Two late strikes help Motherwell claim their first home win of the SPL season against St Mirren.
Brown's men stay third
Two late goals from Tom Hateley and Jamie Murphy gave Motherwell their first home win of the SPL season in a 3-1 success against St Mirren.
Chris Humphrey put the hosts in front after three minutes against the basement side before St Mirren came close to equalising through Michael Higdon on the stroke of half-time.
But the away team did peg back Motherwell when Gareth Wardlaw restored parity midway through the second half.
The game lacked much goalmouth action until the dramatic conclusion which saw Hateley and Murphy both score in the final three minutes.
Victory enabled Craig Brown's charges to consolidate third place in the SPL table.
Unchanged
Former Scotland boss Brown named an unchanged side for the third consecutive league match, with defender Stevie Hammell having to settle for a place on the bench after recovering from a hamstring injury.
New St Mirren signing Patrick Cregg was handed his debut while goalkeeper Craig Samson started in place of Paul Gallacher.
Higdon's starting place was the third of manager Danny Lennon's changes, with the injured Nick Hegarty and Sean Lynch dropping out.
Brown's high-flying Motherwell were aiming for their first home win of the season at the fourth attempt to bolster their impressive 100 per cent away record.
And Motherwell took less than three minutes to edge in front when Humphrey lashed home following a Hateley free-kick.
It allowed the home side to take control with St Mirren pressed back in their own half.
Nick Blackman shot just wide on 18 minutes following a Humphrey cross from the right and Hateley was prevented from making it 2-0 by an excellent Samson save.
Netbound
The midfielder's effort from the left edge of the box looked netbound until Samson stretched to turn it onto the bar and to safety.
But the visitors almost equalised on 39 minutes when Hugh Murray's free-kick was flicked across goal by Higdon and Wardlaw turned the ball agonisingly wide of the left-hand upright.
St Mirren came close again in first-half stoppage time when Higdon hit the bar and then saw his follow-up cleared off the line by Stephen Craigan.
The visitors had the first effort of the second half when Higdon threw himself at the ball in the six-yard box but Steven Saunders got there first to clear.
Goalmouth chances had been lacking at both ends during the second half but St Mirren finally equalised through Wardlaw on 64 minutes.
Lashed
Motherwell failed to clear their lines following Paul McGowan's free-kick and when the same player put the ball back into the box Wardlaw lashed home from close range.
Home keeper Darren Randolph had to turn McGowan's cross over the bar moments later as St Mirren tried to impose themselves on the game.
But both sides seemed to struggle to created chances until the grandstand finish.
Substitute Alan Gow chased a Lee Mair passback and although he looked unlikely to reach it Samson slipped and Mair pulled down the Motherwell man for a penalty.
Hateley confidently stepped up to drilled the ball into the bottom-left corner.
And a minute later the hosts made it three when Gow sent the ball across the box where Murphy needed no second invitation to net from beside the post.
