Saints 0 Clyde 1 League Table Here
Team : Main, Robbo, Marco, McCluskey, Murray, Maxwell,
McCann, Reilly, Hartley, Paddy, Hay
Subs : Cuthbert, Keigan, Stevenson, Dods, Ferry
Statistics have always been the bane of any Saints fan. Unfortunately the ones after today's disaster make less than pleasant reading. Two points from 12 is a disgrace for Saints in this league, although when you see a striker like Paddy "I missed again" has a scoring record for Saints of 14 goals in 5 years(!) then it's no real surprise. In the past Saints have lost managers like Clark and McLelland after real humpings on the park. Unfortunately judging by the reaction in the stands today when the players were booed off the park, Stark's time has also come and gone. The knives are out and the peg's gone all shoogly.
We had our suspicions early on. Main returned in place of Cuthbert but Paddy and Hay kept their starting places with Parker and Stevenson (remember creative players) stuck on the bench, along with new face Mark Ferry in for the departed Craig Russell.
Saints started brightly enough and within the first couple of minutes the crosses were going into the box leaving Alan Kernaghan doing his best Cartman impressions to organise his defence. But for a clue as to how this afternoon was likely to turn out, in the 2nd minute, Robbo (for the first time this season) beat his man and cut into the box and to the byeline and cut the ball back where Paddy managed from all of 2yds out to sclaff his shot and hit the post. A couple of minutes later and Reilly and Hartley teamed up but the latter's shot was far too soft. Same old story - you can have the shot on target or powerful but not both at McD these days.
Saints were having some pressure with Hartley and Marco both having shots blocked but the Cartman Shouting Show made sure we were being marked at every opportunity and with the Saints midfield struggling to break past such a pacy classy opposition midfield as Millen and Kane (McCann was having a nightmare.....again) there was little sign of a goal coming. Then in 20 minutes it all went wrong....again. A fairly harmless attack saw a stramash in the box and Nish left on his arse with either McCluskey or Marco the guilty party in ref Kenny Clark's eyes. Up stepped Hinds to take the spot kick and easily beat Main to make it 1-0.
Saints then showed that they'd learnt sod all in the last couple of weeks with shape and discipline out the window. Passes went all over the place and there was little movement or signs of teamwork. And as for the manager - suffice to say the arms stayed folded. Marco managed to get a decent cross over but Paddy and Robbo both managed to appear too late to make any contact int he box and then after Paddy won a soft free-kick outside the box Hartley's weird semi-dummy effort ended up in a weak cross. Paddy managed a decent run to the byeline in the 25th minute but his cutback was missed by McCann and Hay's attempt at the rebound was blocked. Three minutes later Hartley got a deserved yellow for a blatant dive in the box - after a booking for dissent last week let's hope the management do something to punish him for being such an arse.
Hartley had a shot over the bar and then McCann and Robbo set up Hartley for a weak shot that was saved. Clyde's attacks at this time were limited to Saints poor passing and defending with Maxwell and Reilly having real problems. The first real signs of discontent in the stands appeared 3 minutes from the break when Paddy made a good run up the left, got to the byeline and cut inside only to take ages over the ball and be bundled off it - cue for the boos to start. And they got worse in injury time when (after Maxwell was booked) Clyde missed a total sitter as Saints failed to clear their lines.
Things must have looked bad to Stark as well, McCann was yanked at half-time and Stevenson came on the park. Saints started well but the stupid, simple mistakes still cost us. A Hartley corner in 52 minutes saw a McCluskey header dropped by the Clyde keeper and no blue shirt there to get the rebound. Maxwell started giving the ball away and we looked down and out despite having most of the possession and forcing a series of corners.
In 57 minutes the home fans finally managed a half-hearted cheer with Paddy finally replaced by Keigan and straight away Parker began to cause problems on the right wing (yeah I know, we all thought that was Robbo's job as well). The first run forced a corner and from it Maxwell's knock down fell to Stevenson who's volley was well saved. Hay had a shot saved and then after a Parker run Stevenson ended up with another shot being saved. The Rocket should have got the equaliser with 25 minutes left as he was unmarked on the end of a Robbo pass into the box but somehow he managed to show how much he's fitting in with the current Saints side and blasted his effort over the bar with the goal gaping.
Five minutes later Marco saw his effort over the bar when he got onto a Rocket cutback. Hartley had the next effort when his 25-yard free-kick went just wide after Parker was fouled on the edge of the box. But the game was fairly scrappy with Saints looking like they'd never score even if Clyde left the park.Parker had our last real effort with 6 minutes to go as Saints desperate attack ended up in Rocket playing keepy-up on the byeline to get a decent cross over. Hartley knocked it down but Parker's shot was saved.
Ferry came on for Hartley but the last effort of the game fell to Alan Kernaghan who's 25-yarded went just over the bar of Main's goal, ironic given how little they'd troubled him since the penalty. But that was it for the home fans - "Stark must go" resounded round the ground only to be drowned out by the boos at the final whistle.
No point in awarding a MoM for me - there wasn't one (although the sponsors somehow gave it to Parker!!). Stevenson, Murray, Main, Marco, Parker and Reilly had decent games but nothing more. Saints looked like a leaderless side, bereft of ideas and showing no signs of any of the teamwork or style which we need to get out of this league. The players aren't blameless but it's obvious now that the management haven't got what it takes to turn things round.
Another autumn's here so looks like another change is needed to save another season. Some things never change.
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| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
| Falkirk | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 7 | 22 |
| Caley Thistle | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 16 |
| Saints | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 15 |
| Ayr United | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 14 |
| Clyde | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 12 |
| St Mirren | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 16 | 12 |
| Ross County | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 10 |
| Arbroath | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 9 |
| Queen of the South | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 8 |
| Alloa | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 5 |
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