Steven Hammell hopes of landing the Motherwell job on a permanent basis took a potential dent as St Johnstone took all three points after a dramatic end to his first home game in interim charge.
The 40-year-old revealed yesterday he had a "positive meeting" with chief executive Alan Burrows and chairman Jim McMahon, as they consider who will succeed Graham Alexander in the Fir Park hotseat.
But Hammell and assistant Brian Kerr tasted a devastating stoppage time defeat, just as they looked to have earned a late point.
Jamie Murphy's first-half strike for Saints put them in front and 'Well looked to have earned a deserved point when Stephen O'Donnell nodded the ball home in the first minute of stoppage time.
But Stevie May pounced in the fourth minute of added-on time to break Motherwell hearts.
Connor Shields had hit the post for the Steelmen in the first half but Saints overcame a second-half barrage to get their Premiership season up and running.
Hammell made two changes from the 1-0 win at St Mirren last week, as injured Jake Carroll - who was seen on crutches before the game - and the suspended Ricki Lamie were replaced by Stephen O’Donnell and Bevis Mugabi.
Saints also had an enforced change through suspension. Cammy MacPherson came in for Murray Davidson after his red card in the 1-0 defeat at home to Hibernian, which was the only change for the visitors.
The Steelmen had an early oppportunity when Sean Goss was felled on the edge of the box by Ryan McGowan inside the second minute, but Kevin van Veen curled the resulting free-kick over the crossbar.
Down the other end, Melker Hallberg floated a corner to the edge of the box for Graham Carey to hit on the volley. The midfielder connected with it sweetly but, thankfully for the hosts, they managed to get a body in the way of it as it fizzed towards goal.
Goss is capable from distance and when he found himself in acres of space in 16 minutes with the crowd urging him to shoot, the former Rangers man pulled his effort well wide of the target from 25 yards.
The Fir Park surface was looking splendid after its summer makeover, but it was the visitors who making best use of it.
Adam Montgomery's trickery on the left created an opening for Saints and when his cross deflected to the back post, Drey Wright's strike was deflected away for a corner as the visitors caused problems down the flanks.
In 25 minutes Motherwell were given another warning when Ryan McGowan's interception put Bair through on goal and Kelly got behind the strike well to keep it out.
And three minutes later, Saints broke the deadlock. A long ball forward was flicked on by the chest of Bair into the path of Murphy, and he drilled a low-strike into the bottom corner past a helpless Kelly.
Motherwell almost provided an instant response when Connor Shields' deflected strike on the edge of the box struck the post. And then a teasing ball across goal from Goss couldn't quite pick out the inrushing van Veen.
The Steelmen were caught out by Carey's free-kick delivery to the back post in 38 minutes and when Alex Mitchell was left unmarked to head the ball across the face of goal, a last-ditch bit of defending cleared the ball away from the grasp of Andy Considine waiting to knock the ball home from close range.
Hammell responded to a lacklustre first half with a double change at the break, introducing Dean Cornelius and Joe Efford for Barry Maguire and Josh Morris.
And Efford almost made a huge impact five minutes after the re-start when Goss slipped in the American for a strike on goal, but Mitchell produced an perfectly-time sliding tackle in the box to knock the ball away, just as the striker was set to pull the trigger.
The Steelmen were pushing for a leveller and when Cornelius swung in a ball into the near post, Remi Matthews had to punch the ball clear after van Veen's attempted flick on deflected up into the air inside the six-yard box.
With 'Well pushing so many men forward they were caught on the break on the hour mark and Sondre Solholm Johansen came to their rescue with a teriffic last-ditch clearance to prevent Murphy's cross finding Bair at the back post for a tap in.
Van Veen will feel he should have done better when he opened up space for a shot on the edge of the box in the next attack, only for a poor connection to make it a comfortable save for Matthews.
Carey brought out the party tricks with a Rabona cross that Mitchell headed wide under close attention from the Motherwell defence.
The pressure on the visitors intensified when van Veen sent Efford down the wing. He beat his man and burst into the box, but he dallied as space opened up for the shot and went to ground, but claims for a penalty were waved away by referee Willie Collum.
Moments later a mix-up as Matthews came to collect a cross, presented Shields with a chance to knock the ball home from 10 yards, but his effort was blocked and frustratingly deflected back off him for a goal kick.
They kept knocking at the door and Ross Tierney, who had been introduced for Spittal, came within a whisker of connecting with a fantastic ball into the box from Paul McGinn, heading into the final 15 minutes.
'Well's frustration got the better of Hammell who was shown a yellow card by Collum after the whistler awarded a free-kick in Saints favour.
And he probably wouldn't have been too pleased moments later, either, when Ross Tierney tore into the box and went down under a challenge, but Collum wasn't interested.
Goss then struck a volley into the ground that looped up and forced Matthews to claw the ball away from the net, as Saints somehow held on to their lead.
But in stoppage time Saints' resolve was finally broken when Stephen O'Donnell's header hit Carey to find it's way into the far corner.
It looked to have earned a deserved point, but May popped up in the fourth minute of six additional minutes to snatch the points, poking the ball past Kelly in the box.
Motherwell now travel to Pittodrie next weekend.
MOTHERWELL: Kelly, McGinn, Mugabi, Solholm-Johansen, Maguire (Cornelius 46), Goss, O'Donnell, Spittal (Tierney 68), Shields (Mahon 85), van Veen, Morris (Efford 46).
Scorers: O'Donnell 90+1
Bookings:
Subs not used: Fox, Ojala, Wilson, Ferrie, Spiers.
ST JOHNSTONE: Matthews, Considine, Mitchell, McGowan, Montgomery, Hallberg, MacPherson, Wright, Carey, Murphy (Crawford 79), Bair (May 68).
Scorers: Murphy 28, May 90+4
Bookings: Hallberg, Considine, May
Subs not used: Parish, Brown, Gordon, O'Halloran, Ballantyne, Kucheriavyi.
Ref: Willie Collum
HT: 0-1
Att: 4,711
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