Temple Of Saints - Still Fighting

Bells League Division One 03/04/2004

Saints 2 Falkirk 1 League Table Here

Team : Cuthbert, Baxter, McQuilken, Vata, Dods, Maxwell, Sid, Reilly, Hay, Taylor, McLaughlin
Subs : Nelson, Parker, Forsyth, Mixu, Stevenson

Another Saturday, another anti-climax? Well not quite as Saints came back from a crap start and going a goal behind to come onto a much improved finish and courtesy of Hay the Half-Fit's brace run out comfortable winners. Robbo and Captain Jim missed out again through injury so Dods had an opportunity to get revenge on Del for the last McDiarmid meeting of the teams. The good news was that Parker had recovered from his sair heid to make the bench. Mixu joined him there and Half-fit Hay had Sid partnering him up front whilst Brian McLaughlin also came into the side. For Falkirk it was like almost Wanted" lineup in terms of players we love to hate with Del and Donkey Ferguson starting for them.

Saints started brightly enough but soon returned to their traditional mediocre home form as the visitors pressed forwards. The tackles were committed with several grudges being settled. But the first real chance came to the Bairns when U-Boat O'Neil had a run through on goal which was only stopped by a Maxwell tackle. Two minutes later and Sid linked well with Hay at the other end but the final ball was cut out.

Saints were living dangerously with the midfield unable to string even a couple of passes together and in nine minutes were deservedly punished. From a Falkirk break Latapy was given too much room to go on a solo run. He rode a soft Vata challenge and with Maxwell standing off him he fired in a low shot past Cuthbert into the net. Not a good start.

We almost equalised within a minute when Hay cut out a clearance but despite his angled effort going under the keeper it was deflected enough to roll along the goalmouth to be cleared. Donkey was caught looking suspect again in the 14th minute when he could only punch clear a Vata freekick. But Saints were struggling although the whistle-happy referee wasn't helping matters. Latapy was allowed to escape unpunished for a dive and then McLaughlin was booked for a 50-50 challenge on McPherson which left the Falkirk defender needing treatment.

Rahim forced a good save from Cuthbert in 20 minutes when his low drive was blocked by the keeper after our defence failed to clear or even make contact with the cross. At the other end, Sid's persistence paid off in forcing a corner. From it Donkey failed to hold the cross but a lack of blue shirts meant Lee had no difficulty clearing the ball. The big striker hit a good shot wide next then in the 25th minute Darren Dods headed a corner just wide. But for all the chances we looked very disjointed with too many passes going astray. McAnespie was next to try his luck after managing to stay on his feet for five minutes with a curling chip going just over after he outpaced Baxter. O'Neil sclaffed a sitter wide in 33 minutes which at least gave the East Stand a laugh.

Mavis picked up a stupid booking for dissent 4 minutes from the break. Then a minute later, McLaughlin had a run and set up Baxter. He sent a great cross over which Stuart Taylor rose up to head the ball in only for the Donkey to tip it over the bar. But justify was done in 45 minutes. McAnespie conceded a freekick. It was sent into the box where we won a corner. McLaughlin floated the ball over, the Donkey missed it completely and Hay was there at the back post to stick it into the roof of the net to make it 1-1.

It looked like Saints had a kick up the backside during the break because they came out for the second-half looking a lot hungrier. But three minutes into the half, we nearly slipped up when McQuilken was short with a passback and Rahim almost reached it before Cuthbert - once he missed out though he still managed a dive in the box. It was the referee who was turning into our biggest obstacle with some strange decisions with even Billy Stark getting a telling off from the referee for questioning a decision. Saints were continuing to make chances.

In the 55th minute, McLaughlin and Taylor combined to set up Hay but his weak shot was easily held by the Donkey. Baxter won a corner in 64 minutes and from it Dods came close with a header at the back post. Maxwell failed to get the rebound and when the ball broke out Sid's shot was deflected clear. Four minutes later and Sid set up Taylor for a run. His shot was blocked but the ball came out wide to Baxter who blasted a 20-yarder just over the bar - if it had gone in it would have been goal of the season. Falkirk came back into the game and the pace picked up as it turned into a real end-to-end tussle. But we were making the more clearcut chances. McLaughlin sent in a cross 12 minutes from time which Reilly headed down to Hay but his shot was held with the striker looking knackered.

Keigan came on for the last 10 minutes but replaced Taylor. Two minutes later he won a free kick on the right. The ball came into the box but Dods' header was blocked and when it came back in both Hay and Maxwell just failed to make contact. Sid was next to try his luck in the 84th minute with a decent run across the box and a turn and shot which went just over the bar. From the goalkick though the ball fell to Dods in the Saints half and he let rip with a long punt to Hay. With only Yogi the Slow to get in his way, Hay easily outpaced him and fired a low shot past the Donkey into the net to make it 2-1 and ensured he wasn't too slagged off for the rest of the game.

The Weans weren't out of it though and Nicholls put a shot just over a minute later. Mixu replaced Hay for the last couple of minutes and just after that Hughes should have seen red for a blatant elbow on Keigan as he broke down the left but the referee let him off with just a booking. Even then the Falkirk manager went in on Mavis in injury time for a foul which deserved at least a second booking.

In the end Saints deserved the win even if we weren't playing much in the way of flowing football. Defensively we still looked shaky with Maxwell and Vata having poor games. Baxter was excellent at right-back though and McQuilken put in a good shift. Taylor came into a good game in the second-half as did most of the rest of the team. MoM for me goes to Donnelly who ran his arse off and along with McLaughlin was our most creative player.

It's not over yet......

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