Temple Of Saints - Bugger

Scottish Premier League - 09/02/2002

Scumdee 1 Saints 0 League Table Here

Team: Miller, Lynch, Tommy, Murray, Weir, Dods, Maher, JR, Sammy, Kiegan, Kane
Subs Cuthbert, Jones, Dasovic, Falconer, McCluskey

Whilst for the first time in ages Saints actually managed to raise their game and interest levels and show some fight for their SPL future at the end of the day we've still come off worst against a fairly average side. And although Stark will probably survive a bit longer (going by the team getting applauded off the park for the first time this year) it still looks likely that next year's local derby will be against Arbroath.

As usual we had several changes in the side with Martin Maher coming in at right midfield to make his first start for the team. Kano returned to partner Murray in the middle of the park with only the bench for Dasovic. Lynch moved to right back in place of McCluskey.

We started brightly enough on the surface which doesn't even deserve to be described as a pitch (there were so many hillocks and bumps that you have to wonder what mysteries might be buried under the sparse grass on top. But that's Scumdee for you). But despite that the first real chance of the game came to the Ariel Avoiders who won an early corner which saw Rae end up heading just wide. We should have heeded the warnings.

Saints tried to get back into the game and for a change we were playing some neat passing football. Lynch sent a good pass over for Sammy to flick down for Kiegan only for his shot to be well blocked. Then in the 8th minutes a Hartley free kick on the right saw Sammy get his header on target - pity is was easily held by Victor Spinetti (I think that's what the garbled PA called him) in goal. Five minutes later and Dods blocked a shot by a Lux-Loather. Kane took over and sent a good ball to Weir who passed to Sammy on the wing. He cut the ball to Hartley who sent it right to Kiegan. Okay, so it didn't come to much but when was the last time you recall us piecing together 4 passes in a row.

It wasn't all one-way though and an attack by the ugliest of Dove-Dodgers in Walrus Caballero saw him put through on goal. With the inevitable sharp intake of breath by the away support the Walrus stopped to scratch his fleas allowing Lynch to come in and make a great tackle. In 17 minutes any doubts about the players being up for the game were banished. A Spinetti throw out went out of play by the home technical area. Cue Big Jim Weir to sprint up, barge the Ice Cream Salesman in the dugout out of the way to take the shy. Whinges from the Italians in the vicinity and big laughs from the Saints fans.

We were living dangerously though and in 24 minutes some nightmare positioning by the defence and midfield left a wide open path between Miller and that Chinese bloke who from 25 yards out send in a low shot which came back off the right hand post. Kiegan picked up the first booking of the game for a late challenge at the corner flag - possibly deserved buy strange how when Hartley was on the end of a similar challenge in the 2nd half the Shield Shirker went unpunished.

Our best chance came on the half-hour mark when a neat through ball saw Kiegan beat the Scumdee offside trap. His chip shot was blocked by Spinetti. The ball broke to the left to Sammy but he took too long to line up a shot and ended up crossing over to the unmarked Maher at the back post. The teenager cut in and sent a great chip shot goalwards only to see it come off the bar. Within a minute we had another great chance only for Sammy to see his header go just over. The Walrus went off in 33 minutes in a major huff as he was subbed and replaced by Milne.

And 8 minutes later he was involved as the Daz-Dodgers took the lead. Several soft attacks by Scumdee saw us fail to clear our lines. In the end the ball broke out of the area to Torres who unmarked sent a low sclaff of a shot in from 25 yards. It might have taken a deflection and definitely took several bounces as it trickled over the line but you have to question the length of time Miller took in trying to get down to save the shot. And right on the stroke of half-time Miller was forced into making a great save from Ketsbaia who sent a long-range rocket goalwards - although the Saints midfield gave him far too much room to line up these sort of shots over the whole 90 minutes.

Half-time saw the usual level of "entertainment" from the Dens Park gang. So can I make a plea now that it's time that we began to annoy and work up the opposition fans a bit at McDiarmid - I'm sick of heading to Dens and East End Park to hear these wonderful farmer jokes. Still I suppose they don't have ugly cheerleaders at Gayfield do they?

Goalden Graeme replaced Kiegan (apparently suffering from groin tightening according to Stark) for the 2nd half and within a minute of the restart he had an impact when a Tommy cross in from the left saw Jones and Sammy crowded out in the box. The ball broke but it took a dive from Fan (the -ny is silent apparently) to kill the attack. The play went straight up the park and it took a Tommy clearance on the line to keep the score at 1-0 and then the crossbar came to our rescue as Ketsbaia sent another 25-yarder goalwards. Saints were struggling to piece together any attacks and whilst Tommy was about our only weak link in defence both Murray and Kane were unable to get any decent tackles in in midfield.

Maher on the other hand was having a great game and in 57 minutes he sent a good cross into the box. Unfortunately it caught Jones off-balance and his eventual header was weak and easily saved. The Radox Revilers didn't look that great themselves though which made it all the more frustrating. The hour mark saw Maher get a good cross in to Sammy. But the Dane was crowded out in the box and unable to get a shot in (the lack of support from midfield didn't help though) and then Jones put in a cross only for Sammy to just beaten to the ball by Spinetti.

At the other end Miller managed to drop the ball at a corner and then in 65 minutes a through ball into the box for Sara saw the ref correctly blow for offside. It didn't stop Sara heading in and making contact with Miller. End result was a flattened Sara being stretchered off as Miller just shook himself down and got on with the game.

Three minutes later the action was back in the penalty box at the other end as Lynch sent a long ball to Jones in the box. He knocked it down to Hartley who slipped it wide to Sammy. He managed to turn but the shot was just over the bar. He had a header save a minute later from a Lynch ball and then a minute later Hartley sent a ball in for Sammy who slipped it to Jones only for the ref to blow for a foul as we almost looked like scoring. As the attacks increased the midfield looked slower and Kane didn't help matters when he was caught in possession a couple of times.

But with 15 minutes to go all the anger turned on Spinetti. Tommy sent a ball to Hartley who chipped it into the box for Sammy - he gave the ball to Jones only for his shot to be well saved. The ball broke to Hartley and his shot was saved. But as Spinetti dropped the ball and it broke loose to Jones he held his head in a brilliant piece of acting forcing the ref to stop the game. A minute later they'd broken up the park and after breaking free of Tommy (who looked well out of it today) it took a Jim Weir tackle on the byeline to save the day. The pace was fairly hectic now as well and when Sammy was fouled by Del Rio but the free kick was awarded the other way even Stark was getting animated.

Unfortunately Sammy was taken off with 10 minutes to go as he too suffered from muscle strains. On came Falconer but despite winning a couple of headers looked, like Kane, to be off the pace. He did manage a good header on target and Jones had another attempt but the last few minutes saw us tire quickly and the heads finally went down.

MoM for me was Jim Weir - he looked solid at the back and put in plenty of great tackles as well as giving us some entertainment with his anti-Bonetti dugout antics. Martin Maher looked well worthy of a starting jersey next week and Lynch had one of his best games at right-back. Up front Sammy, Kiegan and Jones all put in good shifts and unlike last week we fought for every ball. Hartley was back to his usual form but the weak links were Murray (who just doesn't look comfortable in the centre of midfield), Kane (looked done in after an hour) and Tommy (looked slow and too defensive). It doesn't look like we'll get the points to stay up - but with the side showing some fight and passion it does mean that the calls for the management's head have been put off for another week.

But time's running out Saints....

This Match Report is copyright Temple Of Saints - not to be reused without permission. Contact webmaster@grange.demon.co.uk.

Remember to vote on todays ref Ian Fyfe send marks out of 10 to refvote@grange.demon.co.uk or just select a rating and press the button below ::

Saints Index Fixtures Index Grange Index

Any problems / comments mail webmaster@grange.demon.co.uk