Temple Of Saints - Halloween Nightmares

Bells League Division One 29/10/2005

Ross County 2 Saints 1 League Table Here

Team : Cuthbert, Mensing, Goran, Stevenson, Rustybitz, James, Henry, Sheridan, Milne, Scotland, Sheerinho
Subs : Paston, Oweny, Dobbie, McCann, Pamela

Another Saturday and another long trip for the Saints fans, although the previous few games meant that for a change, the blue and white members of Owen's Saintly Crusaders were at least in an upbeat mood en route up the A9 with dreams of an overdue Sheerinho hat-trick. Mind you, previous performances at Victoria Park had been mixed to say the least and nobody was sure how the home players would react after the change of manager earlier in the week with Donald Park taking charge of the home dressing room. Unfortunately for us County showed the fight, movement and energy that was missing from Saints for most of the afternoon and while we nearly scraped a point at the end we sure a fuck didn't deserve it.

Saints didn't have their troubles to seek with Oweny's plans of fielding an unchanged side suffering from several players being daft enough to pick up minor knocks against Accies. But brave wee soldiers that they are they all took the field giving us an unaltered side for the third week in a row. For County, ex-Saintee David Cowan brought his ginger arse onto the pitch with Sean Webb doing no better than the bench.

To celebrate Halloween Saints came up with a first 45 performance which will give us fans nightmares for months to come - all that was missing was Freddy Krueger but when you've got the likes of James and Mensing it's hard to argue whether a Hollywood villain is really necessary. As early as the first minute Goran's miskick let Burke through on goal with the Cat called into action to block the shot. As if that wasn't enough to ask of the keeper, the Saints defence failed to clear their lines properly and Cuthbert had to make similar stops from Tiernan and Burke again.

Four minutes later and County taught us another harsh lesson as the took the lead albeit aided and abetted by the referee. A break up the right wing James make a last-ditch tackle in the box. The danger wasn't completely cleared though and the ball was set over to the other flank to an unmarked Rankin who was well offside. No whistle sounded and he finished close in to make it 1-0, with the Saints defence static. We had the Cat to thank again in the 8th minute when he reacted quickly to tip a Winters cross over the bar when it looked set to sneak into the net.

The game was scrappy at the best of times. Dazza needed treatment after Burke went in heavily on him. County were making the best chances and James and Stanic struggled to clear another Winters cross. We were shite to put it mildly with the defence unable to keep the ball on the deck and taking too long on the ball. Canning picked up the first booking for a nasty challenge on Sheerinho but the home side were well on to. Winters broke through again in the 16th minute despite looking offside - Cuthbert came out for another great save, and a minute later he repeated that feat against Rankin. Next up Burke released Winters but to prove that football isn't totally predictable, the linesman suddenly discovered his flag worked as he signalled offside.

Saints were non-existent as an attacking force. Savo and Scotland saw little of the ball and more of Lauchlan as the former came in for a lot of stick. We did get a freekick after the referee decided enough was enough when Lauchlan went in on Savo. Dazza's freekick found Rustybitz but his header went over. The County defender finally went into the referee's wee black book on the half-hour mark for another clatter on Savo on the edge of the box. Jason's freekick was blocked, before the ball eventually broke to Sheerinho on the left but his low drive was tipped wide (hey, at least we finally had a shot on target). The corner was headed into the keeper's hands by Le Freak, and then Stevenson, who looked off the pace, played a great cross in for Savo but his shot didn't have the power to trouble Garden between the sticks.

Mensing became the first Saints player to be booked after 36 minutes for a needless block. But if we thought our defence had overcome the nightmare start, two minutes later up popped Kevin James to do his trick or treat with the home fans getting the benefit. A simple ball across the Saints defence saw Jinx James woefully short with a backpass to Cuthbert. In slipped Burke to nick the ball and round Cuthbert. But the striker lived up to his name by trying to be too clever rounding the backtracking Rustybitz and the Saints defender spared his skipper's blushes by blocking the final shot, although he wasn't slow in letting James know what he thought. Cuthbert had to look alert to tip another cross over the bar and, when he was beaten by a cross from the right five minutes from the break, Mensing was there to head the ball off the line. The frustrations were starting to show in the stand as well as on the park - it was like night and day compared to the Accies match just four days previously - Stanic was too slow, James was being caught by the long ball every time.

There was a hint of optimism for the Saints fans before the break with Jason's shot blocked, and then Stevenson's header blocked on the line before Sheerinho's shot went wide. The biggest feeling amongst the travelling fans when the referee finally blew for half-time was one of relief that we were only one behind. Obviously Oweny gave the players the sort of roasting that doesn't make the tabloids, as Saints were much improved after their cup of tea.

Rustybitz tried to set up Savo within a minute but Garden beat him to the ball. Two minutes later Savo forced a corner that Rustybitz headed wide. And in 52 minutes Scotland cut inside before setting up Ryan who brought out a good save from the keeper. He failed to hold onto the ball which was cleared. It came back in for an unmarked Henry and just to sum up the afternoon he totally missed the ball. Then Savo had a decent volley from another corner but again the keeper blocked his effort. Mensing and Ryan combined in the 57th minute to set up Jason but our favourite Trinidadian was far too greedy and was closed down before he could make room for the shot. He did manage a good cross himself in the 63rd minute but Henry and Rustybitz both missed the ball.

A minute later the Rusty One joined Mensing in the book for a soft foul, but just after that we finally had something to cheer about. A Dazza freekick was headed down by James but deflected for a corner. The ball came out and was headed towards goal by Rustybitz before Jason glanced it into the net with a backwards header from a yard out. It was a scrappy goal to say the least but drew us level and gave us a glimmer of hope. Suddenly we looked like a team on the park as well with Stanic and Sheerinho threatening down the left and County on the back foot.

But with twenty minutes left Rustybitz decided to have his own personal nightmare of the Darren Dods variety. Yup own goal time with a decent County break on the right not closed down by Goran. Cowie got wide and sent a low cross into the Saints box where the hapless Rustybitz was back covering and slid it into his own net. Saints hit back and a Goran cross three minutes later found Henry onside and in space behind the home defence thanks to a brilliantly-timed run. Pity the angled shot wasn't in the same class as Garden blocked it. The ball broke to Sheerinho at the edge of the area but while his volley had the powerthe accuracy left something to be desired and it went just wide.

Dobbie replaced the knackered-looking Dazza with a quarter of an hour to go. Two minutes after he appeared Savo was clobbered again by Lauchlan. Dobbie took the freekick from 22 yards out and hit a good shot round the wall but into the side netting. McCann replaced Stevenson who'd taken a couple of knocks and Owen came on for Savo for the last 12 minutes or so with Kevin James moving up front in a last throw of dice. And it nearly paid off - County had one chance through McSwegan that the Cat easily held (although the County sub infuriated the Saints fans by going in late on the Cat), but Saints pressed for the closing stages. Goran saw a long-range shot go wide and then at the end of normal time, a long clearance from Rustybitz was headed on by James to Oweny in the box who tried to set up Henry but he hesitated too long and the ball was cleared.

Of course the Gods still weren't finished rounding off our debacle but at least there was some consolation in knowing that the home fans got a fright as well. Well into injury time and Jason made room for a shot from the edge of the box. The ball was blocked but broke to Owen inside the 6-yd box. It should have been bread and butter to him but given the time of year I reckon he can safely blame the Spectre of Robbo for what happened next. Owen hit the ball towards the empty goal where it came off the inside of Garden's right-hand post then proceeded to head straight along the goal-line before clipping the other post and going wide. It was about that point that I think I realised it might not be our day after all.

How much the midweek exertions and lack of training that Owen mentioned pre-match contributed to the defeat is hard to tell. Certainly there were a few players that were off the pace with Stanic, James and Ryan struggling at times. The conditions didn't help much either but that doesn't excuse some of the basic errors in our play, especially in the opening stages. We came onto a stronger game but by then the damage had been done and although we were unlucky not to snatch something at the death, we didn't really deserve it. Some of the players deserved praise though with Savo and Rustybitz putting in a good shift and Dazza all over the park. But MoM for me was the Cat - if had been as dozy as his defence in the opening quarter we could easily have been three or four down.

Let's just hope that we got all the crap mistakes out of the system today.

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