Saints take win from the road

Oct 9 2007

IF you want to finger a guilty party for St Johnstone’s failure to step-up into the SPL, look no further than Almondvale.

Last term Saints failed to get the better of Livingston in four attempts and a shedload of points dropped to the West Lothian club ultimately proved costly in the chase for the championship.

So this impressive win, the first league victory on the road at a venue where the hosts have been miserly in recent weeks, provided yet another indication that Owen Coyle is moulding a side capable of pressing home claims for the top flight.

The early stuttering form is now forgotten and the only potential fly in the ointment is the long-term status of influential loan recruits Kenny Deuchar and Rocco Quinn – who again contributed hugely to another fetching team performance as Saints extended their unbeaten sequence to nine games.

Hamilton remain eight points ahead but Dundee are now within four points as the quartet of fancied sides pre-season begin to assert themselves.

Only Clyde have left Saints pointless and that was before Doctor Deuchar and teenage sidekick Andy Jackson began forging a partnership as effective as Batman and Robin.

Little and Large got a namecheck at the post-match briefing but First Division defences are finding nothing to laugh about as these strikers aim to build on a joint return of 13 goals in seven games.

The eye-catching Jackson, with goals in each of his last five appearances, even found himself being linked with a Scotland U21 call-up before informing his interviewer that the Republic of Ireland had already nailed down his services courtesy of a grandparent on his mum’s side of the family.

But even the frontline pairing’s latest goalscoring contributions were overshadowed by an unfathomable refereeing decision minutes from the end which denied Paul Sheerin his sixth penalty goal of the season so far.

Jackson, booked earlier for simulation, was decked by Mark Tinkler and Sheerin slammed the penalty home. But the celebrations were stifled and Alan Boyd bemused one and all by awarding a free-kick to the home side. Luckily, the points were bagged but neither manager could come up with an explanation for a verdict which stumbled into uncharted territory.

There was time for keeper Alan Main to conjure up his first save of any consequence but if Saints were to lose the title on goal difference this curious decision will come back to haunt them.

Saints deserved more than a two goal advantage for a powerful second half display which Livi simply couldn’t cope with.

Deuchar had a simple header in the 62nd minute after an increasingly confident Willie McLaren released Jackson into the area and the cross took keeper Mariusz Liberda out of the equation — not bad going given the giant Pole makes Kevin James look like a Krankie.

Then, 11 minutes from the end, McLaren dinked over a cross which found Jackson at the back stick to guide home a solid volley from close range.

While the first period was evenly matched, Saints forged the better chances, with Liberda denying Sheerin after the midfielder charged onto a Jackson pass and later McLaren thrashed in an angled shot which the keeper blocked with a delicate part of the anatomy, presenting the female physio with something of a dilemma.

Quinn again demonstrated his range of passing and Derek McInnes turned in another influential performance as Saints gradually built momentum. Gary Irvine was booked in a testing first half when Steven Anderson excelled but settled into his familiar game and Livi disappeared without trace as an attacking force.

Sheerin must wonder where his first goal from open play will come from, with Dave MacKay blocking his touch on a driven McLaren cross and then an assistant’s flag ruled out a Deuchar header when Jackson weaved past the keeper to the byline.

Before Sheerin's penalty was pilfered, Jackson showed brilliant technique to force Liberda into another fine save with a snapshot volleyed on target as the pass dropped teasingly over his shoulder. The confidence is simply oozing from every pore right now.

Livingston: Liberda, Mitchell (Quitongo 78), McCaffrey, MacKay, Tinkler, Fox, Dorrans, Kennedy, Craig (Matthews 88), Pesir and Noubissie (Weir 57). Subs not used: James and Stewart.

St Johnstone: Main, Irvine, Stanic, McInnes, McManus, Anderson, Quinn (Moon 90), Sheerin, Deuchar (MacDonald 85), Jackson and McLaren. Subs not used: Stewart, Cuthbert and Lawrie.

Referee: Alan Boyd.