Head coach Steven Naismith is sure he can arrest Hearts’ alarming slump after an eighth successive loss away to St Mirren left the Edinburgh club at the foot of the Scottish Premiership.

Poor defending at set-pieces was the theme in Paisley. Both teams scored from their first corner kicks, with Gerald Taylor losing his bearings when trying to mark Richard Taylor and heading Mark O’Hara’s delivery into his own net.

Hearts levelled soon after as Craig Halkett glanced home a flat cross from Blair Spittal.

The visitors were looking the more menacing side but more slack play at the back handed the initiative to St Mirren.

On 34 minutes, Killian Phillips nodded on a long free-kick and Toyosi Olusanya was quickest to the loose ball, lashing it high into the net.

Olusanya fired the wrong side of the post from close range early in the second half, Kevin van Veen whistled a couple of efforts wide, and Roland Idowu was denied by Craig Gordon as St Mirren registered their first Premiership victory since the opening weekend.

Hearts barely mustered a chance after the interval and remain rooted to the bottom of the table, without a win this season.

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