Breaking: Hearts Closing In On New Signing After Kenneth Vargas Deal….

Despite losing to Hearts, St Mirren managed to secure their spot in the Scottish Premiership’s top six for the second consecutive year following their separation.

Jorge Grant’s first-half penalty and a disorganized Mikael Mandron own goal put the league’s third-place team in control despite the absence of an ailing Lawrence Shankland.

And despite a strong single effort from Toyosi Olusanya to rescue a rejuvenated St Mirren, the hosts were unable to square the score.

However, other results mean that Hearts maintain their 11-point lead in third place and Stephen Robinson’s team has solidified their place in the top six.

In an environment that could be fairly called disruptive, neither team was able to establish any momentum in the first half.

Caolan Boyd-Munce’s wind-assisted whipped corner beat Zander Clark for St Mirren, but Scott Tanser’s connection took it past the far post instead of into the net.

Shortly after the half-hour, Hearts took the lead. Kenneth Vargas collected a well-placed free kick from Alex Cochrane, but Marcus Fraser’s arm was judged to have caught the ball as it passed through his body as he dove in to block the attempt.

Jorge Grant gave the visitors the lead with a penalty kick that went past Zach Hemmings.

In the second half, both teams appeared noticeably more at ease with the circumstances as Hearts played with