ST MIRREN saw off Renfrewshire derby rivals Morton to move up to sixth position in the Scottish Championship.

Alex Rae’s men extended their 17-year unbeaten run against the Ton with a 3-1 win at St Mirren Park to leapfrog Queen of the South and move within a point of the Greenock club.

Though This was a derby match, things took a while to get going as both sides struggled to retain possession early on.

But it was brought into life in the seventh minute when Lawrence Shankland found space before thumping a magnificent strike into the top corner from 20 yards out.

Motherwell loanee David Clarkson tried to double Saints’ advantage from the edge of the area in the 15th minute but his effort trickled well wide of Derek Gaston’s goal.

Alex Cooper then trundled a shot past the post as the Buddies began to dominate proceedings.

St Mirren continued to pepper the Morton goal and Stevie Mallan should have done better when he shot straight into Gaston’s midriff from close range.

Morton registered their first meaningful attempt on goal after half an hour when Mark Russell picked out an off-balance Ross Forbes who volleyed wide.

Gaston had to make a smart stop from Cooper at his near post 10 minutes before the interval to keep the away side in the game.

Goalkeeping counterpart Jamie Langfield was called into action for the first time shortly afterwards, blocking Declan McManus’ low drive with his left boot.

The same player could have levelled the score in the 38th minute but his glancing header narrowly evaded the bottom corner.

Celtic academy graduate Denny Johnstone was also presented with a good opportunity to restore parity just a minute before half-time but he dragged it wide and allowed St Mirren to head in for the break with their lead intact.

Saints threatened to double their advantage five minutes into the second half but Gallagher could only nod a miscued volley from Cooper into Gaston’s grateful grasp.

He was made to rue that miss as Johnstone made it 1-1 on the hour, placing the ball beyond the reach of Langfield and into the bottom right-hand corner.

The score was level for just three minutes as Gallagher pounced on a loose ball and slotted a first time strike into the bottom corner.

Rae then replaced the goalscorer with veteran midfielder Jim Goodwin in a bid to tighten things up for the final 10 minutes.

But it was another experienced campaigner who ensured the men from Paisley stayed in front. Just as Johnstone’s header seemed destined for the net, captain Andy Webster intervened to head clear and avert the danger. Langfield’s long punt bounced over the Morton backline in the 85th minute but Shankland fluffed his attempted lob the ball over Gaston.

St Mirren survived a late penalty scare as McManus went over in the box but referee Willie Collum adjudged Jason Naismith to have won the ball fairly.

Mallan then made sure of the victory in the second minute of added time as he steadied himself just yards from goal and lashed the ball into the bottom corner to hand Saints a deserved three points.

St Mirren: Langfield, Irvine, Jason Naismith, Webster, Baird, Quinn, Gallagher (Goodwin, 77), Mallan, Shankland, Cooper, Clarkson (Morgan, 54). Subs (not used): Willison, Thompson, Gow, Stewart, Carswell.