Every year around this time, the relegation battle is analysed and the theory goes that the team who stay up will be the team with a recognised goalscorer. If you have a Simon Murray who can make the difference in tight games, as Dundee did in their 2-0 win against St Mirren yesterday, there is every chance you will beat the drop. There is a lot to be said for that argument, especially when nobody else in the bottom half has such a reliable source of goals, but it is far from the only factor at play. You might just as easily point out that a team’s destiny very often hinges on a match-winning goalkeeper, or perhaps more pertinently a match-losing one. Andy Fisher certainly doesn’t fall into the latter category. The St Johnstone No 1, on loan from Swansea City, was outstanding in their shock 1-0 victory against Celtic at McDiarmid Park. Still five points adrift of the play-off spot, the Perth club’s survival hopes remain slim, but so far they have been able to depend on their goalkeeper, which is more than can be said for a few others. The weekend programme was littered with a catalogue of handling errors, not least at Ibrox where Jack Butland’s latest howler put Hibs on their way to a 2-0 triumph against Rangers. Elsewhere, Murray got both goals at Dens Park, but his second would not have been possible without an eccentric assist from Zach Hemming, who passed straight to the striker and then jumped over the resulting shot. In the first half of the season, Ellery Balcombe wore the gloves for St Mirren before returning to Brentford and then joining Motherwell, where he hasn’t exactly covered himself in glory. At Rugby Park on Saturday, his failure to command the six-yard area proved costly for Motherwell as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat that leaves them — and St Mirren — in a bizarre position as they await the final game of the regular season. While both clubs can leapfrog sixth-placed Hearts, they are also just four points clear of the play-off spot. Only by finishing in the top half can they guarantee safety. Of those already consigned to the dogfight, Ross County have a goalkeeper, Jordan Amissah, who has been a revelation. And Dundee have the experienced Trevor Carson behind a defence that has been stabilised by the return of Joe Shaughnessy. Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes dropped the struggling Robbie McCrorie for the Motherwell game. His replacement, Kieran O’Hara, recorded a clean sheet, albeit against a team who played most of the game with 10 men. A visit to Celtic Park on Saturday will be a much bigger test for O’Hara. While Fisher’s performance against Celtic might not be enough to save St Johnstone, similar heroics by the Kilmarnock stopper could make all the difference for his team. Misery for Mulgrew Charlie Mulgrew is having a wretched time with Kelty Hearts, who gave him his break as a manager in January. Since taking over from Michael Tidser, he has presided over just one victory in 11 games. In a quite gruesome sequence, Kelty have scored five goals, conceded 21 and slipped to within four points of the relegation play-off place. The nadir was reached at New Central Park yesterday when they were spanked 6-0 by already-relegated Dumbarton. Needless to say, supporters of the Fife club are not best pleased. As Mulgrew might put it: ‘They’re raging aren’t they?’ Spiders’ grand plans in ruins Who would have thought that the consequences of Queen’s Park’s historic Scottish Cup victory against Rangers would be so far-reaching? Never mind the resulting crisis at Ibrox, the wee club from across the city have gone to pieces, sacking manager Callum Davidson, losing their main sponsor and scrapping their youth academy in the process. Eight straight defeats, the latest a 3-0 loss at Livingston, has sent the Championship side careering to within three points of the relegation play-off place. Less than two months after Seb Drozd’s Ibrox winner and Calum Ferrie’s goalkeeping heroics, the ambitious project to make Queen’s Park great again lies in tatters.