Alfie Jones was credited with his second goal of the season for loan club St Mirren, but the youngster was unable to prevent the Buddies falling to a 2-1 defeat at high-flying Kilmarnock.
Defender Jones, who scored the first goal of his senior career earlier this month, was a target for Adam Hammill’s right-wing cross at Rugby Park, though ex-Norwich striker Simeon Jackson felt the final touch was his.
The goal gave St Mirren a lifeline in a game they trailed 2-0, but the visitors were unable to complete the comeback, as unlikely title challengers Killie moved to within a point of the SPL summit.
The result followed a painful home defeat at the hands of St Johnstone for Jones and co, who were beaten by a solitary goal from Tony Watt a minute from time on Boxing Day.
South of the border, Harrison Reed endured a difficult Christmas period as his Blackburn side were beaten 3-0 at promotion-chasing Sheffield United, who scored all three goals in the final 20 minutes.
Reed played the full 90 minutes at Bramall Lane, following a cameo role as a substitute on Boxing Day, when Rovers edged in front in the last minute of normal time at Elland Road only to come away shattered by a 3-2 defeat to Championship table-toppers Leeds.
At the other end of the table, Josh Sims has played a limited part under new Reading boss José Gomes, who has taken one point from his first two games in charge.
The 21-year-old winger was not involved in the 1-0 defeat at Millwall on Boxing Day, before coming on as a late substitute as the Royals earned a goalless draw at QPR three days later.
In League One, Jake Hesketh hobbled off with a hamstring injury inside the first ten minutes of Burton’s Boxing Day clash with Wycombe, and was forced to sit out the 1-1 draw against Plymouth on Saturday as a result.
Elsewhere, Kingsley Latham was cruelly denied a clean sheet for Dorchester at home to local rivals Weymouth, who scored the only goal of the game in the final minute in front of more than 2,000 spectators at the Clayson Stadium. The Terras were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Wimborne three days later.
Saints’ quartet of loaness who have gone abroad – Sofiane Boufal (Celta Vigo), Guido Carrillio (Leganés), Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord) and Ryan Seager (Telstar) – are all on a winter break and did not feature over Christmas.
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