Three Aberdeen players netted their first goals for the club as the Dons overcame an eight-strong injury list and the loss of the influential defender Scott McKenna to suspension to comfortably beat St Mirren 4-1.
Sam Cosgrove got the ball rolling for the Dons with a 26th minute header, before Connor McLennan and Max Lowe also found the net before the interval.
Cosgrove added a fourth with 25 minutes left before Simeon Jackson bagged a consolation for the visitors.
Jackson, the former Norwich striker, was the first to threaten as he struck the outside of the post after nine minutes, but Aberdeen quickly began to overrun the visitors.
January signing Cosgrove was a whisker away from opening his account for the club as he stabbed a Lowe shot wide of the upright after 17 minutes, and Gary Mackay-Steven sent a shot wide five minutes later.
But Cosgrove did find the net after 26 minutes, stooping to turn Shay Logan’s cross in at the near post.
Mackay-Steven struck the upright after a swift counter on the half hour, and a minute later the home side were 2-0 up.
Logan was again involved, playing a pass from the right that both Mackay-Steven and McLennan went for. The latter, on the slide, got there first and arced a wonderful finish into the top left corner.
They were 3-0 up before the interval as a prolonged period of possession ended with a Mackay-Steven shot deflecting to Lowe who looked as surprised as anyone when the ball fell to his feet in the middle of the penalty area. He calmly picked his spot to score.
If it seemed to be going too well, goalkeeper Joe Lewis was given a wake-up call when his clearance ricocheted off Jackson and left the goalkeeper scrambling to prevent the Buddies getting a goal back.
And then McLennan was forced off with an arm injury, tarnishing what was otherwise a fantastic afternoon’s work for the 19-year-old.
But the Dons were undeterred and added a fourth after 65 minutes. Lowe did the hard work down the left with a fine run, before his cutback was swept home by Cosgrove, his shot powerful enough to cross the line despite Craig Samson getting a hand to it.
Jackson did get a consolation for the visitors, lifting over Lewis from close range after a loose pass from Aberdeen substitute Stephen Gleeson opened the door.
