Toyosi Olusanya’s clinical early double set St Mirren on course for a 3-1 away victory over Queen of the South in the fourth round of the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup.
The Englishman notched in the 10th and 21st minutes to take his tally for the season to 10 goals and put the William Hill Premiership side in command of the tie at Palmerston Park.
Brennan Dickenson brought the League One hosts back into contention with a 75th-minute strike, but Saints – after a few nervy moments – sealed their progress to the last 16 with a stoppage-time goal from substitute Caolan Boyd-Munce.
Queens, sixth in the third tier, went into the tie buoyed by a five-game unbeaten run at home, while the Paisley side arrived in Dumfries on the back of a four-game losing streak in the top flight.
Buddies boss Stephen Robinson made four changes to the side that started the 1-0 home defeat by Dundee United, including handing 17-year-old Callum Penman his first start at right wing-back.
The teenager was first to threaten when his cross from the right in the seventh minute had to be clawed out by Queens keeper Ross Stewart at the back post.
At the other end, home forward Dickenson drove forward and fired a left-footed shot high over the bar from the edge of the box.
Saints were forced into a change when defender Alex Iacovitti – who returned last month following a lengthy lay-off with a hamstring injury – limped off to be replaced by Richard Taylor.
The visitors made the breakthrough in the 10th minute when Olusanya pounced at the back post to knock the ball past Stewart from close range after Penman’s long throw into the box was not dealt with by the Queens defence.
The striker doubled his tally 11 minutes later when he rose just outside the six-yard box to head home a Penman cross from the right.
Saints – backed by 1,200 supporters – had seized full control of the tie, with deflated Queens struggling to summon any notable response until seconds before the break when Mikey Hewitt’s header from an Oscar MacIntyre cross was saved by Zach Hemming.
Saints continued to be on top after the break, with Killian Phillips heading wide from an Oisin Smyth free-kick before Mikael Mandron was denied by an excellent save from Stewart after being put clean through on goal.
Just as Saints looked to be cruising into the last 16, however, Queens pulled one back in the 75th minute when Kyle Doherty’s corner was headed out to the edge of the box and Dickenson volleyed home an emphatic low strike.
Queens cranked up the pressure in the closing minutes, but the visitors broke away to seal victory with virtually the last kick of the match when Boyd-Munce fired an angled shot high past Stewart from just inside the box after being released by fellow substitute Owen Oseni.
