KIRK BROADFOOT plunged St Mirren into a hole then dramatically hauled himself out of one with a stunning late equaliser during a roller coaster 90 minutes against Aberdeen.

The full-back displayed incredible strength of character to rescue a point for the Saints after an error-strewn defensive display which would have crushed lesser men.

Broadfoot gifted Aberdeen the lead with a horrendous back-pass which was intercepted by Stevie Crawford just before the break.

However, the youngster's second-half performance, which earned his team a deserved share of the spoils, typifies the never-say-die approach of St Mirren under the astute Gus MacPherson.

It was the first time this season the Paisley side had welcomed the Setanta cameras to Love Street and Broadfoot, almost singlehandedly, ensured viewers would not go short on entertainment.

It was lung-bursting stuff from the first minute until the last and David van Zanten admits he was so knackered he simply didn't have the energy to celebrate when Broadfoot scored in the dying moments.

Van Zanten said:"We definitely deserved at least a point.Our strength of character is sogood and we all pull together when things are not going so well.

"I was just taking a breather after the goal. It was too far to run over to the other side of the park and I didn't want to waste any more breath.

"Kirk has pulled himself out of a hole. He was at fault for the first goal but then picks himself up and pops one in the back of the net.

"It was him who got the draw for us. He didn't let his head drop and just kept going. That sums us up because we were all in it together and were not going to let anyone hang out to dry. It was a great effort but I still didn't have the energy to celebrate."

The leveller was no more than St Mirren deserved as, a 15-minute window at the end of the first half apart, they were the hungrier and more attack-minded team.

Yet, had the Dons not had a perfectly good Darren Mackie goal ruled out for offside minutes after Crawford had put them in front then the game might have been beyond them.

Saints had three chances in the first half an hour before a sluggish and over-cautious Aberdeen finally started to get a handle on proceedings as the game edged towards the interval.

Intentionally or not Jimmy Calderwood's men spent much of the first period berthed in their own half, but they quickly sensed the home side's defensive vulnerabilities when Broadfoot's first blunder gifted Barry Nicholson the perfect opportunity to break the deadlock.

Crawford's through pass should have been easily dealt with by the Saints defender. However, rather than clear his lines he let the ball drop over his head, not realising Nicholson was hovering behind him.

Broadfoot's blushes were spared this time when the Dons midfielder shot tamely at Chris Smith from close range. But, there was to be no reprieve for the Scotland Under-21 international moments later when he was duly punished for another appalling lack of awareness. Caught deep in his own territory he inexplicably attempted to play the ball across his own penalty box.

It is impossible to guess if his pass was intended for keeper Smith or fellow defender John Potter, although, unfortunately for him, it landed invitingly at the feet of Crawford.

The Aberdeen striker showed excellent composure to loft the bouncing ball over the advancing Smith before hammering home into the empty net.

The home support were less than impressed by their team's suicidal tendencies at the back and their mood was hardly enhanced seconds before the end of the first half as Zander Diamond and Hugh Murray tangled just a few feet away from the technical area.

It was handbags stuff until the Aberdeen youngster lashed out at Murray with his boot as he lay on the deck.

Technically it was a straight red card. However, fortunately for Diamond, referee Mike McCurry was walking in the opposite direction while fourth official Charlie Richmond also had his back to the incident as he was bending down to pick up the electronic board.

After the break Aberdeen retreated further and further into their own half and raging boss Calderwod was spot on with his after-match assessment, claiming his team got what they deserved.

It was one-way traffic as St Mirren went for broke, sending on three strikers, and MacPherson's willingness to attack paid off when substitute Mark Corcoran teed up Broadfoot to fire a crisp low shot into the bottom corner in the 87th minute.

MacPherson said: "We deserved something from the game. We gambled in the last 15, throwing on three players and we got our reward.

"If we hadn't taken something from the game which we dominated for long spells our confidence would have been severely dented.

"I was disappointed with the goal and it was the same last week, but we can only ask our young players to learn from their mistakes.

"But the guy who made the mistake has reacted and he spent the majority of the second half in the Aberdeen box.

"That tells you something about his make-up."

While MacPherson was delighted with the response of his team Calderwood was less than impressed with what his players produced.

Calderwood said: "The performance was poor and we didn't deserve to be in the lead.

"We got what we deserved although I don't know if we even deserved that to be honest.

"We need to get down to basics and work hard.

"I think there were only two players who got pass marks.

"There were no positives and I'm not even happy with a point away from home after a performance like that."

MAN OF THE MATCH: Hugh Murray (St Mirren)

MAN BY MAN

St Mirren:

Chris Smith: Never looked convincing and failed to command area in first half. Improved after the break. 6

David van Zanten: Steady and reliable on right flank. Extremely useful going forward. 7

KIrk Broadfoot: Atoned for first-half blunders with late equaliser. Defensively woeful. 5

John Potter: Afew lapses but, on the whole, a strong and commanding display. 6

Kevin McGowne: Positionally astute and does a decent job despite lack of pace. 6

Hugh Murray: Another sterling shift in midfield. Great energy and enthusiasm. 8

Simon Lappin: Neat and tidy. Passed the ball well and burst forward to good effect. 6

Garry Brady: Started brightly, but quickly faded. Subbed in second half. 5

Craig Molloy: Struggled to gain a foothold in the game. Replaced near the end. 5

John Sutton: Didn't get much service and not really given chance to make an impact. 5

Stewart Kean: Came close to scoring inside 20 seconds with angled volley. A constant livewire. 6

Subs: Billy Mehmet - on for last 20 minutes and looked lively, 5. Mark Corcoran - set up equaliser, 5.David McKenna - gave the side fresh impetus, 4.

Aberdeen:

Jamie Langfield: Great save early on to deny Kean.Didn't have much to do apart from picking late equaliser out of net. 6

Russell Anderson: Anchored the Dons' three-man central defence superbly. 7

Zander Diamond: Lucky to stay on the pitch after lashing out at Hugh Murray. 5

Andrew Considine: Always willing to play the ball out of defence. 6

Dan Smith: Quiet introduction on his debut following move from Sunderland. 6

Gary Dempsey: Excellent energy and determination in middle of park. 7

Chris Clark: Not a natural wing-back and it showed.Good goal-line clearance to deny Kean. 5

Barry Nicholson: Solid shift but should have scored from a couple of yards out when sent clear by Crawford. 6

Jamie Smith: Didn't see much of the balland became frustrated. 5

Darren Mackie: Ran himself into the ground but no joy in front of goal. 6

Stevie Crawford: Linked the play well and displayed great composure to slot away his third goal of the season. 6

Subs: Richard Foster - replaced the injured Crawford. Pace caused problems, 4. John Stewart - made little impact, 3.

MOMENT THAT CHANGED THE GAME: Kir Broadfoot's late equaliser ensured a travesty of justice didn't take place.

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