Saints 1 Hibs 0 League Table Here
Team ::
Main,McQuillan,Preston,Dasovic,Kernaghan,Weir,Scott,O'Halloran,Kane,Georgio,Jenko
Subs :: McCluskey,O'Neill,Grant
Saints were able to field an unchanged side for the first time in ages with the only change being the addition of Del to the subs bench in place of Tosh.
We got off to the perfect start when some good running to the bye-line by Kane in 2 minutes saw him able to get a cross over. Up popped Phizzy in the 6-yard box to head past the Sieve in goal (apparently everything goes through him) to put us one-up and pile more pressure on Baldy Duffy and his mob of junkies and psychos.
Unfortunately after that the first half began to get bogged down as Hibs tried to play the long-ball game which the Saints defence dealt with but then took ages getting the ball clear or up the field only to see another stupid pass go astray. The midfield was pretty dire with Jenko doing his usual trick of pleading for the ball only to just pass it back when finally given. Kane and Scott both tried in the central area but the short passes they were forced to play meant that more often than not a Hibee got the ball. Up front Georgio ran his arse off but it was the same routine of him having to come back into his own half to retrieve the ball, whilst Scott faded totally after the goal.
There were some chances for Saints as Jenko broke through the middle on the end of a long clearance only to be beaten by an awkward bounce and hit the ball against the Hibs keeper. A second chance on the edge of the box saw him send a curving shot which the keeper did well to hold.
At the other end Main had little to do with Kernaghan and Weir looking strong in the middle and McQ (who I thought had his best game in ages) and Preston dealing with any problems on the wings. There was one difficult moment when Crawford tried a back-heeler but it went wide.
Saints started the second half with the same eleven which came as a bit of a surprise as Jenko looked far from fit and seemed to be carrying another calf strain. He eventually went off to be replaced by Del. Hibs had by far the greater possession in the second-half and there was always the nagging doubt that another Well type comeback could be on the cards. Luckily they had to rely on Crawford, Lavety and Power up front - none of whom seemed capable of hitting the proverbial barn door. It was Pat McGinlay who had there best chance with a 20-yard volley being tipped over the bar by Main - nice to see world-class saves from the big man.
At the other end Saints had 2 penalty claims turned down. The first was when Boco (the Hibees best player by far) seemed to handle on the penalty spot and the second when after some good build-up work, Del was brought down as he ran through on goal. It was a pretty incompetent performance by the ref as he only dished out one yellow card. This happened when everyones favourite 'Cheekyc Chappie' (copyright Scotsport), decided to do a Gazza and elbow Phizzy in the face - the assault was loud enough to be heard at the back of the East Stand. A definite red card but the jammy bastard stayed on the park.
The last 10 minutes or so were the usual frustrating experience for the Saints fans especially when Luggy replaced the injured Phizzy with McCluskey as opposed to the Legend. Still we managed to hang on for a good win. MoM for me was Weir purely cause its so good to see him back in the team.
Remember to vote on todays ref Garry Mitchell (Arbroath) - send marks out of 10 to refvote@grange.demon.co.uk