Kilmarnock secure Premiership survival with late double against Dundee

Joe Hugill’s late double against Dundee secured William Hill Premiership survival for Kilmarnock with one game to spare.

Neil McCann’s men came out on top in a dramatic second half with a 3-1 victory to condemn St Mirren to the relegation play-off.

Tom Lowery’s first goal for Killie gave the hosts a thoroughly deserved 62nd-minute lead.

But a bullet shot from Charlie Reilly, which led to a Lowery own goal, a quarter of an hour later threatened to take drop-zone issues to the final day.

Hugill, a January signing from Barnet, kept his cool from the penalty spot on 85 minutes after Aaron Tshibola was fouled.

And as Rugby Park willed the final whistle to come, Hugill nodded home a comforter – his fifth goal for the club – to seal safety.

The win completed an excellent body of work from manager McCann who has steered the Ayrshire side to six home wins after taking over from Stuart Kettlewell at New Year.

A double from on-loan Findlay Curtis in front of a raucous, capacity away end at St Mirren had taken Killie to the brink of survival on Saturday.

The atmosphere was nervier at home and, while Killie had by far the best of the first-half chances, they were frustrated.

Curtis thought he had continued his purple patch on 22 minutes, rounding off a superb four-man move.

However, VAR scuppered the celebrations by alerting referee Calum Scott to an offside against Hugill.

The on-loan Rangers man had two other good chances to give Killie the lead.

But he scuffed one straight into Kieran O’Hara’s arms on the half hour and missed the target with a free back-post header on the stroke of half-time.

O’Hara also saved well from Bruce Anderson as the hosts were foiled.

Max Stryjek was called into action for the first time within two second-half minutes, smothering a shot from Ashley Hay.

However, Killie kept the tempo high with Lowery and Greg Kiltie persistently probing for the vital opening.

And it was the former who found the breakthrough.

A superb exchange with Michael Schjonning-Larsen down the right culminated in the Welshman whipping a brilliant first-time finish into the top corner.

Marley Watkins saw his first action for six weeks as a sub for Anderson.

And Curtis went agonisingly close to a second goal after latching on to the big forward’s flick.

There was further pain for the home side when the Dark Blues equalised.

The substitutes linked up well as Joe Bevan teed up Reilly on the edge of the penalty box.

The midfielder’s fierce strike took a deflection to beat Stryjek.

But Killie were not rattled and got their rewards.

Tshibola tumbled under a tackle from teenager Charley Oosenbrugh, on for his debut as a sub, and Scott had no hesitation pointing to the spot.

Hugill kept his cool to drill an emphatic low finish into the right-hand corner of O’Hara’s net.

The 22-year-old striker settled it – and sent Rugby Park wild – by pouncing on the rebound after Rory McKenzie’s shot was blocked in the fourth minute of stoppage time.