Temple Of Saints - A F**king Disgrace

Bells League Division One 30/10/2004

Raith 1 Saints 0 League Table Here

Team : McGregor, Pamela, Forsyth, Mahood, Rutkiewicz, Maxwell, Baxter, Sheerin, Moorie, Peaso, Hay
Subs : Cuthbert, Hardy, McConalogue, Webby, Hannah

This one always had the potential to be the almighty cock-up to make last week's game look like a 4-0 gubbing by Stenhousemuir. A trip to sunny Kirkcaldy to take on a team with a solitary point from their home games but with a new manager (who was a legendary player for them) and a hunger to get their first win. Saints even remembered to put on their day- glo yellow strips - so there could be no excuses for passes going astray. Yellow is also the colour of the proverbial banana skin and guess what the Saints support witnessed today? Yup one big shambolic display to make everything else this season look like a 7-2 win over Scumdee. And the signs were starting to show at the end of the match that the patience has finally worn out - never mind the honeymoon being over, the divorce courts look more likely these days. Clueless doesn't even begin to describe it.

Maxwell's neck had recovered from Showergate and he started in place of Webby. But the bigger surprise was saved for up front where Lee 'Ardy made way for Moorie to make up a 3-man forward line alongside Postie Hay and Peaso. Elsewhere and Pamela Anderson came in for Tait who mysteriously vanished without trace. So anyone for 4-3-3 - it's supposedly an attack-minded formation geared towards entertaining football - well unless you're a Saints player. For a change it wasn't pissing down at Stark's Park but the air of gloomy depression wasn't very far away. and believe me it looks like following the players back up the road tonight.

To call the opening stages scrappy is like saying Paul Sheerin has been slightly disappointing this campaign. It may not have been raining but the playing surface left a lot to be desired - about as smooth as Jordan's chest wand with more spin than a Whitehall department. But as the old adage has it, it was the same for both sides and Raith started fighting from the start - better organised, hungrier and swamping the Saints back four from kick-off. Not that the play was very pretty with a nervous Saints defence split open as early as the 5th minute when a ball played in low from the right ended in shots that were just blocked by Beaky and Rutkiewicz. Saints sole effort was an 8th minute freekick from Sheerin - easily dealt with. But it was Flash and Maxie who were taking the brunt of the pressure. The latter conceded a soft handball on the edge of the box, but the freekick was cleared. Then dangerman Sacko (who on his own caused more problems in 5 minutes than the entire Saints side has all day), broke through and rounded RobRoy before trying a narrow angled shot that Pamela luckily got back to clear off the line. Saints broke up the park where Hay won a freekick. It ended in a decent move in the box before Hay was set up with a shot that went across the goalmouth and wide.

With the midfield doing it's running scared act, it was left to the rest to try and conjure up the miracle we all needed - not so much a goal but a simple shot on target. 21 minutes were on the clock before that was achieved thanks to an Anderson cross which Peaso headed down to Hay. His shot from 15 yards out was blocked and Peaso's flick from the deflection sailed just over the bar. Sheerin (or to use his official moniker TotalFeckinWasteOfSpace) tried a long-range effort in the 23rd minute but it headed off to the Forth. Then Peaso tried a 30yd freekick which at least stayed within the ground even if it didn't threaten the home goal. A couple of corners followed which came into the wasted category. It wasn't what you'd call awe-inspiring stuff.

So with Saints playing shite and the fans starting to get worried it was time for the icing on the cake. 36 minutes gone and a long ball saw Sacko get behind the Saints defence. Bearing down on goal his shot was fumbled by RobRoy and there was John Martin to slide in for a simple finish - possibly offside but no more than our play or talents deserved. As if that wasn't bad enough two minutes later they almost doubled their lead thanks to a Rutkiewicz passback so soft it could pass as a Mahood tackle. In came Sacko and only the right foot of RobRoy prevented the shot hitting the back of the net. The half was rounded off with plenty of timewasting from Rovers and a Mahood shot that went a mile over the bar, followed by a Moore header to TotalFeckinWasteOfSpace in the box which TotalFeckinWasteOfSpace contrived to lose possession of.

Half-time saw Raith so confident they put their reserve keeper on. It nearly backfired within a minute as Saints looking slightly more fired up almost got an equaliser. A Moore cross from the right found the head of Hay at the back post. The keeper tipped it on but only to the near post where Peaso had another header from practically under the crossbar that was somehow blocked and cleared.

Four minutes later and it looked like we'd scored. Flash had a good run and his low cross from the byeline found Moore in the area. His shot wasn't the best but the keeper still fumbled it and by the time he recovered it looked like the ball might have crossed the line - the referee disagreed and to be honest it looked the right decision. Hay had a run after picking up a throw-in from Flash but with a lack of support or movement (breathing seemed to be all some yellow-clad beings could manage), he was easily crowded off the ball. Flash found Hay again a minute later and his cross was headed down by Peaso for Moore who turned and hit a decent shot straight at the keeper.

Another TotalFeckinWasteOfSpace freekick was easily cleared by Rovers in 58 minutes and they broke up the park only for TotalFeckinWasteOfSpace to get back and win the ball courtesy of a blatant shove on the Rovers player. The referee didn't se it but going by later events, TotalFeckinWasteOfSpace could have seen red and been suspended - see the gods just weren't with us today. Moore rounded off the Saints attacks with another header wide of target.

Rutkiewicz picked up a relatively soft booking for a foul in 66 minutes but by now we looked bereft of ideas (not for the first time I hear you cry). Stef came on for Moore 5 minutes later to little effect as timewasting, diving and offside decisions dominated the play. Oh we did have an interesting debate between Rutkiewicz and RobRoy after the latter failed to come out to get a passback from the former almost allowing Raith in.

With 10 minutes remaining Connolly put Lee on down the left although for some strange reason Flash was the player hooked - he wasn't happy at the decision and neither were the Saints fans, especially since the TotalFeckinWasteOfSpace remained on the park to chicken more tackles. Hardy's first kick of the ball was to take a freekick on the edge of the Raith penalty area - which he duly smashed against the wall. Raith broke up the park past a weak Baxter tackle and before we knew it Sacko was running into the Saints half - cue a last-man foul from Pamela and a straight red card. Ever get the feeling it was turning into one of those days? After that we were all over the place. RobRoy saved a decent long-range Raith shot while Hardy wasted a couple of crosses and even given the 3-4 minutes injury-time it was just never going to happen.

There's no chance of a MoM award after what had to be the worst performance of the season. The players will rightly be well criticised in the media but it's perhaps time the manager and coaches started taking some responsibility for the tactics, effort and attitude of the players on the park. It's going beyond the usual post-match depression nowadays - all I feel tonight is anger at what is happening to the club.

Seven days till Accies come visiting to start another month - let's hope by then the fireworks have been duly applied to various orifices, otherwise the 90 minutes next weekend could rapidly become the most vital since the manager took over.

This Match Report is copyright Temple Of Saints - not to be reused without permission. Contact webmaster@grange.demon.co.uk.

Remember to vote on todays ref Craig Mackay send marks out of 10 to refvote@grange.demon.co.uk or just select a rating and press the button below ::

Saints Index Fixtures Index Grange Index

Any problems / comments mail webmaster@grange.demon.co.uk