Temple Of Saints - We need a new song

Bells League Division One 09/09/2006

Partick 1 Saints 5! League Table Here

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

The problem with being successful when you visit a particular football ground is that the expectations of the fans also increase. No more so that the enchanting delights of Firhill where a run of 4-goals-a-game from Saints stretched all the way back to the days when Dick Campbell's bunnet was actually fashionable. Even being held to a draw and subsequent drama of a penalty shootout in the Challenge Cup last season still saw us stick "IV" (as the Romans might have said past their helpless keeper. Today was going to be a tougher prospect though with Fissel having had a good start to the season and up there with the front-runners. Come full-time and the bar had been raised once more with the boys smashing five past a Thistle side who looked nothing like the title contenders their early hype was preaching. it doesn't get much better than this!!

Saints were without Rustybitz as his groin kept him out, but McManus and Martin Hardie were back in the squad while the away support were waiting to see Willie McLaren make his debut. All three started with Sheridan having to settle for a place on the bench alongside Pamela, Peaso and Ryan. For Fissel, there was no Grant Murray to shout abuse at but two ex-Saintees now get their thrills at Firhill with Simon Donnelly and Derek "not good enough" Young lining up for the home side.

Saints started in a 4-4-2 formation with Oor Wullie out wide left, Sheerinho through the middle and Hardie on the right flank. We took a minute to get going allowing Billy Gibson to get a shot in - then we turned it on big time. Sixty seconds later Saints pressed with Jason beating his defender. One more touch and then he fired the proverbial unstoppable rocket past Arthur and into the back of the net. Easily a candidate for goal of the season.

With the home fans undergoing their traditional head-in-hands routine that accompanies our visits the old Saxa was well and truly rubbed in four minutes later. Oor Wullie picked up the ball on the left and took the ball for a run across the park. He played a simple pass back to Mad Mental Martin. The return chip was inch-perfect as Wullie got behind the defence to square the ball for Jason to slot home the second.

Thistle looked shellshocked and bereft of ideas as Saints grew in composure and confidence. Goran went on a wee run beating four before running out of space. Our next chance came from a 10th minute corner. The ball came over to McManus who sent it back in for Jason who headed down to Savo, but the keeper just beat him to the ball. Saints were making all the running and Jason and Savo were in the thick of it. Savo should have got a third for us in the 18th minute when a great pa s got him behind the home defence. He ran through one-on-one with the keeper but his shot was saved.

Partick fired a couple of dangerous punts into the Saints area but the defence dealt with them comfortably enough with McManus and James as solid as ever. The closest Partick came was in the 25th minute when the defence only half-cleared the ball. It was sent back in but missed by everyone. Saints hit back with some good play from Jason setting up McLaren but his shot was pulled wide. Partick tried to hit back and Bryn was finally called into action to tip a Roberts shot wide. The corner was played short to Billy Gibson but his effort was woeful and sailed over the bar.

The last 15 minutes of the half, saw Saints dominate the play. Wullie and Savo combined well but again the defence cleared. Wullie was involved again in the 35th minute showing some great control on the left before setting up Mensing whose low drive was just wide of the post. Three minutes later and McLaren was involved again sending a great cross for Savo at the back post but his header went into the side netting. The trio of Scotland, McLaren and Sheerin were causing the Jags defence plenty of problems but struggled to get a clean shot in.

But with three minutes remaining in the half a quick break from Saints found Hardie and his long ball saw Savo beat the offside trap and run in on goal before chipping Arthur in the home goal. Partick's tactics for the second-half switched to trying to catch us offside as much as possible and they were well aided by the assistant referee.

Dick the Bunnet had obviously had strong words over the half-time canapes and they came out a lot more fired up for the second-half. Gibson had an early shot take a deflection before going just wide of the goal, although the resulting corner didn't cause any real worries. At the other end Mensing and Sheerinho had shots blocked before the real shock came in the 54th minute.

Yup never mind the non-existence of the tooth fairy, or the miracle of the Dove found at Dens, Saints fans saw something today which just has you questioning whether there is anything left believing in. 54 minutes gone and, it pains me to say this, Goran LOST the ball, as in dispossessed, robbed, tackled. It was like the end of an age of innocence amongst the away fans. Still on the plus side, Thistle did sweet feck all once they had the ball. The game was pretty flat and the home fans that hadn't stampeded for the exits at half-time were fast losing patience with their team.

Saints began to press as the game reached the hour mark and Thistle seemed to be giving up. James and Savo both had chances from a Sheerin corner and then in 63 minutes tradition was upheld. A Partick corner was cleared and Saints broke up the park with the ball sent out right for Jason. He played it into Savo through the middle before getting the return. Scotland was in the box and decided to show off, beating a defender before trying a shot - Arthur managed to block it though but the ball merely fell to Savo at the edge of the area and he sent a low shot past the helpless Arthur (a goalie who at least takes the slaggings from Saints fans in good humour). Four- nil up and the best part of a third of the game remaining had the away stand going wild.

Scotland should have made it five two minutes later after again being set up by Hardie but the keeper made a good save. Peaso game on for Savo h minute just before Partick actually caused some problems with a good break seeing Roberts send a ball into the area which brought out a couple of excellent saves from Halliwell.

Sheridan came on for McLaren (who got a great round of applause for an excellent debut) in the 74th minute - 30 seconds later he'd conceded a freekick. Two minutes after that change some poor slack defending (Saints were really in cruise control by now) saw Partick get into the box where Halliwell came out and brought down the striker. A definite penalty but also rash from the Saints keeper and on another day he might have seen red. As it was Donnelly made no mistake from the spot to offer a crumb of comfort for the home luvvies.

Saints didn't bother to step up the pace much though knowing the game was well and truly won. Hardie had a decent shot across the goal missed by everyone in the 78th minute before being replaced by Stevenson for the closing stages but there was little real action until the closing few minutes. Halliwell made a good save in the 89th minute and then in the final minute Stevenson was fouled 20 yards out. A quickly taken freekick fooled the home defence and Jason was in to fire a cracking shot into the top of the net. 5-1 made for a fairer scoreline!!!!

There wasn't a poor performance on the field today with the players running their arses off and only guilty of slowing up a bit in the second- half, perhaps with half a mind on Tuesday's coming trip to Greenock. MoM for me had to be Jason - two brilliant goals as part of a hat-trick and at the heart of most of our attacks. Savo took his goals well and McLaren had a great debut although it would have been nice to see him run at defenders a bit more. But that's really just nit-picking as Saints totally dominated the game and looked like championship contenders.

Only two problems - Saints'll need to get six when we return to Firhill!!!! And we need a new song!

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