St Mirren midfielder Greg Tansey has been handed a two-game suspension for serious foul play following his challenge on Hearts defender Clevid Dikamona last Saturday.

The 30-year-old was booked by referee Don Robertson for his tackle late in the first half of the 1-1 Ladbrokes Premiership draw at Tynecastle.

However, he was subsequently issued with a fast track notice of complaint from the Scottish Football Association and charged with allegedly breaching disciplinary rule 200 – A1 serious foul play.

Although the Buddies contested the charge, it was proven by a panel on Thursday afternoon.

He will now miss the visit of Livingston on Saturday and Kilmarnock the following week, which will be a blow to the Paisley side in their bid to avoid relegation.

St Mirren are four points behind second-bottom Dundee with a game in hand.

However, boss Oran Kearney insists his squad, which was bolstered in January by a whole new team of players, are bonding tighter, evidenced by recent draws against Aberdeen and Hearts.

He said: "The atmosphere around the place has been lifted with the new players. We are keen to keep building on that.

"Since they have come in the mindset and atmosphere has improved.

"The performances have brought the group closer together because the guys who were already here have a new-found respect for the players who have arrived because of the manner of performances.

"Football can be a harsh environment. The respect you will gain in football will not come from what you can talk about but more about the actions on the pitch and to a man the players who have come in have improved us and have gained the respect of the others.

"Livingston are a tough side and have done extremely well this season so we need to hit that level we have hit in the last few weeks to give ourselves a chance."