Cypriot midfielder Alex Gogic broke free in the Livingston box and powered a header from a corner into the home side’s net to salvage a point for St Mirren with less than two minutes remaining of a bruising basement battle at The Home of the Set Fare Arena.
The 31-year-old’s goal broke Livi hearts as earlier Robbie Muirhead netted ten minutes into the second half. He calmly waited for the ball to bounce after a cross from the right by Joshua Brenet and smashed it past Shamal George with his left foot.
The go-ahead goal capped a strong period of play from David Martindale’s men and it was only in the final minutes that The Buddies put real pressure on the home side with home goalkeeper, Jerome Prior, forced into a finger-tip save from Saints debutant Jake Young.
The result means Livingston move a point closer to second-bottom Kilmarnock, but St Mirren are eight points ahead. The three bottom teams have all played 22 games.
However, the West Lothian club, who prop up the table, have now gone 20 league games without a win, a run stretching back to early August.
They had other chances to earn three points. Muirhead hit the bar with a shot from the right with 12 minutes remaining. He moved right then cut inside onto his left foot and home fans groaned when the ball was cleared.
Both sides rang the changes as the clock ticked down, but the final ball in the final third was missing and chances were squandered, none more so than when Dan Nlundulu worked his way down the left towards the byline and crossed. The ball sped across the Livi penalty box but there was nobody there to take advantage.
Earlier, Robbie Muirhead held his head in his hands after King had cleared his goal-bound header off the line in the final minutes of the opening session.
That came minutes after Saints player Connor McMenamin saw an effort clawed away by Prior, at his right hand post after bustling striker Mikel Mandron drove to the by line on the right and crossed into the danger area.
These proved the best chances of a scrappy first half which was a stop start affair with several players receiving treatment after heavy challenges.
It was not pretty as both sides scrapped for supremacy and valuable points in the basement area of the William Hill Premiership.
Five minutes of extra time were added after several stoppages. Livingston’s Daniel Finlayson was first to suffer. He received a cut to the head just above his left eye in the third minute after a challenge from Mandron.
St Mirren forward Killian Phillips was next to go down when he tangled with Cristian Montano and Mo Susoho required treatment after being in collision with Mandron.
Chances were few and far between and St Mirren’s black and red line held firm.
St Mirren boss, Stephen Robinson, had called on his men pre-match to be more aggressive on and off the ball and they were, but Livingston kept their cool to remain unbeaten in five home games against The Buddies in the Premiership.
