish gave St Mirren's top six hopes a serious shot in the arm.The Buddies went into tonight's clash at the SMISA Stadium knowing a win over the Dons would see them claw themselves to within three points of their sixth-place opponents.The first half was a non-event, with the Saints sitting in deep to frustrate the life out of a uninspiring Aberdeen side who struggled to break through the defence of the stubborn hosts.And that defensive quality paid dividends when Ronan produced the one piece of quality of the entire night, picking up the ball on the edge of the box on the hour mark before cutting in and slamming into the far corner past a sprawling Joe Lewis.And the Buddies easily held firm to keep up their 100 per cent winning record since returning from the winter break, with the three points lifting them to joint-seventh in the Premiership table - just three points behind the Dons.Jamie McGrath was surprisingly restored straight into the Saints starting XI having held clear-the-air talks with Jim Goodwin on Monday, with the Ireland international deployed in an unfamiliar left wing role.Alan Power came back into the heart of the midfield, with Eamonn Brophy also back to lead the line after both were rested in the club's 2-1 Scottish Cup victory over Ayr United three days earlier.The Buddies went into the game buoyed by two successive wins and almost took an early lead when teenager Jay Henderson's half-volley flew over the bar.Marcus Fraser then saw a glancing header drift wide of the left-hand post as the hosts exerted some early pressure on the Dons.Scott Brown breathed a sigh of relief when his sclaffed clearance went unpunished by Greg Kiltie, who fired well wide from a promising position.Th