Last updated on .From the section Scottish Premiership

Hamilton Academical climbed off the foot of the Scottish Premiership despite being held by St Mirren and missing a penalty.

Accies had led via David Templeton's strike and hit the bar through Marios Ogkmpoe, but a stunning Ilkay Durmus free-kick hauled St Mirren level.

With 13 minutes left, Mickel Miller dragged his spot-kick wide after being cut down by Lee Hodson.

Hamilton move above Hearts by a point but remain three adrift of St Mirren.

Both teams are now without a victory in four fixtures as they battle to get clear of the bottom spots.

Accies boss Brian Rice watched from the stands as he served the second match of a five-game touchline ban for breaching Scottish FA gambling rules.

Templeton shines as St Mirren struggle

When Rice brought Templeton back to Lanarkshire, he spoke of the "magic" he might add to a squad that desperately needs to be propelled away from the drop zone.

On a frenetic night, Templeton was the difference for the hour or so he played. He applied sheen to an attritional contest, picking intelligent passes, looming in dangerous areas and generally looking a beat or two ahead of whichever home defender he faced.

Early on, Templeton slalomed forward and slid in Aaron McGowan to thump wide with the aid of a deflection, before landing a telling blow that jolted the game into life. He zipped in front of Sam Foley to seize a bobbling knock-down, slithered into space on the edge of the box and trundled low into the net.

Templeton almost did it again moments later as McGowan fizzed the ball in to his feet and he spun and arrowed towards the same corner, scudding just wide.

The flow of Accies chances continued. Vaclav Hladky delivered a quite stupendous stop when his fingertips brushed Ogkmpoe's thunderous effort on to the crossbar and away.

St Mirren were dogged but limited, desperately so in the final third, where they need a goalscorer like the desert needs rain. With just 20 goals in 25 games, they are the Premiership's lowest scorers, a team with plenty of creative endeavour but not the poacher to put the ball in the net.

Tony Andreu flicked their best chances straight at the onrushing Luke Southwood when played in from a tight angle in the first half, and over the bar from a Foley cut-back in the second. At the other end, Hladky got down well to smother a vicious rasping drive from Scott McMann.

It took a glorious Durmus intervention to drag St Mirren off the canvass. David Moyo chopped Ryan Flynn down on the edge of the area, and the winger stepped up to bend a majestic left-footed shot into Southwood's top-left corner.

The hosts had an awful lot of the second-half ball, but not the penetration to make it count. And in the end they were lucky - so lucky - to escape with a point.

Three minutes after Durmus' screamer, Miller beat Hodson to a looping ball on the left boundary of the box, and the right-back inadvertently volleyed his opponent.

It was an ugly challenge, but Miller's penalty was uglier still. The forward hauled wide, buried his face in his hands, and watched a chance for three precious points slip through his fingers.

Man of the match - David Templeton

St Mirren's Durmus and Foley were relentlessly industrious. For Hamilton, McGowan and McMann were a menace and Ogkmpoe led the line with power.

But it was Templeton who stood out, lacing a competitive but low-quality first hour with some delicious flourishes for skill. He scored a virtually un-saveable goal, so close to the bottom corner was his low strike, and very nearly planted another one in the same piece of netting.

The acquisition of Templeton, a brilliant player besieged by injury, could be one of the signings of the January window, and certainly a big fillip in the race to beat the drop.

'There was a real sense of anxiety' - reaction

Hamilton assistant Beuzelin rues 'basketball game'

St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin: "It wasn't a great performance, but it was important we didn't lose. Being one down at half-time, I suppose we've got to be satisfied with taking a point in the end.

"We haven't been playing terribly but there was a real sense of anxiety around the whole stadium and we didn't handle that well enough. But in the second half we were well on top for large spells."

Hamilton Academical assistant manager Guillaume Beuzelin: "If you asked me at half-time, I would have been disappointed to take a point, but in the end St Mirren put a lot of pressure on us.

"We needed to be more ruthless and get a second goal when we were on top. It was like a basketball game, up and down, and our subs didn't do a good enough job. But 1-1 is maybe a fair result."