Temple Of Saints - Much better

Bells League Division One 05/01/2008

Saints 2 Partick 0 League Table Here

Team : Main, Irvine, Stanic, McCaffey, Rutkiewicz, Craig, Moon, Peaso, McBreen, Savo, Sheerin
Subs: Cuthbert, Anderson, McManus, Weatherston, Jacko

Another Saturday and the prospect of yet another enticing afternoon watching sexy football at dear old McDiarmid with the sort of riveting entertainment that is guaranteed to bring the hordes back. Alternatively it was more likely to be a bitterly cold afternoon in semi-blizzard conditions watching Alan McManus hump the ball up the park as a pair of midget strikers continued to fight a losing battle for headers while waiting for inevitable adrenaline rush from the panic attack you get when you have to see Main forced to deal with a backpass / kickout / cross. Derek McInnes had accused his players of being too nice after the draw against the Scum in midweek and with the boys set to line up against the Wegie luvvies today with their witty banter, it didn't look like being a riveting encounter. However, McInnes has been stamping his own style on the team (in a nice way of course), especially now he was starting to bring his own players on board with the midweek captures of Stuart McCaffrey and Danny McBreen. With the frustration growing in the stands at our inability to turn draws into wins (never mind the rarity of actually taking the lead in a game from the off), time was running out for Saints to start getting their act together and add a bit of steel to their play in order to resurrect any title challenge.

By the end of this afternoon's encounter, though there were a few more signs of hope for the faithful after a game which we dominated for long spells and thoroughly deserved the three points. McInnes rang the changes and it paid off with only some tired legs on the park at the end of the day preventing a larger winning margin. The new defensive pairing contributed to a clean sheet while in midfield Moon had another ninety minutes which saw him grow in stature although missing a sitter at the end the only cloud. Both new signings looked sharp although McBreen lacked match practice but the big plus for me was that we kept the ball on the deck for long periods and actually looked like playing constructive passing football rather than the kick and rush we've been used to. The players perhaps looked a bit jaded after their third game in a week and at times the game was a pretty poor affair, but the win is more than welcome and it certainly looks like a move in the right direction.

For a change going into this one we didn't have too many injury worries. James, Hardie and McCluskey we all still out longer-term while the only knock from midweek was an Achilles injury to Kevin Rutkiewicz as the Scum cheated their way to their goal. There was still the question of the possibility of new faces being added to the squad with both Chris Millar and Simon Mensing mentioned midweek but the starting lineup saw only Liam Craig there having extended his loan. After the midweek snowfall apparently curtailed training (the poor wee souls unable to go out in the cold), we weren't expecting too many changes but McInnes rang them anyway. In came McCaffrey and McBreen for McManus and Jackson while Mooner started in the midfield as Daal dropped right out while Ando dropped to the bench where he was joined by a recalled Davie Weatherston.

With the pitch cleared in time for the game following the midweek snowfall, Saints started well enough winning a freekick courtesy of Stuart Dougal in the first minute after Savo was fouled but we failed to capitalise on it. Two minutes later Craig had a good run on the left and played the ball in where it was headed down in the box and Savo fired in a volley that was blocked on the line. Mooner and Irvine linked well on the right next for a cross that saw Peaso beat the offside trap (something that didn't happen too much today), but he rushed a header instead of controlling the ball and Tufty had an easy save. The 4-3-3 formation was paying some dividends although the midfield trio of Craig, Sheerin and Moon were tending to group in the middle and leave us a bit more open down the wings. Savo was playing in behind the front pairing of McBreen and Peaso and we struggled to open up a defensive Wegie side, which meant chances were at a premium.

The next half-chance came in the 11th minute when a Caff freekick into the box was headed on by McBreen. The defence didn't clear it properly so the ball fell for Danny again and he went for an overhead kick which went wide of goal. But apart from that there was little goalmouth action with both sides almost reluctant to take a risk and open the play up too much. Defensively we looked solid with Main rarely troubled and Caff and Rusty linking well through the middle while the play from the back up the flanks and midfield was also a big improvement on recent performances. We won our first corner in the 17th minute with more build-up play from the back as Caff released Goran down the left and he sent a good cross in that was headed clear for Moon to float the ball back in where it was headed behind for a corner. That ended up with another pinball scenario as the ball seemed to ricochet off everyone's head before it was cleared.

A minute later another good piece of play saw Peaso send a cross in for Craig but his header was saved and Peaso had a header himself saved a couple of minutes later. We were enjoying a good spell of play without really creating much. Partick's first chance came midway through the half after Irvine was caught up the park and Partick broke down the left wing through McKinlay and he sent a low ball across the goal which found Main static on his line - luckily the ball went across the goalmouth and wide of the goal. A minute later Caff made his only real mistake of the game giving the ball away as he tried to play out of defence. Partick came up and another cutback into the Saints penalty area was cleared by Sheerin. Saints hit back with a long ball which McBreen wasn't able to control when one on one with the keeper and he ended up cutting the ball back for Sheerin but his effort went well over the bar.

The game almost exploded into life (we were getting pretty bored by the lack of real chances by this time) when Twaddle was caught late by Peaso as he went to clear the ball but the Partick luvvies over-reaction didn't do him any favours and for a change Dougal kept the cards in his pocket. There was little else happening on the park - Main had to make a couple of punches to clear some Partick attacks while with ten minutes to go until the break, Craig sent a good ball in from the left that Savo headed on for McBreen. He couldn't find room for a shot as he was crowded out but the ball still broke to Savo only for his shot from about ten yards out to be held.

Back at the other end, Roberts tried his luck with a shot from the edge of the box that Main spilled but luckily Sheerin was back there to clear the ball out of the six-yard box before anyone could capitalise. Partick made a change (which didn't seem to please the player going off as he threw a minor tantrum in the dugout) but there was little real action before the interval with the play flowing from end to end but nobody able to make a decent chance - the game badly needed a goal.

There were no changes at the break but we began to threaten from the restart with an early Savo cross missed by McBreen. Three minutes later and we almost took the lead after Goran on the left played the ball out for Liam Craig. He cut inside and tried his luck with a low curling left-footed shot that beat the defence and keeper but curled about a millimetre wide of the goal. But Partick were also making chances and after Goran conceded a freekick, they sent a low drive from the edge of the box round the wall which Main did well to get down to. He failed to hold onto the ball but Rusty was there to clear the danger. We were trying to create some chances but there was a real lack of support for the front men with Peaso sending two or three crosses in that failed to find a white shirt. Partick had another freekick which we struggled to clear and Sheerin had a run and cross which McBreen managed to head towards the keeper but he had an easy save, although McBreen was looking absolutely knackered and his lack of match fitness was showing through.

Saints made their first change on the hour mark with McBreen left on and Peaso replaced by Jacko to give us a bit more mobility. A minute later Mooner, Craig and Jacko linked well and forced a corner. From it the ball was headed across the crowded goalmouth and broke to Savo at the back post. He laid it off out to Craig and he floated it back into a still-crowded box. Another header sent the ball out to the left where Sheerin had come inside. He showed some brains and hit the ball hard and low into the six-yard box where Caff was there to mark his debut with a tap in past Tufty from a bout two feet out. That gave us the lead and even got a few voices singing in the East Stand although the freezing conditions weren't helping matters.

It seemed to spark us into life as well as force Partick to open up a bit more. Craig had a decent run but when he delayed his pass to Jacko, he was up-ended by a defender. The freekick into the box was headed out as far as Savo but his shot was blocked in the box. Partick broke up the park and sent a cross in from the right that found Main on the line. He missed it but Goran was there to concede the corner - this time Main held onto it. That was followed by the only booking of the game as Partick striker McStay was yellow-carded for mouthing off once too often to the referee. There was a bit more controversy though in the 68th minute when a nice Mooner cross from the right wing was headed on by McBreen into the box for Jacko but as he lined up a shot he as tackled from behind - no penalty was awarded though which was all the more galling given some of the incidents at which the referee found in Partick's favour.

Partick almost equalised with twenty minutes remaining after another freekick in from the left was headed at the back post but Main pulled off a good block (although you have to question why he didn't take the first cross) to concede a corner. That was headed clear to Jackson at the edge of the box and he punted it up the park where Moon won the ball off a defender and went on a run of his own. He kept going forward and unlike Craig played an early pass with a lovely curving ball behind the two defenders to find Savo making a run up the inside right channel. Savo got into the box and let fly with a cracking drive past Tufty and into the back of the net to make it two-nil.

Thistle weren't out of it though and a few minutes after the restart another cross found Saints in confusion with Main and Craig both leaving the ball for one another and allowing a Partick player in for a shot - luckily for us it went wide of the goal. We were looking more confident going forward though and with eleven minutes remaining Goran and Jacko linked well on the left before the former sent a good cross in that was headed on by a defender but only as far as Moon and despite being tackled, Mooner still managed to get in the shot - pity Tufty managed to hold it though. A minute later and Craig broke through and released Stanic and Jacko down the left only for Jacko to be fouled at the goalline. The freekick was played short by Sheerin for Craig but his effort was a pure sclaff and went across the goal and headed towards Tesco.

That marked McBreen's last involvement as Davie Weatherston was given a run out and we switched to a 4-4-2 with Savo and Jacko up front. And with seven minutes remaining Sheerin played the ball forward to Savo at the edge of the box and he laid it off to the right wing where Weatherston cut into the box but while he had room to take the ball in closer, he elected to go for the first time shot that went across the goal and just wide. There was an even worse miss two minutes later though after a Partick freekick was punched clear by Main. Saints broke up the park with Jacko up the right and he sent the ball into the box where Craig rose up to meet it at the post and head it down beautifully for Mooner who with nobody near him proceeded to pull off the sort of embarrassing sclaff of a half-hit shot that made you wonder if he has been spending too much time alongside Dyron in training lately.

The closing stages saw us keep up the pressure as the fight finally went out of Thistle. Craig had a deep cross cum shot held while Weatherston saw another cross floated too close to Tufty. Partick had a couple of breaks and it seemed like Main had lost his voice as there was no shout for the first when he came out to punch clear and even worse in injury time he hesitated over a loose ball expecting it to go wide only to be challenged and end up conceding a corner. The final chance of the game though fell to Saints with Sheerin playing a lovely through ball into the middle for Jacko but he was well tackled in the box.

Overall it was a good performance in freezing conditions. There was a lot more skill on show today with fewer panicky pumps up the park - how much that has to do with the lessons being learnt in training and how much to do with replacing McManus with the impressive McCaffrey remains to be seen. McBreen had a good game as well but MoM for me was Liam Craig who put in a good shift in midfield. But the main bonus for Saints has to be that there yet again wasn't really a poor performance by any one individual.

It might be enough to get our season going again.

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