It was the charge of the black and white brigades here at East End Park. In fact, there was so much of that black and white on display it was a bit like watching a British Pathe newsreel.

At the end of this top of the table clash of two resurgent sides, it was a dominant Dunfermline Athletic who had plenty of colour in their cheeks as they swept to a commanding win and returned to the summit of the Ladbrokes Championship.

As for St Mirren? Well, their mood was blacker than their shirts after Dunfermline ruthlessly punished their defensive fragility. It could’ve been more, to be honest. To make matters worse, both Adam Eckersley and Gregor Buchanan were sent off within seconds of each other late in the second half to complete a miserable afternoon for the Paisley side. It was a good one for Dunfermline, though.

“We were different class,” said the manager, Allan Johnston. “The character of the players was questioned last week after losing a two goal lead to Morton but this was a great response. That speaks volumes for the players. We didn’t have any failures today.”

With 29 goals between them in the league this season, St Mirren’s Gavin Reilly had a chance to bolster that tally after just two minutes but he missed the target after bursting clear. The visitors would pay for that profligacy as Dunfermline went on the offensive and forged a lead on 20 minutes. Kallum Higginbotham’s neatly nodded lay off fell perfectly for the on-rushing Declan McManus who swept in a nice finish.

The drive and invention of the sprightly Higginbotham was at the centre of much of Dunfermline’s purposeful industry. From one of his surges, the home side should have doubled their lead. Higginbotham won possession in his own half, darted up the field and released David Hopkirk with a delightful pass from the outside of the boot. Hopkirk, on as a substitute for the injured Joe Cardle, was clean in on goal but pushed his effort wide.

Redemption wasn’t long in coming, though, and he did much, much better with his next chance as St Mirren’s dicey defending was punished on the stroke of half-time. From Ryan Williamson’s cut-back, Hopkirk was given time and space on the edge of the box and curled a lovely finish high past Craig Samson.

If St Mirren were facing an uphill task after that, then they needed to dig out the mountaineering equipment not long after the resumption as the rampant hosts added a third. Samson had prevented Dean Sheils’ close range poke but it was merely a temporary reprieve. From the resulting corner, Callum Morris pounced on Ian McShane’s fresh air swipe at an attempted clearance and converted from six yards. It was all over bar the shouting

“I have no complaints about the result,” said the St Mirren manager, Jack Ross, who lamented the defence and the discipline of his side. “We didn’t defend at all. The red cards are concerning. We have to maintain our discipline, even at 3-0 down, as that can have consequences further down the line.”

The kick-off was delayed by five minutes to let the crowd of some 6,600 in. Some of the St Mirren fans probably wished they’d stayed outside.