Saints 2 St Midden 2 League Table Here
Team:
Main,Dods,Flash,Dasovic,Weir,McCluskey,Marco,Tommy,Pope, MoMo,JR
Subs: Cuthbert,Nathan,Kiegan,Crozier,Fotheringham
Well that proved the doubters wrong. Despite thinking this would be as bad as last week's boredom today saw one of the most entertaining and incident-packed matches of the season with one of the best goals to boot and Saints oh so unlucky not to take all 3 points. Still on the bright side it leaves the Paisley junkies (with one of the biggest travelling supports of the season) in with a shout and us with the chance of dumping the Arabs to the lower leagues.
As expected Lardboy was kicked out of the team and Flash returned to his rightful role. The other change wasn't so predictable though with Kiegan dropping to the bench to make way for Pope as Saints lined up with a 3-4-3 formation with McCluskey, Weir and Dods at the back and Tommy and JR up front supporting MoMo the striker.
The early part of the game was fairly even although Saints looked well up for it. In the 4th minute MoMo broke down the left side of the park cut back in but his cross-cum-shot went across the goalmouth. Then at the other end a horrendous Dods passback saw Main rush out. His attempted clearance only fell to the feet of a St Midden player and only Dods' block prevented them taking the lead. A few minutes later JR had a good run down the right and combined with MoMo. The ball was cutback to an unmarked Pope who instead of shooting slipped the ball into the box to Dasovic. He was held but still managed to get clear for a shot only to pull it wide. Two minutes later another foul on Le Mo saw him take a quick free-kick to JR who was through unmarked on goal. But he took a touch too many and despite looking like he was fouled Roy saved.
Main made a good save from Tubby Yardley after a bad Weir / Dods mix-up let the fatboy get a shot in but with 12 minutes gone the roof began to cave-in. A free-kick on the left was swung in and despite it looking like a Dods o.g., Tubby rose up to send a looping header over Main to make it 1-0. Ten minutes later and it was time for cock-up number two. Main made a good save from a Gillies long-range effort but failed to hold the ball. Dods and Flash were too slow to react and Tubby boy managed to get in and slip the ball past Main.
Time for the home support to suffer the mass delusion of deja vu and the Sheep match. And it looked like getting worse when JR picked up the first booking for dissent after losing out on a free-kick decision despite Bowman blatantly fouling him.
But the half-hour saw the fightback start. JR made a good run and won us a corner on the left. MoMo sent a lovely ball over and Dods flicked it on and into the net past Roy to make it 1-2. Then a minute later we should have been level. Some persistent play by Marco won another corner. Another great MoMo cross and Weir sent a header down and goalbound only to see it blocked on the line.
The game was being played like a cup-tie and Dougie McDonald started to dish out the cards. Baltacha picked up a yellow for a hack on Tommy as he broke through (and to think his Dad would probably just have won the ball and played on) then Pope sporting a new Lardboy skinhead picked up a card for a moment of mystery.
Five minutes before the break though and the jinx set in. MoMo sent a nice ball through the middle to Tommy. He got into the box before being sent crashing by a Gillies tackle. It took the ref ages to make his mind up but he pointed to the spot and Gillies was sent off. Up steps JR to take the kick and despite sending the keeper the wrong way the ball rebounded off the post. Chic the Prick cheered.
Weir picked up the next yellow just before the break whilst McCluskey picked up a bad knock as well. He didn't reappear after the interval and Kiegan came out instead as we went to a straight 3-4-3 with Flash dropping back. St Midden meanwhile went for the defensive formation - not that you could blame them really.
We started brightly enough and MoMo was unlucky to be caught offside as he broke through to score. Then a free kick saw the ball squared out to Flash on the left. He took a couple of touches before sending a cracking 25-yarder goalwards which Roy did well to tip over the bar. Then MoMo had a nice long-range shot go just over.
Tommy was replaced on the hour mark by the Ginger One and with him, Kiegan, JR and Sylla up front we began to turn on the neat football although it has to be said that Pope was the most creative one of the lot with some good ball holding and distribution.
With 65 minutes gone Kiegan saw a shot well saved and although the rebound fell to Marco (now playing on the left wing) he took too long to make the shot and it was blocked. It didn't really matter though because a couple of minutes later we drew level with one of the candidates for goal of the season. From a MoMo corner, the ball broke back to Pope and he sent a long cross over. Weir headed it back down to JR about 25-yards out and he sent a low first-time volley straight into the net - Roy probably never even saw it.
St Midden were forced to push forward a bit more now and it really opened the game up with plenty of entertainment. Even better was Saints total domination now. JR saw a shot go over the bar and then a MoMo cross cut back across the goal saw a St Midden defender blast the ball over from all of 3 yards out. With 12 minutes to go a cross from Nathan on the right wing was cut back by Kiegan to MoMo only for his rocket to go over the bar. Two minutes later and Kiegan had a great run into the box but Roy saved his shot well.
In the 82nd minute Flash sent a neat ball through to put Kiegan on a good run. A bit of jostling with Baltacha seemed to be 50-50 but of course Dougie McDonald had to do something to wind us up and it was the Saints striker that ended up in the book. Even then we should have wrapped up the points. Nathan and Kiegan missed after a good break and then Kiegan saw a looping header go over the bar.
But the biggest miss of all came in the final minute when a Pope break from midfield to the edge of the away box saw him slip a nice pass to the right where MoMo ran into the box unmarked. Of course he had to go and try and dribble round Roy instead of just putting the ball into the net and the keeper saved.
Still it was a cracking game and despite some shaky moments in defence there was finally plenty of effort and fight in the side today with JR scoring a cracking goal. MoM for me though was Pope. He's improved in leaps and bounds this season and he ran the midfield in the second half and put in more running in the 90 minutes than he did in all of last season. Kiegan and Nathan both looked hungry for goals and with the return of Flash it's safe to say that the left-back position looks solid again.
Now all we need to do is gub the Arabs next week and I might even be happy again.....
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| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
| Celtic | 35 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 85 | 24 | 94 |
| Rangers | 36 | 24 | 4 | 8 | 67 | 35 | 76 |
| Hibs | 35 | 18 | 11 | 6 | 55 | 27 | 65 |
| Kilmarnock | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 42 | 48 | 51 |
| Hearts | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 54 | 50 | 48 |
| Dundee | 36 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 49 | 47 | 44 |
| Aberdeen | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 43 | 48 | 45 |
| Dunfermline | 35 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 33 | 51 | 41 |
| Saints | 36 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 38 | 53 | 39 |
| Motherwell | 36 | 11 | 6 | 19 | 37 | 52 | 39 |
| Dundee United | 35 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 42 | 60 | 26 |
| St. Mirren | 36 | 7 | 5 | 24 | 27 | 68 | 26 |
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