Sam Cosgrove bailed out a below-par Aberdeen as they drew 2-2 with St Mirren, in a game overshadowed by a serious injury to Tommie Hoban.
The on-loan Watford defender went down in agony on 43 minutes, clutching the back of his leg, as he was stretchered off with the game halted.
The Dons twice went behind against the relegation-threatened Buddies, with Duckens Nazon’s penalty cancelled out by Lewis Ferguson, who looks set to sign a two-year contract extension this week.
Kyle McAllister put Oran Kearney’s side back in front in the second half only for Cosgrove to deliver his 17th of the season to earn a point against the team bottom of the Premiership.
Two changes were made from the side that beat Queen of the South 4-1, with Shay Logan missing out due to an ankle injury and Stevie May dropped to the bench. Mikey Devlin made his first start since November and Niall McGinn also came in.
The home side began in the ascendancy and should have taken a ninth-minute lead through Ferguson, who was taken by surprise that McGinn’s corner reached him at the back post and he could not direct it on target.
McGinn was picking up where he left off against Queens and darted on to a quick free-kick by Gary Mackay-Steven, before delivering a delightful ball across goal that only needed a tap-in.
St Mirren had offered little until they took the lead on 20 minutes, with man-of-the-moment Sam Cosgrove dragging down Paul McGinn in the box. Nazon was fortunate with the penalty as it hit the inside of the post but rolled across goal and in.
Aberdeen had not lost to the Saints since July 2011 and set about levelling immediately, with Cosgrove playing in Stewart but Vaclav Hladky was out quickly to block. Stewart and Hladky both came up limping from the challenge, with the Dons man taking a while to get back to his feet.
The equaliser came on 32 minutes as Ferguson made amends for his earlier miss, nodding in at the back post after Devlin flicked on Mackay-Steven’s cross.
McGinn spectacularly spurned the chance to put Aberdeen into the lead two minutes later, as Stewart squared to him with just the goalkeeper to beat and he ballooned it over the bar.
Pittodrie was silenced two minutes before the break in horrible circumstances, as Tommie Hoban went down in agony as screams could be heard coming from the defender. He went down while trying to turn and clutched the back of his left leg, with the game stopped for five minutes while he had his leg put in a boot and he could be stretchered off.
Hoban had only been back for six games after missing four months with a dislocated shoulder earlier in the season.
It came just before the interval but the lack of momentum in the game continued into the second period. Brad Lyons glanced a header wide from McAllister’s cross in one of few chances before the hour mark.
McAllister delivered a moment of magic just after the hour that further frustrated the home support, after Devlin gave the ball away in the centre circle and Lyons immediately released the forward. He stepped inside Andy Considine in the right channel and curled a wonderful left-footer around Joe Lewis.
Substitute Simeon Jackson could have made it worse for the hosts, as he held off Devlin’s attentions but scooped his effort across the face of goal.
A restless Pittodrie crowd urged their team forward in search of an equaliser and Cosgrove delivered, finishing first time with his left foot from Graeme Shinnie’s cross.