Forfar 1 Saints 4
Team : Nelson, Baxter, Robinson, Bernard, Webb,
Fraser, Malone, Foxy, Moore, Stevenson, Hardy
Subs : Cuthbert, McConalogue, Forsyth, Hay, Jackson,
McManus
So is this a bright new dawn - unfortunately going by the performance tonight the new regime still has a way to go to prove to the supporters that this will be our year. Sure, in the end, the score is convincing enough and there were some decent individual performances, with Moore, Fraser and Hardy the best Saints players on the night against a very physical Forfar side. But defensively we were poor at times and there wasn't much in the way of sexy flowing passing football on show. Still it was a good workout in the end and there's plenty of time yet before the Accies game.
Saints made several changes from the side that beat Montrose at the weekend. Nelson took over in goal with Beaky coming in at right-back allowing Webb to move to centre-half in place of the injured Rutkiewicz. Bernard moved to the right wing with Foxy and Eddie in the centre of midfield. Up front Moorie partnered Ryan the Rocket.
With the playing surface in immaculate condition, it was Forfar who had the better of the opening exchanges. A second minute corner wasn't cleared properly by the Saints defence but in the end the shot was weak and easily dealt with. Two minutes later and Tosh should have opened the scoring when he broke through with Webb left trailing but his shot went wide.
At the other end, Stevenson had a good run before being brought down. Foxy took the freekick but sent it well over. We tried again a minute later but Hardy's cross was cleared and from it Forfar countered and broke through the Saints midfield with Foxy and Malone unable to put a tackle in. The Saints defence tried in vain to play the offside trap but the Forfar no. 10 kept going and had an easy finish to make it 1-0. And it could have been worse in 9 minutes when Webb was caught napping in his box and it took some panicky defending and a Beaky clearance to save the day.
Saints were looking ragged though and apparently content to play a long- ball game. So it was a bit of a surprise when we drew level in the 13th minute. A Hardy freekick on the right was floated into the home box where it was flicked on past the far post. Bernard was there though to knock it back across the goal to the near post where Michael Moore rose up to send a looping header over the keeper into the net.
Forfar hit back and after beating Beaky on the left their winger fired in a curving shot just wide of Nelson's post. Then after Webb, Baxter and Fraser failed to clear their lines, Forfar somehow managed to miss an open goal with the ball going over the bar instead. And in 20 minutes it took an excellent double-block by Fraser to prevent a second goal. Inspired defending it was not!!
There was a real lack of any link play from Saints. Robinson and Hardy weren't creating anything on the left while through the middle there was no understanding between the central midfield pairing and the front men. We were working hard for sure, but lacked the sharpness required to open up the game - and it was noticeable that there seemed to be a lack of leadership / shouting on the park.
So, as you'd expect then the second goal again came out of nothing. Hardy got onto the end of a long ball on the left and cut it into Moore who dummied it neatly to line up a low 20-yard right-footed drive into the bottom corner to make it 2-1. Saints began to press a bit more now and Foxy was next to try his luck with a snapshot that was held. Moore could have had a hat-trick five minutes from the end of the half but he completely missed the ball. The with almost the kick of the half, Spidey Webb headed the ball into the side netting.
John Connolly shook things up at half-time with Flash replacing Mark Robinson. Hay came on along with McManus for Eddie and Foxy. Stevenson moved to the right wing and Bernard partnered Jackson in the middle. It was Forfar that had the first chance of the half with a rasping shot that came back off the woodwork with Nelson well beaten. But two Minutes later we scored a brilliant third. A break down the right was slipped into Moore. Despite being well-marked he managed to backheel the ball into the path of Chris Hay who sent a cracking volley into the net.
Moore had a good turn and shot over the bar a couple of minutes later after Hay set him up. Then, after the latter played at handbags-at-dawn with a Loons defender, he was instrumental in setting up the fourth when he was brought down on the edge of the box in the 62nd minute. Up stepped Hardy to send a curving shot round the wall and past the keeper to make it 4-1.
Moore came off to be replaced by Stephen McConalogue a minute later but the game began to die down. Hardy just failed to get onto a Baxter cross for a fifth goal. Then he set up Hay in 68 minutes who passed to McConalogue but his shot went just over the bar. Ryan went off with 18 minutes to go to be replaced by Jackson, who within three minutes had a decent shot saved. Forfar tried to get some consolation but Saints fitness was starting to show and we were keeping the pressure on.
There wasn't much else in the way of goalmouth action but there was still time for Saints to pick up the traditional pre-season injury as Beaky limped off with ten minutes left with an ankle knock. Ach what else did you expect.
MoM for me was close but Michael Moore just shades it from Lee "Sunbed" Hardy. Two good goals and some excellent physical play bodes well for the future. Hardy came onto a better game in the second-half and despite a possible short temper looks a good prospect. As for the rest, it was hard to tell - Webb and Fraser looked inexperienced at times in defence and Robinson didn't impress that much. Foxy and Eddie don't work together in the centre of midfield either.
Still early days.