Saints 2 Accies 0 League Table Here
Team : Cuthbert, Tait, Fraser, Hannah, Rutkiewicz,
Maxwell, Stevenson, Sheerin, Hay, Moore, Malone
Subs : Nelson, McConalogue, Marshall, Foxy, Baxter
The sun was shining, the pitch was immaculate and the hopes were high. Even SuperSaint looked up for the new season. And for a change the new boys live up to their billing with what was in the end a comfortable win over a team that could have caused an upset.
Bernard was suspended and Hardy and Flash missed out through injury. But into the side came new signing Paul Sheerin (possibly just to confuse the moaners even more with another strange face to shout at!). Stephen Fraser got the nod in defence and up front Moore had Hay alongside him in preference to McConalogue.
And we got off to an almost perfect start. After an even opening few minutes, Chris Hay got the break of the ball and passed to Moore in the Accies box. He took a poor touch but as he went to get the loose ball, he was clumsily and needlessly tripped a he faced away from goal. Referee McDonald had no hesitation in pointing to the spot (obviously suffering from sunstroke given that he broke the Ancient Code by giving Saints a penalty). Anyway Captain Hannah didn't need any encouragement and grabbed the ball, placed it on the spot and blasted home the sort of spot- kick that Beckham and Vassel have wet dreams about.
You'd have thought that Saints would press home their advantage but for some reason, we seemed content to play route one stuff with the strikers unable to create any clearcut chances. defensively we were fairly sound with Rutkiewicz and Maxwell playing well together and containing the Accies attack. It didn't stop the odd nervy moment and in 12 minutes one dangerous cross was completely missed by the defence. Saints broke up the park and in some neat build-up play, Moore was involved in spreading the ball about like a Dairylea triangle, first to Eddie on the left wing and then Ryan on the opposite flank with the latter cutting into the box before trying a curling shot that was just over. Accies tried to get back but the game became more and more scrappy with niggling challenges and some poor decisions spoiling the game.
Saints looked comfortable enough but it was obvious that one goal wasn't going to be enough but our main threat in Moore was being well-marked (that's marked as in bruised and kicked). Ryan won our first corner in 26 minutes but it was easily cleared. Three minutes after that Hannah, who was having a quiet game, released debut boy Sheerin through the centre of midfield with a simple ball, and the new signing tried his luck from 20 yards out but his dipping shot was just over. Six minutes after that and it was time for another nail-biting, hide-behind- the-setee moment at the Saints end, when an Accies cross from the right was met by Larsson impersonator Ian Maxwell with a diving header behind to prevent a goal . See the effect fatherhood has on him? Last season it would have been an own goal worthy of the legendary Dods!
Hamilton kept pressing and it wasn't until the 41st minute we cleared our lines properly with Ryan finally given the chance to go for a run up the wing. He eventually cut the ball back to Sheerin who tried a chip which was just over. The half ended with another Accies attack getting past Fraser but Cuthbert made a great low save.
Hamilton came out after the break looking like they'd had a bollocking (Maitland probably just threatened them with a forced viewing of his 100 best Scotsport punditry appearances). Saints meanwhile looked more nervous but, whereas last season we might have seen this show in the performance, Saints looked a lot more convincing even when under some steady pressure. The tackles were a lot better and most were won first- time while the two centre-halfs were winning most of the aerial battles. Most of all though every blue shirt was willing to come back and help out. We still made some chances. Five minutes in and Rutkiewicz found Moore out left with a long ball. The striker headed the ball down and cut in but the ball across goal went begging. Cue for the Saints striker to egg on his teammates with a cry of "Come on Super Saints!!!" - hmmmm, not a lot to say to that one.
Eddie was coming onto a decent game. He had a chip into the box headed clear in 53 minutes then sixty seconds later was back in his own 6-yard box for some classy defending. Then Accies had their best chance to draw level when a cross in from the left found their no. 6 unmarked, but his well-placed downward header was brilliantly saved by Cuthbert. Back at the other end another long ball found Moore in the box but his first time volley was tipped over the bar. From the resulting corner, Moore saw his shot blocked.
Then the game changed in 66 minutes. Accies sent a ball into the box which Tait chested down and cleared. With the referee waiving away their claims for a penalty, Saints went straight up the park and a ball to Moore found him through on goal. One cool-as-a-frozen-cucumber chip later, the ball was in the net, Saints were 2-0 up and the game was effectively over. Five minutes later Eddie almost made it three when he latched onto the end of a decent Hannah cross into the box but his snapshot was blocked.
Saints were playing pretty well by this point and the midfield pairing of Hannah and Sheerin were coming more and more into the game as they acted as the main channel for feeding the forwards. On the flanks Eddie and Ryan were getting forward more as Accies seemed to be running out of ideas. Sheerin had a cracking shot go just over the bar with 13 minutes to go after Hannah had set him up. McConalogue replaced the knackered Hay minute later but Saints ended up doing more defending that we'd have liked for the last 10 minutes or so - with Rutkiewicz and Maxwell looking so solid though we rarely looked in danger of conceding a goal. The only sour note came at full time when Colin Marshall, who was stripped and ready to come on didn't get a chance to play and took it out on John Connolly - he was shoved up the tunnel by Hay and Weir.
This could have been a dodgy game with Accies, rightly a much improved side on the team we faced a year ago. But the team mentality that the new regime has installed at Saints is paying off and the players were all working for one another. Defensively we looked solid enough and MoM for me was Rutkiewicz just shading Michael Moore - although there wasn't really a bad performance on the park.
I think this one gets put down as a good start....
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