Airdrie 1 Saints 0 League Table Here
Team : Cuthbert, Tait, Malone, Hannah, Rutkiewicz,
Maxwell, Stevenson, Bernard, Hardy, Moore, Sheerin
Subs : Nelson, Hay, Marshall, Fraser, Baxter
Ah, the start of that great championship season that we'll look back in fondness for decades to come. Or the total shambles of a season that killed off any hopes for the future for the Saints faithful? Who'd have thought that 90 minutes stuck in one of the most depressing bigoted thuggery grounds (despite the glorious sunshine) in Scotland would help decide things. But here we were at Airdrie (or Clydebank or Airdrieonians etc) and New Broomfield - new stadium same old crap from the opposition. Mind you, there was a good travelling support and a real sense of optimism before kick-off. It's just a pity then that by 4.45 the shambles prediction looks a bit more likely with the post-match post-mortem signifying that if nothing else the honeymoon is over for John Connolly. And Saints will deserve all the flak they get after an insipid performance that deserved nothing more than a draw at best and if we have any dream of challenging for the title that is simply not good enough.
McConalogue missed out through injury but Chris Hay recovered enough to take a place on the bench. Lee Hardy took over the no. 9 shirt while Bernard returned to the centre of midfield as Sheerin moved to the left wing. For the home side, octogenarian, Celtic-daft Owen Coyle was up front.
From the start Saints were on the attack with Ryan taking the urine out of Lovering and reminding all the Saints fans why we got rid of the left-back. Unfortunately the opening stages were also spoiled by an idiot determined to hold up the game needlessly - step forward Shuggy Dallas who as early as the third minute was pissing off the Saints fans after dishing out a major lecture to Moore for alleged elbow. Pity the Rules According To Shuggy didn't apply to the home side.
Stevenson came close in the 6th minute with an angled shot just over the bar. Then three minutes later the same player had a good run down the right before cutting the ball back to Kevin Rustybits whose long-range chip went over. Airdrie's first chance came a couple of minutes later when after Malone missed a tackle they broke into the box and shot just wide of target. Lee Hardy picked up a booking next for a soft challenge as Shuggy continued to endear himself to Saints fans.
As for the game, we were getting forward well enough but all too often the final ball was lacking. Even the corners from Ryan and Sheerin were poor with the Airdrie goal rarely threatened. Not that we didn't make any chances - Maxwell came close with a header, Hardy just lost out one-on-one with the keeper and in the 18th minute Sheerin broke through but shot just wide. By the half-hour mark though the moaners had well and truly started with Hardy the apparent target for this year's boo-boys.
And the supporters were even more infuriated in the 36th minute when after being released by "Airbags" Tait, Ryan's run up the wing was halted after Lovering caught him out with what looked like a poke in the eye. Shuggy gave us the foul but the cards stayed in the pocket. From the freekick the ball found Sheerin whose shot went for a corner. From it the ball came to Rustybits and he was fouled at the edge of the box. Sheerin's effort went over. Moore had a couple of chances before the break with a header just over from an Airbags freekick, then from a Bernard cross a minute later, his header was saved on the line.
Given recent performances we had every right to expect a traditional bollocking. Well if they did, it definitely didn't show as within a minute, Airdrie fed a throw-in into the box to find Celtic-daft Coyle who had a free header which he duly stuck over the bar. Stevenson had to look sharp next to stick a header behind and then the Cat made a good save after another Airdrie break in the 55th minute followed a minute later with a punch and save from a freekick. Malone and Hardy linked well to win a corner which was of course wasted before Airdrie broke up the park and fired in a sclaffed shot which Cuthbert held. Hannah was pretty poor today and seemed happy to just punt the long ball up the park, a tactic which had all the likelihood of success of an East Stirling application to the SPL. He did have a sclaffed shot of his own on the hour mark that was held by the Airdrie keeper.
With Airdrie continuing the pressure the Saints defence began to look uncharacteristically jittery, failing to cut out crosses or hold the line as the home team continued to get balls behind the defence. In the 69th minute Stevenson was replaced by Hay although Hardy and Bernard who had been poorer were kept on the park. A minute later Sheerin set up Moore for a run into the box but his angled shot was held. Then Airdrie pressed back and had a decent claim for handball in the box waived away by Dallas (about the only decision in our favour all afternoon). With 11 minutes to go an Airdrie break thanks to Airbags slipping up was only stopped by a cracking Maxwell tackle.
But despite Saints trying to take the play up the other end of the park it was Airdrie that got the goal with 6 minutes to go. A throw-in on the left was played into the box and with half the defence missing Veraille was able to get in and drive the ball home from 10 yards out leaving the Cat with no chance. There was no way back for Saints - Hay had a shot blocked but for the most part Airdrie looked like adding to their score as the Saints defence was at sixes and sevens (actually more like zeroes given the number of players bothering to close down their opponents). The midfield wasn't helping and for the last few minutes as we should have been pressing home, then the players started with the simple, safe passing rather than the route one they seemed intent on for most of the game.
Surprisingly there was a MoM for me - Stevenson was excellent and our biggest threat. Maxwell and Rustybits had decent games as well but the midfield was generally poor and Moore struggled to hold onto the ball on a bouncy pitch. No boos at full-time but we need a big improvement for next week if there is to be any chance of the optimism and belief lasting beyond the sunshine.
Like I said, honeymoon's over...
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| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
| Hamilton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| St Mirren | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Clyde | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Airdrie | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Ross County | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Partick Thistle | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Queen of the South | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Saints | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Falkirk | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Raith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
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