A priceless last-gasp winner from Ricky Gillies moved bottom club St Mirren to within a point of Dundee United at the foot of the table with just four SPL games remaining this season.

A win for Dundee United would have almost certainly secured their Premier League status and a great second half goal from Steven Thompson put them within touching distance of survival.

But if the Paisley side accomplish the football equivalent of the great escape then United manager Alex Smith would have hapless defender Jim Lauchlan to thank for literally handing them the spot-kick.

St Mirren, however, needed something and someone golden to change the game and it was Gillies who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a cooly-taken spot-kick before breaking United's hearts in the dying seconds.

United manager Smith would have settled for this result at the start of play with influential duo Charlie Miller and Jamie McCunnie out through suspension.

But in the opening exchanges United looked the more likely of the two teams to string a couple of passes together, and in the ninth minute their first purposeful move almost brought them a goal.

Danny Griffin's free-kick into the box was met by Jim Hamilton, who found the in-form Derek Lilley, but he pulled his effort wide of the post from a difficult angle.

But the desperate Saints came charging back and almost produced the opener from nothing in the 17th minute.

Gillies played the ball over the top to the pacy Stephen McPhee - on loan from Coventry City - and he hit a first time shot from long range which Paul Gallacher comfortably saved.

The lively McPhee again got away from the United defence five minutes later as he controlled Scott MacKenzie's pass, but Lauchlan made a timely interception for the visitors.

The home side let United off the hook in the 26th minute when Barry McLaughlin rose unmarked in the box to meet Bowman's corner, but he somehow managed to thunder his header past the post.

The ball was pinging from end to end and United almost conjured up the breakthrough in the 32nd minute.

Thompson did well to whip the ball in from the left flank, but Hamilton headed just over the crossbar.

But United star Craig Easton should have done better just five minutes before the break when he was presented with a fantastic chance.

Thompson cut in from the left and placed the ball across the face of goal - which Hamilton dummied - leaving Easton with a great chance to score, but he snatched at the chance and totally mis-kicked it.

Moments later Buddies keeper Ludovic Roy had to get down well to his left to save David Hannah's long-range drive.

After the break, United started where they left off and St Mirren were finding it increasingly difficult to get out of their own half.

Thompson teed the ball up for Hamilton to try his luck five minutes after the restart, but he snatched at the chance and lashed the ball high over the bar from edge of the box.

But the home side did not learn from that and they paid the price in the 53rd minute when United grabbed the vital opener.

The awkward Hamilton found space on the left before whipping in an inviting cross for Thompson to head emphatically past Roy and into the top corner of his net.

But United defender Lauchlan then gifted the home side a lifeline in the 70th minute when he needlessly handled Bowman's corner and referee Hugh Dallas pointed to the spot.

In the melee before the kick United had Hannah booked for clashing with Mark Yardley, but despite the lack of calm around him Gillies stepped up to fire into the bottom corner of the net.

United retaliated and almost snatched the lead back in the 81st minute when Griffin's corner fell to Hamilton, but captain Turner made a decisive block to deny him a certain goal.

But there was pandemonium in the dying seconds when Gillies found himself in space on the edge of the box before hooking the ball past Gallacher and into the bottom corner to give his side what could be a priceless three points.