Temple Of Saints - Saints Slaughter Cartman's Cloggers

Bells League Division One 08/11/2003

Saints 3 Clyde 0 League Table Here

Team : Cuthbert, J-Ro, Flash, Bernard, Dods, Maxwell, Peaso, M-Ro Mixu, Sid, McLaughlin
Subs : Nelson, Hay, Parker, Malone, Fotheringham

Well, if we didn't know it already today at least signified the start of the long winter which could make or break our season, with mist, drizzle and all the other ingredients required for a typical Scottish league game. Oh yes and Saints are finally showing the sort of form that wins championships. Of course it wouldn't be Saints without something to spoil the win and today it was a deserved red card for Bernard in the first half for getting involved in a punch-up. Mavis missed out due to doctor's orders but John Robertson was passed fit. Peaso also made the starting lineup in place of Keigan. For the Bully Wee, Halliwell was again missing, although Father Dougal started in defence.

Despite an even start to the game, we had the best of the early chances with M-Ro latching onto a poor clearance from Morrison in the Clyde goal to fire in a long-range shot which went well clear. Then a minute later a long kickout from Cuthbert found Mixu but his header went just wide. Saints looked fairly settled in their play and were knocking the ball about comfortably so you could guess what happened next. A soft freekick was conceded on the edge of the box by Dods. Cartman took the kick which rounded the Saints wall and forced the Cat into a low save. The corner was missed by everyone.

Saints started to put on the pressure and broke the deadlock in the 7th minute. After some great play on the right by Donnelly and J-Ro, the latter sent a lovely cross over to the back post. Mixu was there to hit a neat flick behind the Clyde defence for Peaso to run onto and fire into the net. Three minutes later and we nearly doubled the score. J-Ro broke into the area on the right and from his cutback Peaso turned and hit a first-time shot just over the bar.

M-Ro, who looked more and more like a reincarnated Paul Cherry in midfield was next to try his luck with a long-range shot going well over the bar after a Mixu knockdown. J-Ro picked up a foot knock which required some treatment and Peaso hit a 20-yard effort well wide before the next moment of controversy in the 15th minute. Kernaghan lost the last vestiges of support amongst the home fans after sticking the knee into the back of Peaso. Referee Tom Brown awarded the freekick but took no action against Kernaghan - something which in my opinion affected the actions of the players and the style of game that followed. Anyway from the freekick the ball came to the back post where Bernard headed the ball down and Mixu tried a tap-in. The keeper kept the ball out from behind the line but the linesman somehow decided Mixu had been offside.

Clyde fought their way back into the game and forced a corner after J-Ro needlessly headed over his own bar. Maxwell easily dealt with it though. Cuthbert saved well from a Clyde snapshot before the game exploded in the 27th minute.

Dods (?) went into a tackle on Fraser who, despite having been warned earlier in the game totally lost the plot. That was the cue for all and sundry to wade into the fray and with Fraser and Bernard plainly throwing punches about, once the players had been separated, the referee flashed the red card to both combatants. The game opened up almost immediately into total warfare. Within a couple of minutes McConalogue had been booked for a late foul on Dods. Then the same Clyde player went down next and Maxwell picked up a warning before Clyde's no 2 got booked for a foul on Peaso (who was coming in for a lot of stick from Cartman's Cloggers).

Seven minutes from the break, Peaso almost got his second after intercepting a slack Kernaghan pass. He left the ageing player-coach standing and ran into the box where his angled drive went into the side netting. Two minutes later a long Maxwell ball found Mixu and his 25-yard shot was just wide. At the other end Cuthbert got down well to hold a McConalogue cross.

But two minutes from the break we doubled the lead. Kernaghan tried to play the offside trap against a long ball from Maxwell but Peaso beat the trap and left him standing (again). He sprinted into the box but then took his time with the angled shot. Morrison in goal managed to save it but couldn't hold it and in came Sid (who had sprinted fully 30 yards) to beat the defenders to the ball and stick it into the net despite Clyde's Mensing handling the ball to try and stop it going in. Two-nil and cruising.

The second-half saw Saints switch to a 4-4-1 formation with Peaso going wide right and Sid taking over the Bernard playmaker role in midfield. We were slow to get going and some slack defensive play a few minutes into the half allowed Clyde to set up Hagen on the left but his shot was sclaffed well wide. Saints hit back and should have scored a third when Brian McLaughlin (who came onto a good game) set up Peaso who played the ball to an overlapping J-Ro. His cross found Mixu free in the box but somehow the Finn managed to put a simple header over the bar. A few minutes later Sid saw a shot deflected for a corner and from the set piece the ball broke to Maxie whose first time volley was deflected for another corner.

Maxwell picked up a yellow a minute later for a soft shove on Keogh. Clyde started playing their subs with Gilhanney and Andy Smith coming onto the park (shows how desperate they were when they even thought of playing Smith) - but it was Saints who kept the pressure up with Mixu putting another header over. Then on the hour a great move involving Flash, Mixu and Sid set the latter up on a great run but Mensing put in a good tackle to prevent the shot. Keigan came on for Peaso in the 66th minute. McLaughlin picked up a booking a minute later as Saints began to pile on the pressure. A couple of corners came to nothing and any Clyde counterattack was easily soaked up by the Saints defence with Maxwell and Flash looking solid whilst the midfield were knocking the ball about with ease as the game opened up.

And twenty minutes from time we hit the third to kill the game off with one of the best finishes of the season. Parker was fouled on the right and from the free kick the ball was knocked into the box. Cleared once it was played back to Maxwell on the left and he crossed over to the back post. Mixu was there to rise up majestically and head the ball down where Sid came in and hit a rocket of a shot past the keeper and into the back of the pokey.

Four minutes later and Donnelly should have had a hat-trick when McLaughlin released Parker on the right. Keigan went on a great run and played a neat cutback into the box to Sid but his eventual shot was too weak. As for Cartman's Cloggers, their player-coach was late in on M-Ro but again escaped unpunished. Clyde almost threatened a minute later when the Cat missed out on a 1-on-1 with Keogh. The ball was eventually played into the 6-yard box but Flash was there to clear the danger.

Hay came on for Mixu with 12 minutes to go and a couple of minutes later the referee finally lost patience after Hay was fouled by Kernaghan and the player-coach (who looked so poor you have to wonder at the influence of Weir and Dods on him) picked up a deserved booking. As for the game the action was almost over although Saints were still making chances. Parker had a great run up the right but a lack of support meant the eventual cross was wanting. Five minutes from time Chris Hay, looking sharp, had a good run and beat off a defender before shooting just wide.

Foxy replaced Sid for the last couple of minutes and nearly scored. Hay had a great run and played the ball left to McLaughlin. He had a great run into the box (echoes of Palmerston last week) and cut the ball back to Foxy whose shot went out for a corner. From M-Ro's kick Maxwell had a header down and Hay hit a cracking volley which was just wide of the target. And don't think that a fourth (or even fifth) goal wouldn't have been deserved today.

I can't really think of a weak player on the park today - we took the feet off the gas a bit after the third but from defence to the front line the whole team played well and thoroughly deserved the win. Bernard was an arse for raising his hands but that was the only sour note. MoM for me was close - Peaso and Sid took their goals well and Flash was again excellent in defence. But Mark Robertson ran the midfield and just edges it, as well and convincing me that he's one player we should try and do a deal for come the transfer window.

God it's weird being this confident once more........

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