Temple Of Saints - Another Shambles

Bells League Division One 15/01/2005

Saints 0 Falkirk 3 League Table Here

Team : Cuthbert, Baxter, Fozzy, Hannah, Webb, Maxwell, McCann, Sheerin, Peaso, Moore, Keyring
Subs :Samson, Hay, Tait, Foxy, Jackson

After the disappointment of the last two weeks we had a chance to make amends with the first home game of the year and JC given the opportunity to prove that the Curse of the Award was beaten. Ha-bloody-ha. And of course we had all the comments pre-match about how today would be a good measure of how much we've progressed since the last encounter with the Weans. Well think of a lethargic snail trying to go up a mountain and that might just begin to give you an idea. Yes bloody Falkirk are going to win the league but even with most of the home fans looking towards next season, the amount of rebuilding still required to make a team of the shambles today is shocking. And to add to the gathering clouds over McDiarmid tonight there is a real worry after the Cat was stretchered off with what looked like a serious back injury.

Moorie recovered from his dead leg to start up front but Pamela wasn't risked. Kevin Fotheringham came into the left-back slot as the only other change. On the bench Tait replaced Flash and was joined by Andy Jackson in preference to Rustybitz (or Rubikube if you're a BBC pundits). Meanwhile Lee Hardy and Stef couldn't buy their way into the side. For the Weans it was another day of miracles with Yogi and Kevin Lankygit making their traditional pre-match risen-from-the-dead miraculous recoveries.

Within a minute we had the first piece of evidence that Saints still hadn't shaken off their New Year blues as the defence contrived to totally fuck up a simple clearance and let Duffy try a shot which Cat blocked (injuring himself in the process) - as it was the ball was squared and Pedro missed an absolute sitter blasting the ball over the bar. Saints just didn't get going with the midfield three-quarters absent, with only Ravey Davey trying. Even he wasted a couple of early freekicks as Hughes and James played percussion on Moorie's head. The second effort also saw the skipper involved in some heated discussion with McCann - so much for the gelled team.

Added to the inept midfield we had a forward line unable to master movement off the ball with the Weans all too easily able to close us down. The closest we came in the opening stages was Peaso chasing down a loose passback - the lack of follow-up told it's own tale. The Weans kept the pressure up and with 8 outfield players on the edge of the Saints box, you got the idea we were sitting back just a tad too deeply - positive attacking football was an alien idea to Saints. As it was Spidey conceded the corner but James missed the ball when it came back over. Then Latapeeeee dived for a freekick on the edge of the area but his effort was trapped in the wall by Fozzy who cleared our lines - not that he found a blue shirt like.

The first goal came in the 22nd minute and while the pundits, media and neutrals will no doubt rave on about it for ages, from a Saints point of view it was a nightmare. Hannah and Scally clashed in the middle of the park. The Wean won the freekick and the ball found Latapy down the left. He got to the byeline, shrugged off Baxter's tackle and, finding himself in acres of space, had time to stand before sending a cheeky angled chip past the defence and keeper and into the net. This one really hurt.

Saints lost the plot a bit after that although it was hard to tell given the lack of ability shown so far. The game did spring to life in the 28th minute when Peaso broke down the left and set Moorie up in the box. The Saints player just lost out and then tangled with Kevin James. Handbags at dawn stuff but in the end James picked up a yellow card and Moorie a warning. Sheerin saw a freekick cleared as we pressed and Maxwell tried a long-range effort which went well over - it was getting desperate.

Five minutes from the interval, Sheerin played his one good pass of the day setting up Peaso down the left. He got into the box but his drive went into the side netting. A minute later, Keyring set up Moorie in the box. He got the return and fired in a decent shot that the Donkey just tipped over. Hannah headed the corner wide. The half ended with a Moorie header going wide and Peaso going on another selfish run which created sweet FA.

Saints started the second half brightly with Peaso ending a run with a chip over the bar. Then a freekick was sent over, and Keyring had a shot blocked. Fozzy had to look sharp to backtrack after another cross was cut out and Falkirk countered.

But the game effectively ended as a contest six minutes into the half. With Saints caught out, Falkirk broke down the left. The entire Saints defence was missing with the exception of Fozzy who backtracked to try and cover Pedro running through the middle. The ball came over into the box where Cuthbert came out and somehow the Falkirk player got the break of the ball and despite Fozzy's best effort, had an easy finish to make it 2-0. It was a few moments before everyone realised that the Cat was flat out on his back and even when the physio came on he didn't move. After what seemed like an age, the doc came on and he was stretchered off although not before being put on a back board. Craig Samson replaced him for his debut and Connolly decided to make a tactical change at the same time, bringing on Hay for Moore - that had repercussions in itself with Moorie leaving the park to applause, sharing words with Jim Weir and heading up the tunnel. It's that sort of happy family these days.

The injury to the Cat and the delay seemed to kill off any fight from the Saints players or their fans. Within five minutes, Maxwell and Webb had been involved in a cock-up of their on and Falkirk broke through only for Samson to pull off a great save.

We'd moved to three across the back with Baxter given a free role to man-mark Latapy. We weren't making many chances - Baxter had a good run that set up Chris Hay but his shot went across the goal with nobody following up. McCann, who had had about his worst game for Saints today was hooked with twenty minutes to go and Foxy was given his chance - certainly the sub began to pass the ball a bit better. Three minutes later and Hay failed to control a pass but the ball broke to Peaso running in from the right and his 20 yard drive was at least on target even if the Donkey easily held it. A minute later Foxy set up Peaso and his cross came back to Keyring whose shot was blocked.

Fozzy picked up a yellow as Latapy went into full U-boat diving mode as Saints began to run out of ideas. Mackenzie had a shot go just over after being given the freedom of the pitch before the third goal came with ten minutes to go. A rare Saints trip up the park ended in a Falkirk break with Latapy on his own - he got into the box then did the old Sack of Spuds impersonation as Webb came within five feet to win the penalty - about as soft as a crate of Andrex. Duffy stuck the spot kick in the net to trigger the emptying of the home stands. For the home fans that were left there was little to smile about with even the ref deciding to minimise the injury-time. Latapy escaped a yellow for what even the referee decided was a blatant dive and then in injury time Keyring sent a header well wide. It was that sort of day.

It's almost impossible to pick a MoM - of the players that lasted the 90 only Maxwell, Webb (who gets it) and Hannah can hold their heads up - Keyring improved in the second period but that was it. Peaso is becoming more selfish every week - certainly Moore is justified in complaining when he was taken off since he wasn't the worst player on the park. McCann was a waste of space and Sheerin was an embarrassment at times - Foxy made more telling passes in his 20 minutes on the park than Peanut has done in months. There are far too many passengers in the side just now and given the apparently random changing of the side at times it's getting worrying. The only slightly bright spot in the afternoon is that Samson looked comfortable when he came on.

The December run has been undone now - that's the pressure back on.

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