By Alan Gallacher at Somerset Park

PRETTY and wholly convincing it was wasn't, but Saints will be in the hat for the quarter-final draw and this is all that really matters.

From being in total command we finished clinging on for dear life against a team who, with all due respect, we had the beating off from minute one. If we had been pegged back we would have had nobody to blame but ourselves.

In many ways it was a strange old game as had we taken one of the several early second half chances we created when 2-0 up the game would have been over and everyone would have gone home happy. As it was we didn't take our chances and although Ayr never carved out anything clear-cut we certainly made things harder than they ought to have been.

Saints of course travelled down the typically rain lashed coast desperate for some cup cheer to brighten an increasingly gloomy picture in the league. By comparison Ayr came into the encounter buzzing not only from outplaying Hibs over two legs in the last round, but also from a league campaign just about going to plan with Brian Reid's men pushing Livingston all the way at the summit of the Second Division.

On the back of a hugely disappointing showing in Edinburgh through the week Danny Lennon made only two changes, one through necessity. Paddy Cregg was expected to miss out having limped off at Easter Road, however the absence from the starting ranks of Jure Travner was more unexpected with the former Watford man left on the bench.

Replacements were David van Zanten and Craig Dargo, all of which called for some shuffling of positions and formations. van Zanten played on the right side of a four man midfield consisting centrally of Steven Thomson and Jim Goodwin, and Paul McGowan on the left with Dargo in attack with the full backs Marc McAusland and Lee Mair.

Aside from all the tactical and personnel ramifications the most important thing going into a cup-tie against an in-form lower league team sniffing blood is attitude, especially after the midweek admission of being the less hungry of the two teams. On a heavy, heavy pitch the attitude needed to be right, if it wasn't it was a going to be a long afternoon.

What we needed most was a quick goal to take the steam right out of the underdogs, which was exactly what we got. van Zanten drilled in a low pass to the feet of Dargo who manoeuvred free from Mark Campbell before arrowing a precise finish low past David Crawford to give Saints a sixth minute lead.

Ayr looked slightly flummoxed at the concession of such an early strike. Indeed Darren McGregor nearly doubled the lead soon after with a drive just wide following a trademark run into the area.

Saints continued to control the game without ever really over troubling the Ayr defence although the hosts never looked like conjuring anything up either. One point of worry, or rather huge slice of luck was the decision by referee Euan Norris to only caution Michael Higdon for a two-footed challenge on Eddie Malone with whom the striker had been sharing words with prior to the tackle. Unquestionably a moment of good fortune for Saints.

Back to the football and Saints continued to press and prod in the search of a second goal and could have had it five minutes before the interval. Paul McGowan was gifted the ball inside the area only to rush his shot and ultimately flash a half-hit effort past the far post.

The best Ayr had to offer during a first half in which they offered very little other than hard work was a looping Chris Smith header from a corner kick on the cusp of the break. Unquestionably Ayr manager Brian Reid will feel his troops froze in the glare of another SPL opponent and the hype following their superb win over Hibs.

If Reid was mentally preparing a half-time address to his men all about only being a goal behind he was forced to rip up his script as Saints hit a second inside stoppage time. Higdon rode a challenge and sent through Dargo who rounded the keeper, sat down both centre backs before eventually knocking home into the gaping net.