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Kilmarnock moved 14 points clear of bottom side Dundee United with only their second win in 11 league games.

They adapted better to the horrendous conditions, with the match stopped in each half to clear the lines of snow.

Happily for the home side, the match was allowed to finish, with Craig Slater's stunning volley securing the victory.

Ross Draper had cancelled out Greg Kiltie's early opening goal, but Kilmarnock deserved their win.

While Gary Locke will not make any public admissions, Kilmarnock look safe from automatic relegation and must now concentrate on avoiding a relegation play-off, which looks like involving an almighty scrap with Hamilton Accies, Partick Thistle and Motherwell.

A greater resolve that has been evident in their last three games, in which they are unbeaten, should help them begin to climb the table, if they can apply that consistently.

Certainly they are not a team short on talented individuals, one of whom put them ahead in the early stages.

Adam Frizzell was thwarted by Carl Tremarco's challenge but the ball fell kindly for Kiltie to stroke the ball past Owain Fon-Williams from close range.

In the tricky conditions, Liam Polworth was entitled to try his luck from distance and Jamie MacDonald had to push a couple of efforts away.

The second of those led to the corner from which Draper was presented with the chance to equalise in similar fashion to Kiltie, slamming in from just six yards out.

The goal that won it, though, was of the highest quality.

The ball broke to Slater on the edge of the penalty area and he showed great technique to acrobatically volley in off the underside of the bar.

Kilmarnock's greatest fear at that point must have been the likelihood of the match being abandoned, as snow fell steadily and the pitch became more treacherous.

Greg Tansey went close on two occasions to pulling Caley Thistle level again and both Jamie Hamill and Tope Odabeyi might have made sure of victory late on, but both were denied by stout defending.

Regardless, though, they did enough to take the three points and ease some of the pressure that had begun to build at the foot of the table.