Hearts 1-1 St Mirren: Jambos undone by an own goal

Clevid Dikamona headed Hearts in front before St Mirren drew level at Tynecastle.

Both headers came 11 minutes apart in the second half as Craig Levein's side dropped points in their quest to qualify for Europe.

The Paisley side fought manfully for a draw after levelling through Clare, leaving Hearts frustrated at the final whistle and home supporters disgruntled. A late siege on the away goal yielded little despite the introduction of striker Steven MacLean and winger Callumn Morrison from the substitutes' bench.

St Mirren's lively away support loudly acclaimed what might be a big point in their bid to stave off Premiership relegation. Hearts didn't create an awful lot of clear scoring chances and much of that was down to the visitors' determination to close space and interrupt their rhythm.

The pre-match headlines centred around Levein's decision to recall Czech goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal and reinstate Peter Haring in midfield. Colin Doyle found himself demoted after last week's costly error at Motherwell, which created an opening for Zlamal. Haring's return from double hernia surgery has been eagerly awaited in Gorgie and supporters were delighted seeing the Austrian in action after a two-month absence.

St Mirren arrived in Edinburgh bottom of the Premiership and with only one win in their previous nine games. That came in the Scottish Cup against Championship side Alloa last month. Yet they weren't shy in asking questions of their opponents and spurned the game's first chance inside the opening minutes.

Greg Tansey ran on to a rolling loose ball at the edge of the hosts' penalty area only to drag his first-time shot wide of target. Hearts' response was Steven Naismith's left-footed effort which the visiting goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky beat away. Although play was predominantly in St Mirren's half, they broke forward effectively to deliver several dangerous crosses which caused consternation among defenders in maroon.

They also appealed for a penalty on 25 minutes when Dikamona fouled Duckens Nazon. Referee Don Robertson judged the infringement to be just outside the box, although those in black and white protested strongly that a spot-kick should have been awarded.

Haring was a strong force in midfield despite his lack of match practice. Behind him, Hearts were playing a new-look back four with John Souttar at right-back, Dikamona and Christophe Berra in the middle and Jake Mulraney at left-back. That quartet were tested again when the St Mirren captain Paul McGinn pulled a cross back towards Nazon, but the Haiti international forward miss-hit the ball and the opportunity evaporated.

The most intense period of the afternoon took place just after the half-hour mark when Hladky produced four vital saves in succession. He first stopped Dikamona's overhead attempt before repelling efforts by Berra, Olly Lee and finally Haring all inside a few seconds. The Czech's reward for his sterling work was a collision with Haring which left him grounded and requiring treatment.

The clearest opening yet fell to St Mirren's Kyle McAllister moments from the interval. He dispossessed Berra and sprinted off for goal, leaving the Scotland defender in his wake. However, his angled effort towards the far corner flew wide as Hearts heaved a sigh of relief. They could easily have been behind at the break despite enjoying more possession than their guests.

Raising the tempo after the interval had the desired effect. Within ten minutes, Dikamona headed Hearts in front. He rose highest to meet Lee's corner flush on the forehead and angle it high into the net past Hladky for his first goal in Scotland.

The cheer lasted little more than ten minutes until St Mirren equalised with more than a dose of good fortune. A corner towards the back post was headed inadvertently past Zlamal by Clare, who could only lie on the ground distraught at the unintentional error while the noisy travelling fans celebrated. Seconds later, only the quick reactions of Zlamal prevented another own goal after Dikamona stuck a leg out and diverted a cross towards his own net.

Hearts had to restart and attempt to win this game again as time began ticking away. The Paisley side fought tooth and nail for their point, chasing and pressing the ball with remarkable energy throughout the closing stages. The final whistle confirmed they had a hard-earned point to use in their fight against relegation.

Hearts (4-1-4-1): Zlamal; Souttar, Dikamona (Morrison 76), Berra, Mulraney; Haring (Bozanic (68); Clare, Lee (MacLean 68), Djoum Naismith; Ikpeazu. Unused subs: Doyle, Shaughnessy, Keena, Hickey.

St Mirren (3-5-2): Hladky; Popescu, Baird, Muzec; McGinn, Flynn, Tansey, MacPherson, Erhahon; McAllister (Dreyer 77), Nazon (Jackson 64). Unused subs: Holmes, MacKenzie, Mullen, Cooke, Corbu.

Referee: Don Robertson.

Attendance: 16,705.