Temple Of Saints - The Kids Are Alright

Bells League Division One 22/03/2005

Clyde 1 Saints 1 League Table Here

Team : Samson, Cowan, Dyer, Hannah, Anderson, Maxwell, McCann, McManus, Peaso, Sloan, Keyring
Subs : Cuthbert, Dobbie, Stevenson, Forsyth, Baxter

Broadwood isn't exactly the place to be inspired by your team - cold, dreary, and as dull as the surrounding town. Pretty much in line with the recent performances on the park as Saints confound the critics by continuing to dash our slender hopes and drag themselves back into the relegation dogfight at every opportunity. Still Clyde had to be suffering the effects of their umpteen matches in a few days marathon and surely we couldn't be any worse than the mess against Ross County. Connolly had called on the squad to show character for tonight's game (even going as far as to try extra training!). And we got that in abundance albeit from a radically changed starting lineup with a gutsy, skilful and entertaining performance which was disappointing only in that we didn't leave with all three points. Still performances like this for the rest of the season and we'll be well on the way back.

We expected some changes to the side but Connolly wielded the scalpel big time. The Bagester was forced to miss out after picking up a strain on Saturday (providing further evidence that he did do some work on the park). But also out were Chris Hay, Rustybitz and Paul "untouchable" Sheerin - even Flash had to settle for the bench. In came Cowan at right-back with Pamela moving to the middle and Dyer, sporting a new Weiresque bleach look was at left back. We went for a 4-5-1 formation with McManus and Sloan through the middle ahead of Hannah and Ryan McCann and Keyring on the wings.

And what a difference the changes made. Right from the start we had a Saints side willing to move around, hold the ball, shield the ball and play passes along that big green area they call the pitch, instead of the continual Sputnik impressions we're used to see the ball doing. In fact, we almost took the lead in the first minute when Peaso won a corner. Sloan hit it over and the ball fell to Keyring who rushed his shot and sent the ball over. Six minutes later and Sloan and Peaso combined on the left to play a cutback to McCann but again the final shot went over.

Saints were playing some of the best football of the season with the home side not given a moment to settle on the ball. The wingers were heavily involved and in the centre of the park, McManus was fighting for everything and Sloan played some sublime passes. McManus had a 9th minute shot go just over and then two minutes after that, he just failed to make contact with a Keyring cross. Peaso was next to miss from a freekick, and the striker should have scored on the quarter hour mark when McManus played a beautiful chip for him. But Peaso tried to round his markers rather than outrun them and his final shot ended up going across the goal. Keyring tried his luck next with a freekick which Halliwell saved. Then McManus set up Cowan who broke into the box. His cross was met by Peaso whose overhead kick went well over. It wasn't just up front that we were playing well. In defence, Maxie and Anderson were simply immense closing down Jones and Gilhaney and showing plenty of skill in breaking from the back rather than punting the ball. And despite the mullet, Dyer was keeping Harty under control.

In fact, we didn't have a shaky moment until the half hour when some Clyde pressure saw them get a couple of shots in that were blocked in the box before McCann cleared the danger. We should have taken the lead in the 37th minute when after some good work down the left wing where he had a cracking game, including some nice del Pierro style dummies, Keyring set up Mullet Dyer. He cut into the area before seeing his angled attempt blocked and when the ball came to Peaso on the rebound his shot was saved. Clyde got back into the game a bit towards the break. Keyring set up Peaso but his shot was over. But Clyde hit back and won a freekick on the edge of the box a minute from the break. Lardboy Bollan took it and sent it over.

We were almost caught out at the start of the second period. Another Lardboy freekick was sent into the box where Mensing headed it wide. Another ex-Saintee was in the thick of it five minutes into the half when Eddie Malone became the first booking of the night after fouling McCann. Not that it was a dirty game by any means. Still the home supporters, who are becoming the biggest whingers in the division, started their griping (as always accompanied by some of that delightful Glesgae patter).

And they had a lot more to whinge about a minute later. Despite all the fancy play, Saints took the lead with a simple well-worked goal. Cowan's great run up the right flank ended with the simplest of cutbacks into the box where an unmarked McManus had a simple job of sidefooting it into the bottom corner. The home side tried to hit back with a good break which ended in an embarrassing sclaff from Jones. At the other end a McCann cross found Peaso but his shot was held. But Clyde drew level within a few minutes. Anderson was ruled to have climbed on Jones on the edge of the box and Burns hit a good low freekick round the wall and past Samson - God you'd have thought the home fans had won the league (yeah I know daft idea that!).

They had a bit of pressure after that and some of the Saints nerves of previous games began to show but the defence played well - Maxwell and Anderson both outstanding. Samson tipped one shot wide whilst we were limited to Peaso just failing to connect with an excellent Keyring cross. Then Keyring himself had a go with an overhead effort that went over before McCann saw a shot blocked and from the rebound, Anderson was ruled offside after he stuck the ball in the net.

Saints stuck on Dobbie for the tiring Sloan for the last 20 minutes as we moved to a more orthodox 4-4-2. He nearly got a goal within a few minutes after Halliwell made a hash of a clearance. The ball came to McCann and he tried to find Dobbie but the keeper recovered to save at his feet. The game was a lot more even now as both sides went looking for the winner. Hannah sent a chip in for Dobbie but again the keeper saved at his feet, whilst at the other end a cross came into our box which Samson missed and Maxwell had to be sharp to header behind for the corner under pressure from Harty.

Burns picked up the 2nd booking of the game for tangling with Keyring which didn't help the ref endear himself to the home fans. Mind you given their reactions and cries of cheat when McCann was scythed down a few minutes later and had to limp off for treatment it just shows how wonderfully they can handle the pressure of being the bridesmaid all the time. And their agony was almost doubled when we should have scored in the dying stages. Clyde ballsed up a freekick allowing Keyring to break down the left wing. He found Peaso who broke with Dobbie and only one defender. But for some daft reason when he got to the box Peaso seemed to go for the shot instead of the simple square ball and Halliwell cut out the danger. The closing stages also saw Bollan booked for a wee dig at Peaso and that rarest of sights - Ryan Stevenson on the park as he replaced Peaso.

The players were deservedly applauded off the park and IMHO despite not taking all three points put in possibly the best performance of the season. Not a weak link on the park (Samson command of defence and Peaso's selfishness notwithstanding) and in players like Anderson (my MoM and a revelation at centre-half), Dyer, McManus and Keyring proof that if the hunger is there we can be both entertaining and attack-minded. There will be some very nervous "veterans" at McDiarmid now.

The future's looking just that wee bit brighter tonight...

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