Hamilton Accies 1 Saints 1 League Table Here
Team : McGregor, Pamela Anderson, Fotheringham, Hannah,
Rutkiewicz, Maxwell, Baxter, McCann, McConalogue, Moore, Sheerin
Subs : Cuthbert, Hardy, Tait, Hay, McManus
Another Saturday and another big game as Saints made the trip to Accies looking to come back with all three points from the home of the plastic pitch. Unfortunately after the faint hope that we'd turned the corner over the last week or so, it was back to earth for Saints as the players turned in another insipid, half-hearted performance to settle for a point - an attitude which didn't go down too well with the travelling support. Things need to improve on the park.
With Webb's knee keeping him out of the side, Rustybitz started at the back. The midfield got a shake-up with Hardy and McManus dropped to the bench with Hannah and McCann coming in. Ryan Stevenson dropped out completely.
The game started 10 minutes late, partly due to the traffic problems in the west and partly to allow time for the announcer to get in a bitchy comment about some Saints fans watching the game from the retail park behind the goal - no mention of the fair-sized contingent of home fans there though. Still the non-payers saw Saints almost take the lead in the second minute. Baxter had a good run up the right and cut in to send a low cross into the box. The ball was cleared out by a defender but only as far as Sheerin who proceeded to indulge in some keepie-uppy along the edge of the area before trying a chip shot from the edge of the box which the McEwan managed to hold.
Still just to prove that we hadn't completely adopted the sexy samba style of the Brazilians, a minute later Hannah hit his first punt up the park of the afternoon. Accies kept up the pressure and Maxwell deflected a shot over the bar in the 8th minute. At the other end McConalogue freekick found Moore but his header was easily held. Three minutes later and we should have taken the lead. Moore released Sheerin down the left and his cross went over for Stef, who sent a low ball into the 6yd area. He found McCann But his diving header was deflected onto the crossbar by McEwan who held the rebound.
Saints had another freekick wasted in the 13th minute and from it Accies broke up the park, won a freekick and sent the ball into the area forcing RobRoy to tip it over the bar. The game had turned into a scrappy dull affair with neither side able to get flowing moves going. The pitch wasn't helping with some strange bounces catching out the more experienced players but that was no excuse for some of the pathetic passing we were forced to witness.
It took until the 27th minute for Saints to threaten the home goal. Hannah won a freekick and from it, the ball was played to McConalogue who cut into the box via a nutmeg before trying an angled shot which went across the goal and just wide. Then a Fozzy freekick found McCann but his head flick was saved. Baxter had a shot go well wide but there was no sign of any of the good linking midfield play we saw in midweek. Too often we didn't move to space off the ball or just hit the ball more in hope than intent. The half ended with Pamela winning a corner that was easily cleared and a Moore low cross into the box met with the same fate. And to round things off, the players went off at the break with Moore led up the tunnel by Weir after the Saints striker came in for some hefty challenges.
If further proof were required that Saints had slipped back into their old habits it came within a minute of the restart as with a nasty echo of the Love Street Experience we went to sleep and conceded a goal. A simple break from defence saw Accies break up the park, the ball was played out to Corcoran on the left. He got behind the chaos of the Saints defence and fired an angled shot past RobRoy and into the net. Not the perfect start to the second period. But with the home fans still celebrating, Saints drew level. Pressing forward from the kick-off, the ball went out to Pamela on the right and he played a neat chip forward to Baxter. Beaky cut into the box and played a lovely cross / shot which flew over past a static McEwan and into the net, for a goal reminiscent of his equaliser at Airdrie in the cup a few years ago.
Any hope that the game would open up was quickly dashed though as both teams soon returned to the scrappy play of the first half. Moore did get onto the end of a 53rd minute McConalogue ball but despite getting through his shot went well over the bar. Accies best chance came a few minutes later when Keogh blasted a cross over the bar. And with twenty minutes left, another ball into the Saints box found McPhee who had plenty of room to hit a downward header that brought out a fantastic reaction block from RobRoy's legs although the keeper had to look lively when the ball was played back in and McPhee had another free header - with the end result being a shouting match between Fotheringham, Maxwell and Rustybitz.
Tait came on for Baxter but Saints still lacked the push on either flank - whenever Pamela got forward, the defence was left open, while Sheerin seemed to be allergic to the left touchline. The game was a dull affair and despite all the urging on from the Saints fans, the players seemed out of ideas. And after McGregor took an age to take a goal kick he earned a comment from some of the fans which he didn't take well to - perhaps showing a bit of urgency and desire to win the game might have been more beneficial. McManus replaced McCann who despite looking short of match fitness had a reasonable game but for all our efforts in chasing a winner the best we saw was a Sheerin shot that went miles wide of the goal. And with the seconds counting down Hay came on for Stef as Saints were attacking, which was bizarre in it's own right. Mind you maybe Connolly knew we didn't look like adding to the tally.
MoM for me was Stef McConalogue who almost scored and did plenty of running. But other than Baxter's goal there wasn't much in the way of diamonds in the dross and we can only hope that the boos from the fans as the players trudged off the park might have some effect - because today's show simply isn't good enough.
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| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
| Clyde | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| St Mirren | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 11 |
| Falkirk | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 10 |
| Partick Thistle | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Ross County | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| Queen of the South | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Hamilton | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Saints | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
| Airdrie | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 4 |
| Raith | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
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