They say footballers don’t live in the real world, but St Mirren away in freezing early January is about as close as it gets to replicating the fear of a New Year return to the office.

That’s no slight on Saints, this is a place no one in the Premiership really wants to come and their imperious home form has made it so. Hearts, however, just about managed to get themselves a point come 5pm for their commute back up the M8.

That came after taking somewhat of a chasing the first-half of their shift. Ryan Strain’s deflected free-kick put Saints in pole position, but they couldn’t make a string of opportunities count, and that allowed Robert Snodgrass’ cross-cum-shot after the interval ensure a share of the spoils.

There was late drama, too, as Marcus Fraser was shown a red-card for what looked to be a stamp on Hearts’ Jorge Grant. But Saints’ overriding feeling was the game should’ve been over at the break.

Here are three talking points from Paisley.

Hearts content with a point

Considering only one team – Motherwell – have departed Paisley with maximum Premiership points this season, a draw here won’t trouble Hearts too much. Doubly so, when they consider St Mirren ought to have notched more than the one goal they did manage. The Tynecastle side remain third, three points clear of Aberdeen, over whom they have a game in hand. Considering their European travails in the first-half of the campaign, it’s hard to be too critical.

They were far from their best, but few ever seem to be on this venue – St Mirren don’t often allow it. That wasn’t lost on manager Robbie Neilson, who seemed happy to take a draw and run.

“We always want to take three points, but sometimes…” Neilson trailed off. “Our first-half performance wasn’t the levels we want to get to, but the second-half was better.

“So, although we want three points, sometimes you just have to take a point and get up the road. They make the game really, really difficult. It can be unpredictable.”

Snodgrass zero to hero

It was clear from minute one that Saints were under strict instructions not to allow Robert Snodgrass to become the afternoon’s tempo setter. The veteran, sitting at the base of midfield, has added a new dimension to Hearts in recent weeks; a classy composure and experienced nous.

It wasn’t an all-out assault on the 35-year-old, rather a carefully crafted case of picking your moment to press. As it happened, Snodgrass gave the hosts an early helping hand with an inexplicably slack pass in Hearts’ defensive third, and it led to Cammy Devlin bringing Keanu Baccus down. From 25 yards, up stepped Strain with a free-kick that brushed Toby Sibbick and sailed beyond Zander Clark.

Alex Gogic was the man generally tasked with stopping Snodgrass play, stepping forward to hassle the former Scotland international, to his visible annoyance. When Gogic wasn’t on scene, it was Mark O’Hara on his case.

The question, however, was how long they could sustain it. Snodgrass did eventually make a telling contribution the first time he was given some breathing room in a dangerous area; sweeping a cross to the back post that evaded everyone including Saints keeper Trevor Carson to nestle in the back of the net.

Saints left to wonder

Everything about the goal – timing, circumstances – was galling for St Mirren. They’d kept Hearts, comfortably, at arm’s length until that moment shortly after the interval. Their organisation, doggedness and threat on the break had been winning out against the visitors’ attempts to play through them.

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The early opener from Strain, who soon after went off injured, was a deserved one, but they should’ve added to it. Alex Greive was a fraction too late to convert Curtis Main’s ball across the six-yard box; Ryan Flynn fired a decent effort wide and Greive agonisingly volleyed over at the back post from the former’s cross. A point isn’t half bad for Saints either, in the grand scheme, but proceedings ended on a sour note with Fraser’s dismissal following ref Chris Graham’s consultation with the pitchside monitor.

“I was miles away from the red card,” manager Stephen Robinson admitted. “The referee was adamant it was a red but I couldn’t see it. It’s difficult for me to comment.

“It’s disappointing not to have all three points, the game should have been won in the first-half. We were terrific, took the game to them. We scored one and if we got another two it wouldn’t have been unjustified.”