Temple Of Saints - Could have been worse

Bells League Division One 01/11/2003

Queen of the South 1 Saints 1 League Table Here

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

Before today's game, Saints had only lost once in the league at Palmerston since 1951. That's the sort of records which will have to be faced up to this season as the nerves start to show. Having said that, we still dominated the play for most of the game despite a lack of clearcut goalscoring chances and in the end a draw was probably a fair result. Mixu regained his starting jersey up front where he partnered Parker. Mavis failed to make the side so M-Ro continued in the centre of midfield. St. Bernard was skipper for the day. For the Doonhamers Steve Bowey missed out with an ankle injury.

From the start the game was a real end-to-end affair with plenty of action. Our first real chance came in the 2nd minute when M-Ro got the break of the ball and went on a run down the left win. His cross to the back post was met by Donnelly whose cutback across the goalmouth was cleared. Queen of the South countered immediately but Cuthbert saved easily. In the 5th minute Keigan was fouled and the freekick led to our first corner. The ball was crossed over but Bernard's volley went blazing over the bar.

The Cat was quick to react to cut out a low shot in the 7th minute but another shot a couple of minutes later was deflected out for the corner. From it the ball was knocked back to the left and with J-Ro posted missing, McColligan broke into the box and had the time to chip Cuthbert to make it 1-0.

Saints forced their way back into the game and won a couple of corners without really threatening the home goal. Even when we managed to make the room for the shot, the home defence was well marshalled and blocked shots from Parker, Sid and McLaughlin. We were suffering from a lack of movement off the ball with Mixu looking very slow and the midfield sitting back too much. Mixu did set up Keigan for a run down the left in 21 minutes. He cut into the box and even though the cross looked to have been handled, Sid was there with a shot deflected wide. A minute later John Robertson hit a low cross in from the right and Dods turned and hit a good shot that was saved. Then three minutes after that J-Ro chipped the Doonhamer defender and found Bernard who tried a cheeky chip over Colin "Timewaster" Scott but the keeper tipped the ball over the bar.

Maxwell had a good header saved before at the other end Saints were caught napping by a quickly taken QoS freekick but luckily the header from Reid went over the bar. We were still pressing but the chances were few and far between. But in the 42nd minute we had our best move when Sid went through the middle and sprayed the ball out to the right to J-Ro. His cutback looked to be handled by a defender but the ball fell to M-Ro and his shot went over the bar. QoS had a header go over the bar next. But the final chance of the half fell to Saints after McLaughlin was fouled on the left. The freekick was played into the box where Parker had a good volley deflected wide for a corner. But even allowing for Wullie Young adding a reasonable amount of injury time (to compensate for the continual timewasting) we still couldn't break them down.

The home side were first to threaten in the second half when Flash and the Cat had a mix-up over a loose ball with Cuthbert having to look sharp to save at the feet of Bagen. For us, Sid and Bernard had good shots blocked as we kept up the pressure. QoS were on the backfoot and they were trying to kill the game and break the Saints momentum but at least Young was taking some action with a throw-in awarded to Saints for timewasting. Not that QoS didn't threaten with a corner in the 55th minute headed down by Reid towards goal only to be deflected wide. But it was Saints that were pressing. Bernard came close with a shot after Mixu appeared to be fouled in the box and M-Ro forced a good save out of the Timewaster.

And in the 62nd minute we came even closer when after a couple of corners ended in a Bernard header being cleared off the line, the ball broke to M-Ro on the edge of the box and he hit a cracking drive which came back off the crossbar. It looked like were going to be punished a couple of minutes later when, after Wee Brian didn't get a freekick in the middle of the park, QoS broke up the left and a cross to the back post was met by a blue shirt but the effort was somehow blocked and put over the bar by the Cat. The keeper had to look sharp again in 68 minutes to tip a cross over the bar. And from the corner the ball was headed at the back post only for Saints to clear it off the line.

M-Ro picked up a booking a minute later but with 20 minutes left on the clock, Saints finally drew level. The ball was played out to the left where Flash crossed it into the box. It was missed by everyone but fell to Parker. His low cross back across the goalmouth was cleared by a defender. The ball broke to another defender on the left but before he could clear, Wee Brian was there to nick the ball from his feet and let fly with a right-footed drive which took a wicked deflection off a defender to send the Timewaster the wrong way and the ball into the back of the net. Okay so it wasn't the prettiest of equalisers but they all count.

M-Ro came close from a freekick which was cleared then Wee Brian saw his shot blocked after he latched onto a Parker cutback. Sid was next with a low angled shot tipped wide for a corner from which Dods had a header go wide. By now QoS were settling for simply hitting us on the break and Saints couldn't afford to leave too many gaps at the back. The Cat still had a couple of saves to make and Dods made a good clearance off late on. At the other end Parker had a good shot saved from a Mixu knock down.

Peaso replaced Parker now and with four minutes of hectic action left he got onto the end of a good move down the right involving Sid, J-Ro and Bernard only to take too long on his shot and make it an easy save for Scott. Then Peaso prevented a Saints winner when he deflected a netbound M-Ro shot a minute later. As if that wasn't close enough we had another penalty claim refused a minute later. McLaughlin who by now was causing all sorts of problems on the left (even if he and Flash seem to be unable to pass to one another), played a lovely low ball into the box. Bernard and Mixu tried to get to the loose ball but the Saints fans were incensed when the Finn appeared to have his shirt pulled though Wullie Young was having none of it. Then a 50-50 cross from McLaughlin saw Bernard and Scott clash in the box and the ref decide to hold up play for the Timewaster to receive treatment - suffice to say if it had happened to anyone else on the park it's unlikely play would have been stopped or a free-kick awarded.

The injury-time chances came to QoS as they pushed for a late winner but a shot over the bar and a pathetic Petrovesque dive for a penalty got them nothing.

After such a performance it's usual for some criticism to be aimed at the team but to be honest whilst we didn't scale the heights of Ochilview or Dingwall on the performance scale Saints put in a good shift. Mixu didn't look 100% fit and possibly a runout for Hay in his place towards the end might have paid some dividends. Defensively and in midfield we were solid enough against a very confident Doonhamers side and a home defence which is one of the best I've seen all season. As it is my MoM doesn't go to McLaughlin on the left but Bernard in the middle who had one of his best games in a Saints jersey.

We're not top yet but there's no sign of the form slipping either......

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