MacPherson said his side were unlucky in the defeat by Hearts

"We could have got a penalty when Stephen O'Donnell was pulled back," MacPherson said after the game.

"There was an even more clear-cut penalty in the second half with a hand ball," he added.

"I wouldn't say decisions solely cost us the game because there was some poor defending. We get accused of blaming the referee for defeats but we're not."

Interview: St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson

MacPherson said he was confident his side would bounce back from the defeat at St Mirren Park, but admitted defensive mistakes were proving costly.

"We feel sore but that's the harsh reality of SPL football," he said.

"Hearts had a good chance early on in the game but after that we completely dominated proceedings and had good quality crosses in to the box.

"We created half-chances and I felt reasonably comfortable but then we lost another goal from a set-piece.

"We have lost far too many goals from set-pieces and it's something that we have to go back to and look at."