Temple Of Saints - Peaso's Great Escape

Bells League Division One 25/09/2004

Saints 2 Partick 1 League Table Here

Team : McGregor, Pamela Anderson, Flash, McCann, Rutkiewicz, Fotheringham, Stevenson, McManus, McConalogue, Moore, Sheerin
Subs : Cuthbert, Hannah, Baxter, Peaso, Fraser

Another Saturday, another so-called big team and despite the scoreline, it was another poor performance. Okay, so we won but by Rod we left it late and any neutral watching (as well as us objective Saints fans) will agree that the poorer side got the three points. Suffice to say that two morale-boosting goals aside, we were simply shite with some of the worst individual performances since Connolly took over.

Saints were without "Two Fouls" Maxwell after last week's red card, but even so, Connolly didn't hang about with some big changes to the side. Fozzy replaced Maxwell in defence with Ross Forsyth making a welcome return to left-back. But in midfield, the surprise was Hannah dropping to the bench along with Hardy. Steve McManus partnered McCann in the middle with Sheerin allegedly playing in a wide left role and Stevenson wide right. Up front, Stef was recalled and Peaso joined last week's goalscorer Beaky on the bench.

As for the game let's just say that the first half won't be one to live long in the memory although from a Saints point of view the goalless scoreline at the interval was about the only bonus as we contrived to put on an even more inept display than those at the start of the season. Even in the first minute the characteristic allergy to tackles that seems to affect the Saints players was on show again as we sat back and let Panther go for a stroll down the right flank before shooting over. Saints went back up the park and Paul Sheerin hit a cross in that Stevenson headed over.

Unfortunately the game settled into a scrappy affair with some heavy challenges going in, including an elbow on Pamela that Willie Young missed (spoiling an otherwise good performance from the referee). Chances were pretty much non-existent as well. McCann conceded a ninth minute freekick 30 yards out but McGregor held the shot - about the only thing the Saints keeper held all day in a shaky performance. At the other end, a quickly taken shy by Stevenson found McConalogue and his cross was headed wide by Moore. Next up Fozzy gave away a corner that saw some shambolic, panicky defending as Saints struggled to clear their lines.

Murray showed there was no love lost with Saints as he flattened Stef on the quarter-hour mark. The freekick was cleared but it served as an indication of things to come and a minute later Milne went in on Stevenson from behind. The Partick player merely earned the wagging finger treatment from Willie Young unlike Maxwell who was booked for a similar offence last week - and they wonder why fans get frustrated with the officials! Moore won a corner next but Rutkiewicz headed it wide (anyone spot a pattern here?). Then Partick had a header go just wide with McGregor and his defence missing. But after that the game really died down with a real lack of scoring chances for either side.

Yet again the Saints midfield was sitting too deep and the defence seemed content to simply play a Route One style of football - without finding their man most of the time. On the wings Ryan Stevenson was struggling after a couple of knocks whilst Sheerin on the other side of the park was almost anonymous, regularly drifting into the middle of the park and leaving big gaps on the side. Just before the break Milne was finally booked for persistent fouling after a pull on Moore. As usual the freekick was easily cleared. Then on the stroke of half-time, a punt by Rutkiewicz (who was incapable of doing anything else all afternoon), found Moore who headed the ball down for Stevenson in the box. His first touch was poor though and the eventual shot blocked.

After the turgid show on the first half, it didn't take long for the game to liven up as within a minute of the restart, McGregor fumbled a long cross in the box and just managed to recover before Partick could follow up. Moore made room at the other end but his shot was just over.

The another defensive mix-up by Saints saw McGregor caught off his line. Panther was on the ball and hit a good low drive along the ground only for it to come back off the base of McGregor's right-hand post. Fozzy had a freekick blocked in the 50th minute and when the ball was played back in Stef hit it wide. Three minutes later and Saints had their best move of the game when Rutkiewicz played another long ball to Moore who squared it to Sheerin in plenty of space. Unfortunately Peanut decided against running with the ball and instead played it back over for Stef whose cross found Flash in the box. His header bounced off the ground and was palmed away by the keeper.

Baxter replaced Stevenson after 60 minutes and a minute later Partick had their best chance to take the lead when from a corner the defence was found wanting and Sheerin, with his solitary contribution of the afternoon cleared the ball off the line. It didn't prevent the inevitable though with a 65th break seeing Partick showing enough persistence to get to the far post unopposed and fire a cutback into a crowded 6-yard area where McGregor and the defence missed the ball allowing Milne in to blast it home to make it 1-0.

We nearly lost a second five minutes later. Flash had set up Sheerin but he got caught napping again and left on his arse. A break down the right and a cross over saw One fire in a good shot that RobRoy managed to get a hand to tip wide. The corner was headed just wide as the Saints support began to let their feelings show. Sheerin was replaced by Chippy Fraser just after that and then with 15 minutes left Stef was replaced by Peaso - possibly McCann who looked knackered might have been a better candidate for the hook. Saints still looked all over the place though with passes going everywhere but to a blue shirt, players caught out of position and the anti-tackling disease still prevalent.

But it's at times like these that miracles happen. Seven minutes to go and a throw-in on the right was played in and then out the box to Baxter. He headed it back in and Moore looking a mile offside headed it into the path of Peaso who rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home, even if it did take an age to cross the line. 1-1 and the Partick luvvies began to shut up. Six minutes later and Fraser set up Peaso who won a corner which Rustybitz headed over (plenty of touches today every one poor). And then with the clock ticking down Peaso won another corner. The ball came over from the far side, the keeper totally missed it and it fell to Peaso unmarked 10 yards out - one blast later the ball's in the net, we're 2-1 up and Grant Murray is contemplating another transfer request. Mind you even then the action wasn't completely over with Gerry "Mekon Bonce" Britton firing an audacious 35-yard lob over McGregor into the net - pity Mr Young and everyone else was heading up the tunnel though - well not completely as John Connolly sent the Saints players out to take the applause from the East Stand - whether it was cheers of praise or just loud sighs of relief remains to be seen.

There's still plenty of work to do and today gets classed under the Steve McQueen Great Escape category. McGregor had a nightmare in goal, there was no passing from defence. In midfield McManus had a decent game and just gets my MoM for at least putting the effort in. But he needs a more experienced partner than McCann. Stevenson struggled after taking a knock but Sheerin on the left was an absolute disgrace - unwilling to get forward enough or to mark his opponent, he made Hardy look like class. Moore and Stef struggled against a physical defence up front but full credit to Peaso for a cracking pair of goals and the sort of attitude we should be seeing from the rest of the squad.

Time will tell if it's another false dawn....

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