Saints 3 Accies 2 (aet)
Team : Cuthbert, J-Ro, Forsyth, Bernard, Dods, Maxwell,
Parker, Reilly, M- Ro, Sid, McLaughlin
Subs : Nelson, Malone, Baxter, Mixu, Peaso
It's just as well we got a win bonus tonight cos Mrs Stark will no doubt need the cash to do the laundry and wash the soiled underwear of our esteemed manager who was only seconds away from seeing Saints go out the cup and himself out of a job. Yup with the shoogly peg tottering away it was literally the last kick of the ball in normal time which saw Brian McLaughlin shoot to the top of Billy's Best Buddies list with a low drive into the net to make it 2-2 and bring on extra time. As it is it's still hard to see whether or not the manager will survive what was for the most part a big shambles tonight. Not that we didn't dominate and in the end deserve to win the game but a lack of finishing and a real lethargy / apathy amongst the players gave the impression that the pressure that was being talked about pre-match was just there to be ignored.
Stark rang the changes though with Mixu and Eddie dropping to the bench and McLaughlin and Forsyth getting starting jerseys with Saints going to a 4-4-2 formation with Sid and Keigan the main front men. M-Ro had the first effort within 60 seconds but his long-range shot was well wide and apart from a couple of blocked shots there was little to show for the huff and puff of the Saints effort. In 10 minutes an M-Ro corner to the back post found Parker but his decent shot was blocked. Accies had a decent header go wide but most of the play was coming from Saints even if they struggled to link the moves. Robbo had a run up the right and a pass inside to Parker in 18 minutes and the strikers turn and left-footed shot curved just wide. M-Ro set up the next shot six minutes later with a low cross in from the right and found Bernard in the box but his side-footed shot was weak and just wide of target.
Sid and Parker had a couple of shots but it was already looking like one of those nights even with Dods acting as striker during some of the pressure. M-Ro had a shot go well over and Bernard saw a header well saved from a Parker cross before half an hour had gone. For Accies only a low McPhee shot which the Cat easily held gave us any concern (don't worry it got worse). And if the fans had been silent up until now (the East Stand was as quiet as I've heard it in years) they soon started when a Robbo free kick was passed back instead of turning into an attack. It got worse with a series of corners before the interval and only a Maxie header wide of target to show for the work, and another header which the Accies keeper did well to hold from a Flash cross.
Second-half was much the same with Saints piling on the pressure but unable to turn it into any real attacks. A Bernard punt for Parker to run onto which saw the striker miss the ball totally summed it up really. Bernard had a header go wide in 55 minutes but a couple of minutes later Billy Stark's sigh of relief was plain when we took the lead. J-Ro broke up the right and played a neat 1-2 with Sid. His eventual shot was fumbled by the keeper but Sid was in there to slot home the rebound and make it 1-0. Accies tried to hit back but Dods put in some excellent tackles to keep them at bay.
Saints kept up the attacks and M-Ro saw a shot blocked and then McLaughlin had a run in the box to win a corner. Nothing came of it and then Billy Stark's clean underwear began to suffer. Yup in 70 minutes a soft free kick was conceded on the edge of the box. Accies took it and had all the time in the world for their striker to run and hit a 20-yarder into the top corner of the net. No Saints player bothered to come within a mile of closing him down although the finish was excellent. Cue stunned silence in the home end.
Still we should have regained the lead almost immediately when Parker had a good run into the box and cross which Bernard missed. Then two minutes later a long ball found Sid on the edge of the box and his headed flick down sent Kiegan through with just the keeper to beat - all the time in the world but his low drive went wide of the goal . Flash was bundled over in the box next for what looked to be a good penalty claim but ref Tom Brown was having none of it (about his only bad decision all night though).
Then with 13 minutes to go it all went tits-up. A simple Accies break saw J-Ro lose the ball. One run and waltz past the defence who couldn't tackle to save themselves, a low shot and the ball was in the net, we were down 2-1 and the "Stark Must Go" chants began along with some rather less savoury versions. You could see the players' heads go down.
McPhee almost increased their lead three minutes later but missed the ball when in the box. And in 81 minutes the replacement of Sid by Peaso was met with a chorus of boos (Sid being one of the better players on the night unlike Bernard, M-Ro etc). It seemed like the fates were against us as well when Maxwell had a header off the bar a minute later.
Mixu came on for Parker in 84 minutes to more boos and the phrase "Clutching at Straws" sprung to mind. A minute later Peaso had a good shot saved - the keeper failing to hold onto the ball but as usual there was no follow-up.
The fans were still backing the players but it looked more and more unlikely. In the dying minutes Mixu failed to challenge in the box after a cross came in but luckily the Accies defender conceded the corner. The ball came over and broke to Mavis just inside the box but his shot cannoned back off the post . The ball was cleared out to the wing but Bernard put a tackle in (at last) to win it back. The ball came over and broke free to McLaughlin on the edge of the box and one low drive later the ball was in the net to make it 2-2.
Extra-time started as expected with Saints keeping the pressure on as Accies visibly tired and tried to kill the game off and play for penalties. M- Ro had a shot go wide and then another deflected into the keepers hands. Maxwell picked up a soft booking as Saints looked out of ideas with Mixu especially looking ineffective. Flash had a good shot saved just before the break. Accies managed to get the ball in the net but the offside flag was already up and then just on the whistle Bernard had a good cross in which Mixu headed just wide.
But he made amends in the second period. After a scrappy start Flash went on a run down the left and played a neat 1-2 into the box with McLaughlin. He got to the byeline and sent a good cross over to the back post where an unmarked Mixu had plenty of time to bring the ball down and send a low shot into the back of the net to make it 3-2. And for all you Billy Stark Foldy-Arms watchers suffice to say we saw a season's worth of dugout movement in the next few seconds from the Saints manager. Saints were more in control and dominated the end although there was still some daft moments. Mixu picked up a booking for persistent fouling and Eddie came on for McLaughlin. We had a couple of decent shots blocked and M-Ro had an effort go over the bar whilst Dods was again solid in defence.
No boos at the final whistle tonight. Partly because we were all shocked at the press picking Bernard as sponsor's man of the match (my MoM being Flash), but partly because there was no one to boo at - Saints players and staff vanished up the tunnel quickly enough whilst the losing Accies players went to applaud their fans. Then again the way relations are just now with the Saints boss and fans that's perhaps not surprising.
Even after tonight it's still in my mind a case of "when" more than "if".
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