Two goals from Danny Invincibile gave Jim Jefferies' side all three points after an intense match at Pittodrie.

Invincibile struck 12 minutes from time to end Craig Brewster's unbeaten run as manager of the Highland side.

The striker grabbed his second in stoppage time, when he steered Gary Locke's pass beyond the exposed Mark Brown in the Caley goal.

Juanjo almost gave the home side the lead in the first half, but his effort was well cleared by Simon Ford.

Neither team could claim they played well in this tense encounter, but Jim Jefferies' side threw everything forward to get the goals they so badly wanted to keep them out of relegation trouble.

The Pittodrie surface, which is showing worrying signs of wear and tear after so many games even this early in the season, may be blamed for much of the lack of action.

But it did not stop Graham Bayne and Richie Hart slicing Killie open in the 10th minute.

They combined with a neat one-two and Hart, seeing space for Juanjo in the right channel, threaded a pass through.

The Spaniard was too elaborate and was easily dealt with by Simon Ford.

Killie offered little until the 20th minute but should have taken the lead against the run of play.

Invincibile picked out Colin Nish with a cross from the right, but the former Dunfermline player headed wide from only four yards out.

Caley broke up to the other end and were unlucky not to grab the opener.

Juanjo sprinted ahead of Gordon Greer and Ford, but was muscled out on the edge of the area.

Referee John Rowbotham waved play on because Grant Munro picked up the loose ball, but his shot trundled wide of the far post.

Darren Dods, made a vital interception for the home side in the 53rd minute to send Steven Naismith's 18-yard shot spinning wide of Mark Brown's right-hand post.

Brown scrambled to get Invincibile's header in the 55th minute, but the ball went well wide.

Killie then gambled by swapping striker Gary Wales for defensive minded teenager Naismith as the game approached the final quarter hour and it paid off.

Caley struggled to defend against the extra striker and left space for Danny Invincibile to exploit.

The Australian picked up a knocked down ball from Boyd on the right-hand side of the penalty area and simply put all his power behind an angled drive which left Brown well beaten at his far post. The ball had been won by sub Wales who chased "a lost cause" to get Killie the possession that started the move.

Peter Leven cleared a Richard Hastings' header off the line in the dying minutes.(Ross Tokely was subsequently issued with a straight red card by referee John Rowbotham once the game had concluded, for verbally abusing linesman Steven Craven over this clearance, not being called a goal).

"Danny Boy" struck again with the final kick, sending Gary Locke's pass beyond the exposed Brown who had lost his way in his own penalty box. A howler from Brown's point of view no doubt.

Kilmarnock: Smith, Ford, Invincibile, Hay, Locke, McDonald, Greer, Leven, Naismith (Wales 73 mins) Boyd (Fowler 86 mins), Nish (Johnston 66 mins)

Subs: Combe, Murray, Dodds, Wolski

Attendance: 1,346