29
mins
William Gros marked his first start for Kilmarnock by scoring one goal and setting up another for Alexei Eremenko as Kilmarnock defeated St Mirren.
It was an Eremenko through ball that allowed Gros to score with a neat finish after 13 minutes at Rugby Park.
Eremenko picked up a Gros pass before deceiving goalkeeper Paul Gallacher from 20 yards in the 29th minute.
St Mirren's Kenny McLean struck a post after the break and a Darren McGregor header was cleared off the Killie line.
A third straight win over the Buddies this season ended a run of two defeats for Kilmarnock as they moved five points ahead of Motherwell in fourth place in the Scottish Premier League.
Kilmarnock manager Mixu Paatelainen had responded to last week's 5-0 hammering by Aberdeen with five changes to his starting line-up, although Anssi Jaakkola was in goal courtesy of an injury suffered by Cammy Bell.
Tim Clancy, Rui Miguel, Liam Kelly and Kieran Agard also dropped out, with Gros, Jamie Hamill, Manuel Pascali, and Jamie Fowler the other men given the task of breathing new life into Killie's attempt to remain in the top six.
Dangerous balls into the St Mirren box by Eremenko and Craig Bryson resulted in early corners for the home side.
St Mirren had made one change, with midweek match winner Michael Higdon coming in for the suspended Paul McGowan, but it was defender McGregor, with a strong run and shot from 25 yards, who provided the Paisley side's first threat.
However, just as
St Mirren began to settle, Eremenko's fine ball sent
William Gros through on goal and the 19-year-old former Le
Havre youth striker fired through the legs of keeper Gallacher.
Kilmarnock were not showing any signs of a Pittodrie hangover and were playing some delightful passing football.
Clear-cut chances were, however, few and far between, but the home side went further ahead after 29 minutes.
Gros returned the favour by playing the ball into the path of Eremenko and the Finnish playmaker's 20-yard drive bounced in front of Gallacher and over the Buddies goalkeeper before entering the net.
St Mirren manager Danny Lennon made a change at half-time, bringing on McLean for Jim Goodwin.
The Buddies were now dominating possession and McLean, who introduced more mobility and energy into the midfield, came close to reducing the deficit.
McLean's low drive came off a post and struck goalkeeper Jaakkola before striker Craig Dargo was flagged for offside as he attempted to pounce on the loose ball and score.
Eremenko could have put the game beyond the Buddies when a Garry Hay cross gave the midfielder the chance to head over goalkeeper Gallacher, but Jure Travner reacted quicker to clear.
Travner created a chance at the other end when his corner found the head of McGregor and Craig Bryson was forced to clear off the Kilmarnock goal-line.
Hamill sent a long-range effort a few feet wide, but Kilmarnock were finding themselves hemmed into their own half and the frustrated Eremenko was lucky to escape without even a yellow card for a two-footed challenge on Travner.
Gros, a graduate of former Celtic and Hibernian wing-back Didier Agathe's football academy, was withdrawn with a couple of minutes left to rapturous applause from a Kilmarnock support who will hope they had witnessed an able successor to the departed Conor Sammon as Paatelainen's main striker.
