Tommy Craig remained tight-lipped on his future at Hibernian after the 2-1 defeat to St Mirren at Love Street on Saturday.Craig has been in charge at Easter Road since the departure of John Collins but did his chances of getting the job on a permanent basis little good by guiding the hapless Leith side to their eighth game without a win.

Former Carlisle and Preston manager Paul Simpson is the most recent name to be linked to the vacancy but Craig refused to reveal his own thoughts on the position.

He said: "I'm in charge of the team until instructed otherwise, that's as much as I can say at this particular point in time."

Asked if the players needed a permanent manager, Craig said: "I have no comment to make on it. It's a matter for the club."

Then, asked if he expected to stay at the club if a new manager came in and if he would be going to the Hibernian board to ask about his future, he retorted: "I haven't even thought about it."

A freak goal by Ian Maxwell and a strike by Gary Mason before the interval were enough to give St Mirren the win, an 88th-minute goal from striker Mickael Antoine-Curier simply a consolation for the visitors.

Craig admits the Hibernian players are suffering during this poor spell.

He said: "We are in a run of games, which I hope is coming to an end, where we haven't won for some time.

"You can see that there are more than one or two going back into their shells.

"It takes courage and bravery and downright doggedness to get out of these runs.

"The only way you get out is to stand out and be counted."

Maxwell admitted his first goal for the Saints in the SPL was a freak.

He described his effort from wide on the left after five minutes, which looped over Hibernian goalkeeper Yves Ma-Kalambay, as a "shank".

The Love Street defender then warned Buddies fans not to expect another goal any time soon.

He said: "It was a shanked cross. When it left my foot I knew it was not going where I wanted it to and I half turned away.

"But as I did that I thought, 'This has a wee chance of going in'.

"I will need to see it again on the television but it must have dipped at the last minute but I will take it.

"My team-mates told me to come up and say that I meant it but I don't think I would get away with that.

"My last goal for St Mirren was a couple of years ago in the cup.

"Going by my last one, it will be 2011 before I get my next goal - and maybe I will mean it."

St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson insisted that his side's third home SPL win of the season was merited.

He said: "It was deserved, as simple as that.

"It probably is a monkey off our back because everyone kept telling us about our lack of goals and wins.

"But we got the goals that our play merited, unlike last week against Aberdeen, and we are delighted.

"I think you could tell Ian was surprised by the look on his face when he scored but maybe we required that.

"Maybe we earned that little bit of luck that we haven't had in previous home games."

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