Temple Of Saints - The Fight's Still On

Bells League Division One 15/02/2003

Saints 2 ICT 0 League Table Here

Team : Cuthbert, Baxter, J-Ro, M-Ro, Dods, Maxwell, Noble, Murray, JR, Paddy, Tommy
Subs : Miotto, Ferry, Forsyth, Hay, Parker

Well if there was any doubt that Saints can still mount a late challenge for the title it vanished by 4.45 today when the second goal hit the net. Sure the goals were late coming but when you're up against such a defensive- minded formation and a referee of Freeland's dubious quality then it's always going to take some time for truth to win through. But in the end justice was done and the home support saw one of the best fighting performances of the season. Marco and Reilly both missed out so Stark shifted the midfield about and went for a 5-3-2 formation with overlapping wing backs in Baxter and J- Ro (still rubbish on the left side). Paddy, JR and M-Ro made up the midfield behind Tommy and Cher Noble up front with Murray and Maxwell joined by Dods in defence. Hay was relegated to the bench.

We had some good early pressure but Caley Thistle were more than happy to keep plenty of men behind the ball. Still in the 3rd minute JR managed to find Baxter on a run on the right with a long ball only for the youngster to be ruled offside (stattos please note that this was about the only decent decision from Freeland all afternoon). A couple of minutes later we forced our first corner when Tommy had a run down the left and his cross found Paddy whose shot was deflected. The kick was headed clear but Saints kept up the pressure and Noble linked with J-Ro 3 minutes later and his cross was met by JR but put out for another corner.

Of course with Saints doing so well and Noble winning and holding plenty of the ball, Freeland decided to get involved and booked the youngster for having his shirt pulled. The home support wasn't exactly chuffed but this was only the beginning of a hate-hate relationship with the official for the afternoon. Noble especially was being fouled every time he got the ball but Freeland obviously believes the press these days and refused the free kicks.

M-Ro and JR linked well to release Tommy in 20 minutes into the box but with the Dane poised to shoot, Noble was ruled offside. Three minutes later Caley were taking their time to clear the ball and JR stepped up, robbed the defender and let fly from 23 yards only for his shot to go just wide. A minute later ICT picked up their first yellow when the no 6 was penalised correctly for hauling down Noble as he broke free. Saints were handling any breaks from the Highlanders easily and it wasn't until the 25th minute before we conceded our first corner although it was easily dealt with. At the other end Tommy had a good break to the byeline only for his cross-cum-shot to be saved. Paddy and J-Ro linked well on the left but the final cross was pathetic (and typified Robertson's afternoon).

Freeland got back into our bad books ably assisted by the useless tosser of a linesman at the East Stand when despite being a mile offside ICT were able to force a corner. The Cat rose to punch the ball clear and Maxwell did well to charge down the follow-up before Baxter conceded another corner that we cleared. Saints kept up the pressure though and we were dominating the game without creating much in the way of clear-cut chances. Of course Maxwell and M-Ro were being penalised for any challenge. But we made the best chances and in 41 minutes a JR free-kick was flicked onto Paddy in the box but his shot went across the goal and wide. And then 3 minutes later M-Ro went on a mazy run only to be tackled in the box.

J-Ro had a weak shot next before the next bout of controversy. Stand-in skipper JR picked up a deserved booking but in the final minute Tommy was released down the left. The ICT no6 dropped holding his face, the ref ignored it and Tommy's cross was met by Paddy's head and forced a cracking save from the keeper. But the ref then checked the Caley Thistle player and allowed him to receive treatment. Now in my mind it was either a foul or else the player dived - the latter would have meant a red card. Just another example of how to keep the fans happy.

Caley Thistle started livelier in the 2nd half and forced an early corner but we broke up the park only for the assistant ref (who couldn't spot offsides in the first half) to waken up and start pointing the flag. Tommy and Noble both suffered from these dodgy decisions. Elsewhere ICT were winning a series of soft free-kicks which more than annoyed Billy Kirkwood on the touchline. The defence held firm and the best chance came to Saints in 56 minutes when Paddy broke down the right and slipped the ball to Noble in the box. His turn and shot went wide but Freeland decided it was a foul anyway. Crazy.

As if that wasn't bad enough a Paddy shot which was plainly handled on the edge of the box was ignored by the ref a minute later. Kiegan came on for Tommy on the hour mark and within a minute got onto the end of a Baxter ball and turned and shot only to hit just wide. With the ref winding up the fans and players Saints were fighting for everything by now with Paddy, JR, Noble and M-Ro outstanding at not giving the opposition any time on the ball.

And in 62 minutes the game boiled over again. Caley won a corner which the Cat punched clear to JR. He ran out and laid the ball through to Noble up the left. He went to the edge of the box with Paddy and Keigan in the middle but was tackled in the box. However at the same time Parker went down injured. However Freeland took ages to let the Saints player get treatment and when Parker was limping off the park to be replaced by Hay, Keigan let the ref know that he'd been kicked by a defender as he went forward. Freeland had none of it though and we had the sight of a sub going off injured and being booked into the bargain. Talk about squeezing a lot into 3 minutes. Of course that just got Saints riled and the tackles started to go in heavily with Freeland losing the plot - foul throws, offsides and pushes are ignored when the offender was from a team up North. With a nagging doubt that all the good work would be for nothing, the Cat restored some faith with a great save in 73 minutes after a Caley corner wasn't cleared.

The opposition were starting some timewasting tactics to kill the game but at the same time they hit us on the break and with 14 minutes left a cross from their right was knocked back across the goal and a volley went over the bar. Saints had some chances as well though. Paddy and Baxter won a corner and from it J-Ro headed the ball on and Maxwell came close with a header which went wide. But with 6 minutes left we finally broke the deadlock. M-Ro hit a cross in which Noble tried to get to but a defender headed it wide. The corner came in and was cleared to M-Ro on the edge of the box. His shot was sclaffed / deflected into the box where Hay was first to react and from 8 yards he blasted the ball into the roof of the net.

Caley tried to make a game of it now and with the token 15 minute injury time being added on by Freeland Saints went for the kill although we had to look lively in defence. M-Ro saw a 25 yarder go well over and Noble had a header go wide in injury time. But in the 93rd minute we broke from defence with JR, Paddy, Hay and Noble against 2 defenders. JR released Paddy who held the ball brilliantly whilst Noble and Hay got themselves onside (Noble especially looked knackered). He slipped the ball left to Hay who ran into the box and released a low drive past the keeper, into the net to round things off.

What can I say about the performance - take away Tommy who struggled at times (and doesn't look comfortable on the left with J-Ro behind him) and J-Ro who again failed to put a decent cross in and we had a cracking team with hardly a weak link in it from Cuthbert at the back to Noble up front. MoM for me goes to M-Ro though just ahead of Paddy for putting in another great fighting performance. As for up front Noble had a great game although he tired towards the end. Unfortunately he looks like being another target for the referees.

Season's not over yet......Bring on the Larssonless Ones.

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