Oran Kearney questioned Kilmarnock's winner and St Mirren's disallowed goal after his side succumbed to defeat.

Adam Hammill's free-kick gave the Buddies the lead but Alan Power's shot and Aaron Tshibola's header moved Killie up to third in the Premiership.

Simeon Jackson had a goal disallowed for offside at 2-1 and the Paisley side remain second bottom of the division.

"There's a big momentum swing there with 15 minutes to go if that goes in and it's 2-2," said Kearney.

"My gut feeling was Danny Mullen was in an offside position but not active. He doesn't interfere with the play at all. Simeon is absolutely onside by a yard, a yard-and-a-half onside.

"The second goal for them, if it is over the line, it's a heck of a call from the linesman. You've got to be 100% sure on that side that it's over the line. The distance I'm away, it's hard to see."

Kilmarnock manager Clarke said of the Tshibola goal: "Too far away for me to see. The linesman and the people round about it, the boys in the dressing room are convinced it was clearly over the line."

It was the fourth match in a row in which Killie had come from behind to win but Clarke cautioned: "Sometimes in football, you get a little run like that where you concede the first goal. Eventually it'll come back to bite us so it's something that we have to address."

Set pieces count in Paisley

Chances from open play were few and far between in Paisley. Killie captain Kirk Broadfoot had a couple of headed chances, team-mate Greg Stewart another.

The Buddies were also largely restricted to set pieces and one out wide on the left gave them the opener. Hammill curled in towards the diving figure of Mullen and the ball went all the way into the far corner.

Killie, who threatened with an Eamonn Brophy shot before the break and a Stuart Findlay strike after it, changed their approach at corners in the second half and were rewarded.

Both times Stewart collected the short ball. He laid it on for Alan Power to fire home a sumptuous shot and then crossed for Tshibola's header, which was judged to have crossed the line before Samson got across to block.

Jackson had been denied at close range by Jamie MacDonald in between the two Kilmarnock goals and the forward was left frustrated again, this time by the offside flag. He followed in on the rebound after Stephen McGinn's shot had been saved but the home side's celebrations were cut short.

St Mirren endeavoured, but Kilmarnock coped and the Buddies, who have taken just one point under Kearney and lost four in a row, can only take solace in the fact that both bottom side Dundee and 10th-placed Motherwell also lost.

'Killie showed what they can do' - reaction

St Mirren manager Oran Kearney: "Probably as good a first-half performance as we've turned in this season. Games aren't won at half-time. We knew what would come probably for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half. In simple terms, we struggled to deal with it.

"With every week it's improving, it's getting better. The important thing is that we keep doing the right things. For 45 minutes we were good, it was probably more our game management and the ability to go and see out that first part of the second half that ultimately has cost us."

Kilmarnock manager Steve Clarke: "I thought we were poor first half but credit St Mirren, I thought they were really good first half. They thoroughly deserved to be in front.

"We had a little chat at half-time and I thought we came out and showed what we can do second half. It's a good run. It's really difficult to win four games in the Premiership and we've done that - four in a row."