Saints 1 Accies 2
Team : Cuthbert, Anderson, Keyring, Paterson, Campbell,
Rustybitz, Hannah, Sheridan, Milne, Scotland, Sheerin
Subs : Paston, Dobbie, Peaso, Stanic, McCann
Wow a cup semi-final!!! OK so it might not be the biggest of trophies but when a Saints fan has known about as much success in the silverware business as Gerald Ratner, you have to take what you can get. Of course tonight's tie was always going to be a tough one given the way Accies have come on in leaps and bounds (well not so much bounds as thuds where Graeme Jones is concerned) since the Scrabble / Dobbie special sealed the league win at Douglas Park not so long ago. But with home advantage and the morale-boosting 9-men / 3 points job from Broadwood at the weekend, hopes were pretty high that we'd make our first final since Biscuits wonder-strike sent us to Parkhead seven years ago! Pity nobody told the team that, with Saints putting on one of the most apathetic, lazy, half-hearted displays of the season. Make no mistake, we threw this one away with a second-half display that saw the midfield sit so deep you thought the defence would have them up for sexual harrassment. Far too many passengers in the side and after conceding a late winner they thoroughly deserved the boos as they trudged off the park.
The side-effect from the weekend win meant that Owen had plenty of changes to make to his side from Saturday. Simon the Slapper was forced to sit this one out after smudging Alex Williams' makeup at the weekend. Scott Paterson was ok though with a chance to remind us all of what we'll miss when he serves his suspension for the coming trip to Stranraer. Elsewhere and there were pre-match doubts over Captain Kevin and Dazza with the latter revealed to have played through the pain barrier (well the poor wee diddums did have a sore throat) against Clyde. James missed out but Dazza staged a miraculous recovery. Pamela came in for Mensing with Campbell replacing Kevin James. Ravey Davey came in for McCann who dropped to the bench alongside Goran who was replaced by the returning Keyring who was given his chance to shine in the left wing-back role.
The game got under way in front of a reasonable crowd (and collectively a lot more hygienic than the mob of ne'er do wells at Love St.) and we almost got off to the perfect start within the first thirty seconds when Dazza slipped a neat ball through the middle for Scotland to run onto, but his 20-yard drive was just wide of McEwans post. The Trinidadian came close a couple of minutes later, latching onto a chested down ball from Savo, but this time the Accies keeper held his dipping volley.
Saints looked pretty good in the opening stages although Keyring's 5th minute sclaff was better left unmentioned. A minute later we almost took the lead when Jason broke through the middle of the Accies defence again. He passed the ball right to Savo, who cut in and fired in a low angled shot that the goalie brilliantly tipped wide. From the corner Rustybitz tried to repeat his heroics of the Scumdee game but his glancing header went just wide of the goal. Accies almost broke the deadlock with their first attack in the 12th minute although an absence of tackles from either the Saints midfield or defence meant Keogh was given plenty of room to fire in a long-range effort that Rustybitz blocked awkwardly on the line. The ball was crossed back in and this time Paterson had to look sharp to header over his own bar.
The match wasn't exactly being played at a frantic pace which perhaps said more about the commitment of Hannah, Anderson and Campbell, all of whom were shocking throughout - unable to pass the ball, move onto a ball or in the case of Hannah bother to move at all - they looked bored. The other wing only fared slightly better with Keyring struggling to make space and Casper Sheerin back to his best although to their credit they were at least trying. Thank God for Dazza in midfield and Savo and Scotland up front who were at least trying to be creative and work for the ball. Real chances were few and far between though. Jason saw a cross blocked and Hannah failed to get onto the end of a Dazza freekick into the box. One nice piece of Jason magic in the 26th minute saw him dribble his way past 4 markers to set up Sheerin who fired in a shot just wide of goal.
But such trouble for the Accies defence was becoming a rarer occurrence and although they didn't venture up the park much, their next attack in the 33rd minute saw them take the lead, albeit with plenty of Saints assistance. Keogh sauntered up the McDiarmid pitch like he owned it with barely a challenge before hitting a speculative long-range effort that the Cat looked set to cover until it took a wicked deflection off a blue shirt to go the other way and end up in the net. One day, we'll take the lead at home!
Saints tried to hit back within a minute with Dazza playing a short freekick to Sheerin but his chip was just wide. But four minutes later we drew level. Scotland set up Savo who won corner on the right. Dazza played it over and there was that man Rustybitz to rise up and head home to make it 1-1. That wasn't enough for Oweny on the touchline and he ably demonstrated with both gestures and body language exactly what he thought of the closing stages of the first half as we struggled to put the Accies defence under any pressure.
Accies came out after the break looking by far the hungrier side. Two minutes in and a simple throw-in from their left was turned into a cross that ended in a close-range header that the Cat did well to get down and save. Accies looked sharper and Ferguson was next to try his luck after an unchallenged run - luckily his final effort went wide of goal. For us, a couple of half-heartened corners and safe headers were all that we could muster. Sheerin did manage a decent run in the 56th minute as he enjoyed a good spell, but hesitated too long before shooting and the effort was saved.
Hannah was replaced a minute later by McCann to some cheers from the East Stand. But other than Sheerin setting up Jason in the 65th minute for yet another edge-of-the-box shot that was saved there was little to show for the effort. The defence were seemingly intent on just sticking to the long ball and it was getting us nowhere. Scotland set up Sheerin for another shot that was held in the 69th minute but gradually Accies were coming more and more back into the game. A Ryan slip a minute later let them into the box but Campbell made a good tackle to stop the shot at the expense of a corner which Cat easily held.
The problem for Saints was that we were sitting further and further back and the strikers were having to come back more for some scraps as the midfield failed to get forward in sufficient numbers to support any attack. Peaso came on for Jason after 74 minutes but to be honest he seemed to spend most of his time sitting on his arse looking for a referee's decision - not what we needed at the time. Campbell headed a corner wide before Accies hut back with a 15yd shot just wide of goal after the crowd of blue shirts in the box failed to clear the danger.
The game was becoming scrappier and Dazza picked up a yellow card for a late tackle from behind in the 83rd minute. And a minute later it got worse for the Saints fans as Accies scored what turned out to be the winner after Sheerin's first touch saw him lose control (possibly slightly more important would be to ask why the feck he was facing his own goal at the time?). Ferguson stepped in, got into the box and his shot seemed to take a deflection into the net. Well that was the cue for Saints to waken up and with Dobbie replacing Pamela we threw everything at them with a couple of decent penalty claims turned down and a Rustybitz cross finding Peaso but his header was well saved for a corner. In the end though there was to be no comeback tonight and the boos at full time told their own story.
Surprisingly, there were a few candidates for MoM. Sheridan, Cuthbert, Sheerin, Savo and Scotland all played well but my vote goes to Rustybitz who looks like a player reborn in recent weeks - and he scores the odd goal too. But for too many players tonight was the last straw. If the likes of Campbell or Hannah don't want to play at least we should ensure they get nowhere near the first team. And for Gods sake can we start using the bloody midfield?
Never mind boys it's not a real cup is it? Try telling that to the Saints fans who were beginning to believe. Pathetic
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