Neil Lennon was full of praise for defender Efe Ambrose after another outstanding performance which helped Hibernian record their third consecutive clean sheet.
Captain David Gray notched his fifth goal of the season, heading home Stevie Mallan’s corner in the 14th minute to secure a 1-0 win at St Mirren.
Hibernian wasted a host of chances before a resolute defensive performance resisted a late onslaught from St Mirren.
Ambrose endured a difficult spell at Celtic but has flourished since moving to Easter Road and Lennon insisted the 29-year-old defender received unjust criticism in the past.
“He’s magnificent right now. You don’t play for Celtic for four years by not being a good player,” Lennon said. “Yes, there have been a couple of high-profile mistakes but we are seeing that a lot at Celtic and I don’t think people get treated the way Efe did.
“We have given him a home and we are seeing his class. Efe is probably one of the best centre-backs Hibs have had for a long, long time. I am delighted for him.
“It’s not that I pull my hair out with him, it’s like, ‘Don’t lose it there’. What he does is give us an extra dimension to how you want to play. When he puts his mind at ease he’s a top-class player. We are seeing the fruits of it at the minute.”
At one point in the second half, the Nigerian defender channelled his inner Zinedine Zidane with an audacious turn which drew laughter from his manager.
“I think he got lucky, it came off his shin,” Lennon said. “It confused everybody, half the crowd. He’s in a good place and long may that continue. He has been really influential for us recently.”
Oran Kearney recruited free agent Simeon Jackson in an attempt to inject some much needed impetus into a blunt St Mirren side and his impressive performance won him man of the match.
“I’m delighted with Simeon. It’s a credit to him. He’s a shining example to young players,” St Mirren boss Kearney said.
“He hasn’t done much pre-season. He was training in America, but he’s kept himself in incredible shape and isn’t really carrying anything. He had a great chance and if he scored we would probably have had a chance to win the game.
“With just a week’s training, the fact he put in the 90 minutes that he did is fantastic and it was only flashes of what is ahead.”
