Temple Of Saints - Fat Lady Still Quiet

Bells League Division One 25/03/2007

Saints 2 Dundee 0 League Table Here

Team : Cuthbert, Pamela, Goran, Mensing, McManus, James, McInnes, Hardie, Peaso, Jason, Sheerin
Subs : Halliwell, Morais, Jackson, Lawrie, Lilley

Sunday afternoon games in the past against the Scum have produced some nice memories in the past with a certain qualification for Europe game the most prominent. Today saw us in a different light with Easter looming and Saints now well and truly getting bevvied at the last-chance saloon in a desperate attempt to catch the Village People. The match against the tinks from Juteopolis had been brought forward a week or so on order to make the most of a weekend setting instead of another dreich Tuesday night. The Village People hadn't moved their game so Saints new going into this one that a nice win would suddenly see the gap close to four points and maybe just drag out the optimism amongst the faithful for another week or so. Of course on the other hand, the last couple of games had seen less than impressive performances and there was the knowledge that defeat would more than likely end the season for Saints. Still by 4.45, another excellent second-half performance made up for a turgid first forty-five and saw us run out clear winners with the added entertainment of watching our tinky neighbours from along the Tay end the game with ten men after Dixon picked up two bookings in as many minutes in a rare show of common sense by referee Richmond (and believe me this afternoon such a sight was about as frequent an occurence as a Scumdonian picking up a bar of soap). Two well-worked goals and another clean sheet means that there is still hope going into the last few games of the season but there is still some work to do in the side before we'll know if we can turn in these results on a consistent basis.

Simon Mensing was playing his final game today before doing a Hardie and taking a few games off (cup matches notwithstanding) due to suspension. Returning to the squad was Steven Anderson after his day off last weekend, while Kevin James was fit though while the rest during the week had meant that the likes of Jason and Sheerin were fit to start. Pamela also started but at right-back in place of the benched Lawrie while Owen went for the solid option in midfield and left Morais on the bench and Wullie McLaren in the stand.

We started poorly and the referee made sure he was winding up the home fans with a first-minute decision against Pamela for what seemed to be a legal tackle on Dixon. A minute later the physical side of the game came to the fore once more when a neat ball from Sheerinho to Goran saw Perth's favourite Macedonian clobbered and left needing treatment for an ankle knock. Scotland was next to be on the receiving end as the Alex Rae School of Coaching made it's mark in the Scumdee play. Richmond wasn't helping things and a McDonald handball in the fifth minute was awarded in Scumdee's favour as the referee decided to penalise McInnes. And they wonder why we complain about the standard of refereeing in this country?

The fouls aside, there was little to get excited about in the opening stages of the game. A Dundee corner was easily cleared by the Saints defence while a couple of freekicks from us into the box fell foul of the offside rule. Sheerinho did manage to get a good cross into Roy's box in the 11th minute, but the Scumdee keeper came out to claim the ball just ahead of Peaso. At the other end Mensing headed a Swankie freekick clear and then in the 14th minute Hardie tried our first real shot with a long-range attempt that went well wide of the goal. Overall, we looked far too slow off the ball with the midfield again providing poor support and service to the front men. Defensively we looked okay, but the distribution from the back was woeful at times with the ball showing all the likelihood of spending more than a second on the deck than a Dens Park board has of keeping out of debt for more than a month.

There were some nervy moments at times in the Saints defence. A Scum corner on the quarter hour mark found Pamela missing and it took several attempts before the danger was cleared - even then it was only as far as the midfield so they could enjoy their usual spell of head tennis, before Kevin McDonald had a low shot straight at the Cat. Saints began to make some chances though and in the 19th minute we had a good penalty claim. A long ball from McManus at the back was headed down by Peaso for Jason at the edge of the box and he broke in before being brought down from behind - only for the referee to rule that the defender had won the ball cleanly (not a decision to find favour in the East Stand). Three minutes later and another long ball opened up the Scumdee defence as easily as a Hulltoon Chavette's legs after a couple of Bacardi Breezers. Scotland found room on the left before cutting into the box and playing the ball back to Sheerin who from 15 yards out managed to volley the ball wide of the target when he had all the time to place his shot.

A Saints corner was cleared and then Goran and McInnes did well to link up and set up Mensing for a shot from the edge of the area that sailed over the bar. But generally the game was a pretty scrappy affair and neither side seemed to have the killer creative touch to turn the game around. McKenzie picked up the first booking of the game in the 29th minute as he brought down Peaso as he broke through on goal. Within a minute the referee had evened things up though as McManus was fouled by Daal only for Richmond to book the Saints defender.

Two minutes later and Dundee nearly opened the scoring as McManus was absolutely skinned by Davidson on the left. He cut into the box and sent in a low angled shot that beat the Cat but was blocked by Goran who cleared the danger. Saints immediately pressed back and Pamela sent in a good ball from the right that broke to Mensing and he tried his luck with a first-time volley that sailed well over the bar. Sheerinho and Jason liked well to set up Peaso but his effort went wide. Gary Smith picked up his side's second booking for a foul on Jason on the edge of the box. Sheerinho took the freekick which went over the wall but was prevented from hitting the postage-stamp corner but Roy pulling off a good save to tip the ball over the bar. From the resulting corner Hardie tried his luck but the ball was deflected wide. Another corner came in and this time Hardie got up to power a downward header in which deflected off Peaso and was somehow cleared off the line.

If there were any signs of nerves at the start of the second-half, they soon vanished as Saints took the lead within a minute of the restart although there was perhaps just a wee bit of luck involved. A long ball down the right channel beat Dixon and found Peaso who cut inside his marker at the byeline before playing the simplest of cutbacks to an unmarked Jason inside the box. He fired in a low shot that somehow hit the post and rebounded across the goalline where it managed to cannon off the helpless Roy and into the net - not that he was given much sympathy from the Saints supporters. Scumdee tried to hit back with a quick corner but the Cat was alert to come out and take the ball cleanly. Saints were starting to show a bit more confidence and seemed to have opened up the play a bit more with a lot more movement on and off the ball. Goran tried his luck in the 50th minute after a great run saw him play a one-two with Hardie before trying his luck from the edge of the box only to see the shot blocked. A minute later and Anderson sent in a good cross that broke out to Sheerinho but his dipping shot was held by the keeper. Hardie set up Jason next for another low shot but again Roy pulled of another good save.

The overall play was a lot better and we were definitely threatening Roy's goal much more than in the first period. Sheerinho came close to adding a second in the 57th minute as Goran laid the ball off to him and he hit a chip with the outside of his left foot only for the ball to go just over the crossbar. Scumdee weren't out of it and a rare foray up the park saw McManus forced into an error. The ball broke to the middle and after Anderson missed with a wild tackle, McHale found himself in the box on the right but somehow when it seemed like he would actually cause the Cat to break sweat, he screwed his shot wide of the goal, with an attempt which had about as much accuracy in it as your average set of Dens Park accounts.

Time for some more punishment then and on the hour, McHale was correctly chastised for a late foul on Goran on the left touchline. The freekick was floated in for a one-two and shot from Sheerin which brought out a good save from Roy and a corner. Sheerin sent that one in low for Peaso to head on at the near post and into the 6yd box came the Mad Mental One like the 7th Cavalry, to blast the ball into the roof of the net to make it two-nil.

Two minutes later and Jason almost made it three as he latched onto a long ball for an excellent run which unfortunately saw him clash with Sheerinho. He recovered to get into the box but the final shot was well blocked by Roy. Scumdee tried to hit back with twenty minutes remaining as Anderson was again left wanting on the flank (although he had been limping a bit and was clearly struggling) and a cross into the box found the lanky Daal in plenty of room but his attempt went over the Cat's bar. Lawrie replaced Ando just after that and then with fifteen minutes remaining the game was all but over. McInnes was caught late by Dixon in the middle of the park and the Dundee defender picked up a booking for his trouble. The freekick was eventually taken and floated over to the right where Peaso picked up the ball for a run only to be scythed down by yup that man Dixon. Charlie Richmond didn't hesitate and a second yellow and a red ended his participation in the game. From the freekick, out by the goalline, McInnes laid the ball off to Sheerin but his angled shot went just over the bar.

Saints were oozing confidence now and the improvement in the side was like night and day as the ball stayed on the ground more and the passing was a lot neater. Peaso, Jason and Hardie showed this with some lovely close play in the 79th minute which unfortunately was rounded off with a weak shot from Peaso who otherwise had a pretty good game before being replaced by Derek Lilley for the last ten minutes or so. The closing stages were unfortunately marred by the only cloud of the afternoon as Kevin James and a Dundee player suffered an accidental clash of heads which left James the worst off and flattened. After treatment on the park, he was stretchered off with Morais coming on to replace him as Mensing dropped back from midfield to centre-half. Even then we had time to add a third as Jason set up Hardie for a run into the box that was blocked and then more good work from the lively Scotland towards the end saw him set up Lilley but the shot was cleared. Dundee had clearly run out of ideas and the confidence in the Saints play was typified with the injury time passing the ball about in defence which saw us simply take the pish out of the tinks - a nice was to round off the afternoon.

There weren't many great performances over the whole game with most of the midfield only waking up after their half-time break. Hardie, Mensing, McInnes and Sheerin all put in good shifts. But my MoM goes to Jason for looking back to his best and unlucky not to score more. There wasn't really a weak point in the side as the game went on though with the confidence shining through.

Just need to keep doing that for a few more games....

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