Two sides went into the final game before the Scottish Premiership split with a chance to secure a top-six finish for a third season in a row.
And, after a topsy turvy day when both had a foot in the top half, it was St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson who was celebrating “my biggest achievement” as Heart of Midlothian counterpart Neil Critchley was left “very frustrated”.
A win over the Edinburgh side would have taken Motherwell above both had St Mirren also lost, but at no stage of the afternoon did Michael Wimmers’ side threaten to upset the odds.
So how did St Mirren do it – and what does it mean for the two losers?
Three wins in their past eight Premiership games is hardly world-beating form, but it was still enough for St Mirren to overhaul Hearts and Motherwell.
Both protagonists at Fir Park headed into their game on the back of two defeats and Hearts finished it having failed to win any of their latest three league games, while Motherwell are now without a victory in four.
Despite so much at stake, Well failed to muster an attempt on target against a Hearts side who themselves have failed to score in their past three games.
That is a run of 303 minutes without a goal – the longest Hearts have waited to find the net since a run of four games in 2018.
Such has been their profligacy that captain Lawrence Shankland, not so long ago called up by Scotland and touted for a transfer to Rangers, has been dropped to the bench for the last two games before being called on like the cavalry in a desparate second half at Fir Park.
Despite their own stalemate, Hearts were heading for the top six until St Mirren levelled Ross County’s early opener after 50 minutes – and again when Jason White equalised for the visitors just after the hour mark.
However, substitute Roland Idowu’s 86th-minute goal sparked wild celebrations in Paisley before the final whistle at Fir Park was greeted with dismay by both sets of supporters.
For Robinson, the top six was not only achieved against the odds in terms of playing budgets but also after a season during which he lost three key players amid off-field court cases.
“To do it three years in a row is an incredible achievement for this football club,” the Northern Irishman said.
“This is my biggest achievement. People will say, ‘you got to cup finals and got to Europe’. The problems we faced they don’t teach you on the pro licence.
“Nothing has gone our way this season, nothing has fallen for us – we’ve had to fight and scrap for everything.”
Robinson revealed that he had asked that nobody would tell him, or his bench, the score from Fir Park.
“When we scored the third goal, I did ask the question and it was panic stations,” he admitted.
“If you are going to do it, it’s a great way to do it. If someone had told me beforehand that’s how we’d get in the top six, then great – but it was heart-attack stuff at stages.
“The boys stayed composed and kept believing.”
Former St Mirren midfielder Stephen McGinn says it shows why Robinson is “so highly regarded” by the club.
“They have given him a long-term contract, they know he’s building something,” he told BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound.
McGinn pointed out that many had scoffed when then chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick had suggested St Mirren ought to be regularly qualifying for European football.
“He appointed a manager he believed could deliver that – and he has,” he said.
“It’s been such a rollercoaster of season, but the manager’s been the one constant thoroughout it. He’s stayed really calm and he’s got his reward.
“Starts off with the first games back in Europe in 30-odd years. They have rode their luck a bit with results going in their favour over the last couple of weeks, but back-to-back wins over Rangers and finishing in the top six three seasons in a row on a limited budget – unbelievable from Stephen Robinson.”
While Critchley has lifted Hearts off the bottom of the table since being appointed head coach in October, he was forced to acknowledge the anger from the away end on what he conceded was “a hugely disappointing day”.
“We’re all frustrated, massively frustrated,” he said. “It’s not just on today. You’ve got to look at other performances and other games that we could have maybe got something from.”
Hearts miss out despite looking on course for the top six after defeating St Mirren 3-1 at the end of February.
“I don’t think there’s a lot gone wrong,” Critchley said. “We’ve shown a lot of progress and this game can’t define us as a group or our season.”
Former Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart has “got some sympathy” for the Englishman.
“I do think he has improved things, but there are fundamental flaws in that squad,” he said.
Stewart, not for the first time, highlighted the lack of pace and the need for a striker to help during Shankland’s downturn in form, problems not solved during Critchley’s first transfer window in January.
“Why the club never signed another striker is beyond me,” he said. “I think that’s the source of a lot of the problems here.
“It’s become a runaway train and Lawrence Shankland hasn’t been able to steer it back on track.”
Critchley pointed out that he has a Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen to look forward to, but Hearts are now only six points clear of Dundee in the relegation play-off spot having played a game more.
“The bottom six is going to be an absolute bloodbath,” Stewart predicted. “The chances of Hearts being relegated are very slim, but the despondency that will be surrounding Tynecastle will be huge.”
As for Motherwell, the BBC pundits were unaninimous that, whether or not they avoid relegation, Wimmer’s summer task will be to drastically reduce a bloated squad of 36 players.
The Austrian, who was appointed in February after Stuart Kettlewell’s resignation, was philosophical about missing out on the top six.
“To be honest, I have no reason to be disappointed, because we could not influence the St Mirren result,” he said. “In the end, I can say it was in many periods a good performance from us.
“I saw disappointed players in the dressing room, which I can understand because they have been here for 33 games and, for me, it’s only seven games.”
