Saints scored two late goals to take all three points and beat a dogged Brechin City outfit.
In the 72nd minute Kevin James rose to meet Paul Sheerin's cross and nod the ball home.
Three minutes later, Steve Milne turned inside the box to stab the ball home from close range and make the final score 3-1.
After Saints had a second-minute goal disallowed for an infringement by Kevin Rutkiewicz, they pulled ahead from Ryan Stevenson's well-struck shot two minutes later.
With two corners also within the first four minutes, Saints looked as if they would soon be on easy street. However, the vastly-experienced veteran players that populate the Brechin City ranks these days had other ideas.
The visitors equalised in the 15th minute after Simon Mensing failed to intercept Stevie Hampshire's run from the left wing, allowing the former Dunfermline Athletic midfielder to hammer in a shot which skimmed off Rutkiewicz and into the net.
In the 22nd minute Goran Stanic had a shot kicked off the line by Brechin right-back Steve Hamilton. A long cross from the left would have brought a goal from strike partner Steve Milne had it not been for Scott Walker's impeccably-timed defensive intervention.
Saints went on to dominate the whole of the second half, deservedly claiming their victory.
With the game almost out of sight, Brechin boss Ian Campbell threw on all three substitutes after Saints' third goal to try to recover the lost ground. Typical of his club's misfortune this season, within seconds of the triple substitution striker Alex Burns fell to the ground rolling in agony, having damaged his right ankle ligament and was stretchered off.