Kilmarnock moved a step closer to William Hill Premier League safety with a 4-3 win over St Mirren thanks to a Tyrese John-Jules hat-trick.

The former England U21 striker added two more goals in the second half with a superb overhead kick to help Killie complete a thrilling seven-goal campaign.

A second win of Neil McCann’s reign saw 11th-placed Killie close the gap on St Mirren and Dundee to three points, putting both teams firmly in the relegation battle.

Killian Phillips gave the Saints an early lead, but two goals within three minutes of the first half turned the game on its head.

Greg Kiltie’s third goal in five games equalized for the home side before John-Jules added an acrobatic strike in stoppage time.

Phillips equalized in the 48th minute but Killie equalized to give their chances of survival a huge win.

Ireland midfielder Phillips kicked off the fun with his first goal since September.

Kilmarnock’s long pass was poorly cleared and Richard King headed the ball back into the penalty area.

The ball slipped through Mikael Mandron’s hands on the bounce, but Phillips, with his back to goal, caught keeper Kyler Roos with a backheel shot from seven yards out.

Kilmarnock were not lacking in intensity in their pursuit of the equalizer and those efforts paid huge dividends two minutes before the break.

Findlay Curtis created a half-yard gain with a lovely deep pass from the right and Kiltie headed home from close range against his former club.

From simple to brilliant, the home side soon took the lead, with a deflected shot from Curtis and a stunning strike from John-Jules denying Shamar George any chance.

Saints started the second half determined to respond and they found their answer within three minutes.

Declan John fed Mandron, who hit the baseline and passed through the goal. Ruth only managed to get the ball to Phillips, who added his second of the game from eight yards out.

The visiting team used Roland Idowu and substitute Dan Nlundulu to score Killie’s goal.

George completed the night’s save – when Curtis fired a fierce shot at his far post.

But the on-loan Wycombe goalkeeper was beaten for a third time after 76 minutes.

Joe Hugill was released on the left and found John Jules in the center of the box. George got help on the first try, but John-Jules made no mistake on the second.

A perfect night came to an end when the Englishman took a two-goal lead with eight minutes remaining.

He won a tussle with Marcus Fraser, won a long pass up the middle, and passed George low.

Killie needed an extra edge as a spirited Saints responded through Scott Tenser’s volley in stoppage time, but it was too late.

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