St Mirren came battling back from a goal behind to grab a draw against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the their Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash at Love Street.

The visitors bossed the early stages and in the 27th minute skipper Grant Munro's goal - which was Caley's 1000th since their formation in 1994 - gave them the interval lead.

It looked a long way back for the Paisley side who failed to test Caley keeper Michael Fraser in a dreadful first-45 minute display.

But a remarkable second-half turnaround was complete with 15 minutes to go when striker Billy Mehmet grabbed an equaliser and in the end it was Caley who were the more relieved to hear the final whistle.

Without having to be on top form, the visitors looked the more likely outfit in the niggly opening stages.

A hopeful 70-yard punt by Caley right-back Ross Tokely in the eighth minute evaded back-tracking St Mirren stopper John Potter but Dennis Wyness, with only keeper Chris Smith to beat from 14 yards, failed to connect properly and the ball spun well wide of the target.

Moments later, following a swift Caley counter-attack, Ian Black teed the ball up and drew a fine save from Smith with his volley from the edge of the box.

In the 21st minute, Caley midfielder Don Cowie tried his luck with a free-kick from distance which troubled Smith as he fumbled the ball but St Mirren surviving with their goal intact again.

It was the Scotland Under-21 keeper who seeing most of the action.

In the 26th minute he was again called in to action when he had to get down sharp to his right to beat away a Wyness drive which was heading just inside the post.

However, the milestone goal was only delayed by seconds. After Cowie whipped in the corner, the Buddies' defence allowed Wyness to head back to Munro who took a touch before driving in the net from around 12 yards out.

The Paisley side were bucked in to action and minutes later Stephen McGinn drove an angled shot from the right-hand side of the Inverness penalty box a yard past the far post.

Then, in the 36th minute, McGinn's drove a cross in from a similar position to find Mark Corcoran four yards out but the Buddies' midfielder somehow stabbed the ball wide of the target.

Saints' ineptitude was summed up seconds before the interval when former Caley striker Craig Dargo, for some unfathomable reason, tried his luck with a hopeful lob from all of 35 yards which went yards wide.

Dougie Imrie came on for David Proctor for the start of the second half to make his debut for the visitors.

As St Mirren huffed and puffed, the home fans seemed happy enough to continue booing Tokely as part of a long-running feud dating back to 1999 when a tackle by the big defender on Chris Kerr kept the Saints player out of the game for around 18 months.

Inverness, compact and organised, were breaking with purpose when the occasion arose and in the 58th minute Imrie's left-footed drive from the edge of the box had Smith diving low to his left to gather.

On the hour mark, Mehmet got on the end of a Dargo cross for almost the first time all afternoon but headed over from 12 yards.

Moments later, Corcoran's driven free-kick from wide on the right ended up at the unmarked Ian Maxwell at the far post but the big left-back blasted over.

McGinn was immediately replaced by Jim Hamilton who came on to make his Saints debut on his 32nd birthday.

And in the 75th minute St Mirren got the equaliser their dogged determination, if nothing else, deserved.

Maxwell's deep cross to the back post was headed back by the stretching Dargo to Hamilton whose close-range drive was brilliantly saved by Fraser.

But the ball broke kindly to Mehmet who drilled his shot from 12 yards in to the net.

With five minutes remaining Corcoran worked a neat one-two with Hamilton at the edge of the Caley box before driving inches over the bar. But all three points was perhaps asking too much.

Teams:

St Mirren Smith, van Zanten, Barron, Potter, Maxwell, Murray, Dorman, McGinn (Hamilton 65), Dargo, Mehmet, Corcoran.

Subs Not Used: Howard, Kean, Brady, Miranda, McCay, Millen.

Booked: van Zanten.

Goals: Mehmet 74.

Inverness CT Fraser, Tokely, Duncan, Proctor (Imrie 46), Hastings, Cowie, Black, McBain, Munro, Wyness (Wilson 76), Niculae.

Subs Not Used: Malkowski, Bayne, Kerr, Vigurs, Rennie.

Booked: Munro.

Goals: Munro 28.

Att: 3,609

Ref: C Murray (Scotland).