GRANT Munro may have finally notched the1000th goal in Inverness Caledonian Thistle's history, but Billy Mehmet's equaliser ensured it wasn't a grand occasion for the Highlanders in what could accurately, if cheesily, be described as a game of two ha
lves.
The visitors were entitled to feel they had enjoyed the better of the early exchanges. Indeed, they were unlucky not to have been at least one goal to the good before Saints roused themselves and realised they were in a match.
A bog-standard long ball from Ross Tokely seemed to mesmerise the home rearguard, who stood and watched as Dennis Wyness stole in to prod the ball wide. They were similarly outfoxed in the 12th minute when Marius Niculae and Don Cowie combined to tee up Ian Black and the midfielder's volley from the edge of the penalty area was turned behind at full stretch by Chris Smith.
Poor Craig Dargo. It's bad enough that he hasn't yet scored for his new club but the travelling fans baited him mercilessly throughout as he struggled to regain the sharpness which had made him such a potent threat in Inverness's colours.
Niculae and Wyness, by contrast, provide options and it was no surprise when Inverness moved ahead in the 28th minute. Smith had denied Wyness with an instinctive save and John Potter put the rebound behind for a corner. Cowie's in-swinger was headed back across goal by Wyness and Munro displayed great composure as he sent his half-volley from 12 yards into the postage-stamp corner.
Stephen McGinn provided the biggest threat for St Mirren. One driven cross was begging to be converted; another saw Mark Corcoran screw his shot horribly wide from four yards.
Dargo was presented with the opportunity to equalise on the stroke of half-time when Wyness, tracking back, misjudged the flight of the ball, allowing the striker the opportunity to dink the ball over Michael Fraser, who had left his line in anticipation of a passback.
However, Dargo completely miscued his attempt at a chip and the ball spun harmlessly towards the goalkeeper: it was Dargo's disappointing campaign in microcosm.
Substitute Douglas Imrie, who had replaced David Proctor at the interval, almost caught Smith out with a low angled drive, but Thistle were rarely seen as an attacking force after the break.
The home side certainly exerted more pressure but it was largely unfocused until old warhorse Jim Hamilton was thrown on for the final 25 minutes.
Never likely to be remembered for his silky skills, his physical presence nonetheless unsettled the visitors and was a key factor when Saints restored parity in the 75th minute.
Ian Maxwell's deep cross was knocked back by Dargo for Hamilton and, although Fraser deserves credit for managing to parry the veteran's full-blooded drive, the rebound fell kindly for Mehmet to fire home his sixth goal of the season.
A share of the spoils was the least the home side deserved for their efforts after the break and the draw further reduces the risk of relegation, leaving them 13 points clear of bottom club Gretna.
They might even have snatched victory late in the game but too often promising moves were undermined by unwise choices or poor execution at the point of delivery, but the rousing finish allowed the Paisley public to filter out of the stadium content in the knowledge that guts had been bust and pans knocked in for the good of the cause.
St Mirren: Smith; Barron, Potter, Van Zanten, Maxwell; McGinn, Murray, Dorman, Corcoran; Mehmet, Dargo. Subs: Howard, Kean, Brady, Hamilton, Miranda, McCay, Millen.
Inverness CT: Fraser; Tokely, Proctor, Munro, Hastings; Cowie, Black, Duncan, McBain; Wyness, Niculae. Subs: Malkowski, Wilson, Bayne, Imrie, Kerr, Vigurs, Rennie.
Referee: Calum Murray.
The full article contains 641 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
