Temple Of Saints - Mugged By Meadowbank

Bells League Division One 23/09/2006

Ambitious Meadowbank 1 Saints 1 League Table Here

Team : Halliwell, Lawrie, Stanic, Mensing, McManus, James, McLaren, Sheridan, Hardie, Jason, Sheerinho
Subs : Cuthbert, Peaso, Pamela, Ryan, Lawson

After the enjoyment of Tuesday's cup win, it was back to the title race today and a chance to go clear at the top. Of course it wasn't going to be easy with Livi enjoying a decent start to the season under Fatboy Robbo. Unfortunately we had to settle for a point after gifting the hosts a goal. Saints weren't at their best with little to see in the way of flowing football and far too much reliance of long balls to Jason with little support from the midfield. In the end we scored a decent goal and deserved at least a point from the game. But the lads will need to raise their game to take something from the next couple of games.

Willie McLaren returned to the Saints squad and James passed a late fitness test to take over from Anderson in defence, although whether Pamela deserved to be dropped was another matter. The big news though was the absence of Savo from the side, presumably through injury. A good travelling support successfully negotiated the maze of roundabouts, shellsuit ghettos and Old Firm supporters buses to get to the ground as well as paying a fiver to park at the ground.

Saints were at Livi from the off with Mad Mental Martin up front alongside Jason. Hardie got his head onto a freekick in the first minute but there was no blue shirt in the box to follow up on the loose ball. Three minutes after that another long freekick found Mensing's head but the keeper easily held his attempt. We were making plenty of chances but the final ball was found wanting too often and there was a noticeable lack of pace in the side with nothing like enough movement off the ball from the Saints players.

Jason forced our first corner after getting to the byeline and sending a low cross over which was intercepted before it could reach Mensing at the back post. The corner was even less successful with an easy clearance for the Meadowbank defence. The first chance from the home side came from a mistake in the Saints defence. A 7th minute Livi freekick into the box was headed back to Bryn by Mensing but the keeper hesitated allowing a Livi striker in for a shot that Halliwell held. Sheerin hit a shot wide after a good move from Jason but chances were at a premium.

So to the sucker punch and it came in the 18th minute thanks to another mix-up in the Saints defence. An easy ball into the box fell for James in the 6yd box. He seemed to leave it for Halliwell who was slow to come out and before we knew it, Craig sneaked in for an easy finish to give them the lead. Saints hit straight back and good play from Mensing set up Jason in the box. He showed some good control before returning the ball to Mensing whose shot went just wide. Two minutes later and Scotland set up Willie on an overlap down the left who sent in a low angled drive which was blocked. Then the large travelling support erupted into fury when a Kevin James header into the box found Hardie who was blatantly fouled - but no penalty.

Defensively we were still looking nervous though and Halliwell had a couple of panicky clearances including one from a McManus passback. And while Livi tried to press they were causing us little real danger although Kevin James looked off the pace. Livi's only real chance came in the 27th minute after Stanic was skinned on the wing and from the cross Craig had a free header but sent the ball over the bar. Saints equalised in the 31st minute with about as simple a goal as you could imagine. A simple kick out from Halliwell was headed on by Hardie and found Jason who took one touch, turned his marker and fired in a cracking shot from about 15 yards out to make it 1-1.

Two minutes later we almost took the lead with a good Hardie run cutting inside and trying a shot that was blocked. The ball fell for Mensing but he went for a first time effort and it was blocked as well. That was a rare example of some flowing play as Saints looked jaded with Sheerin, Mensing and Hardie all slow on the ball and McLaren looking like the wee laddie left out on the wing again receiving little service from his teammates.

Saints were forced into a change seven minutes before the break. A corner in was met by Kevin James and a Livi defender but a clash of heads saw both players flattened. James received some treatment for a head would but eventually after about seven minutes when the player looked unconscious, he left the field on a stretcher to receive six stitches in a head wound and treatment for a knee ligament problem. The substitution was a simple one with Pamela coming on into the defence. Before the break, we managed a couple of chances the best being a long ball for Hardie which was flicked out only as far as Mensing but his effort went well over the bar. Livi hit back with a short corner ending in a low shot into the side netting.

After the break the game was a lot more even but Saints had the better of the chances. Six minutes into the half and a throw-in on the left found Jason who set up Sheerin but his curling shot was just wide of the goal. Two minutes after that and a good move ended with Jason setting up Hardie who chipped the ball in from the right. Willie rose up unmarked at the back post to head the ball home only for the far side linesman to flag for offside. Livi tried to hit back with a freekick after Shields had dived under a Sheridan challenge on the corner of the box but Halliwell easily held the effort.

Jason was at the heart of most of our attacks but it has to be said he's picking up a rather bad habit of no longer being selfish in front of goal. Laying the ball off is all fine and dandy but it would be nice if there was some support there to follow-up (Sheerin a prime example in the 61st minute). Mensing was just as frustrated a couple of minutes later with a low cutback from the right that was held by the keeper while McLaren on the left was starting to get into the game sending in a series of good crosses only for the Livi defence to crowd out the area.

There wasn't much in the way of goalscoring chances although the Saints defence was guilty of letting the home side away with a couple of free headers with 15 minutes left - luckily they went nowhere near the target and a couple of poor clearances ended in some shots from the edge of the box going over the bar.

Owen made his switch with 12 minutes remaining as Sheerin went off in place of Peaso with Mad Mental Martin dropping back. A bit of a strange one and not popular amongst the Saints support especially since Sheerin had come onto a decent second half while Hardie was struggling with the pace of the game. Hardie's day didn't get much better a couple of minutes later when the Saints man went down with a head knock. Unlike James though the Mad Mental One just shook it off and got on with the game.

The closing stages saw both sides go for the winning goal. Makel had a shot go over while Scotland and McLaren sent some decent balls into the area that were headed clear. As for Livi they came close with a cross in the 89th minute that Halliwell was nowhere near and the rest of the Saints defence missed - luckily the free header went over the bar. Then a minute later another cross in saw Halliwell half-punch the ball clear and it took a brilliant Sheridan tackle to remove the danger. The final chances came to us in injury time with a Lawrie cross for Jason finding the striker struggling for room to get a shot in and then a McLaren cross finding Hardie who laid the ball off for Jason but his chip was just wide of the goal.

Overall it wasn't a bad result in the end although there was the feeling we should have taken all three points. The loss of James wasn't too bad since there are doubts as to whether he was fit enough to start and whether Anderson deserved to drop. MoM for me today was Darren Sheridan who helped to set up a lot of the moves. Jason, Stanic and Mensing were ok as well while Lawrie has continued to improve. As for Willie McLaren, he has to start running at defences since he has the ability but seems to lack the confidence.

And at least we're still unbeaten...

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