Busy Saints fail to deliver the goals

Nov 13 2007 David Low

CHRISTMAS may be only six weeks away, but it would have taken a surprise early visit from St Nicholas to deliver a goal in Saturday's encounter at McDiarmid.

And although the two sides showed a level of industry shown by a team of Santa's Elves, their end product wouldn't pass rigorous quality control in the grotto.

For the sixth league game in succession, Owen Coyle kept faith with the side which beat Hamilton so comprehensively a few short weeks ago, and the Saints squad had the added incentive of forging their club's 600th goal at McDiarmid Park – not that it seemed to show at times.

Stephen Kenny's men looked on a mission from the off, seeking to prove they aren't the pushovers their past three results would have suggested.

Stephen Glass had the best chance for his side early on, with a strong box-to-box run aided by one-time Saints target Tam McManus. The midfielder’s cute finish found the net, but the linesman's flag ruled him offside.

McManus and Burchill teed up good chances too - the latter striking the crossbar from a corner on the half-hour mark - but with Steven Anderson impressing, the Saints defence held firm.

McManus was crudely felled by his opposition namesake Allan, ending the striker's participation, and the stoppage gave Saints time to regroup. Within minutes Paul Sheerin and Goran Stanic combined well to feed Kenny Deuchar in the box, the big striker heading home with ease, except he was adjudged to have climbed on two defenders in the process.

Saints started the second half in similar fashion, the impressive Deuchar once again finding the net, only to see the offside flag chalk another goal off the new McDiarmid scoreboard. He wants to stay and Perth fans will be hoping a deal can be struck with Gretna.

Andy Jackson's first penalty claim of the afternoon went unrewarded after a tough two-man sandwich on the youngster – and his second protest found the same answer despite a blatant challenge by Scott Wilson which nearly had the entire Saints bench spilling onto the field in anger.

The visitors were limited to long-range shots despite some nice build-up play in the centre, with Danny Murphy coming closest to breaking the deadlock. It was Saints that looked more likely to score, but fate seemed against them when yet another penalty shout – their fourth of the game – saw Derek McInnes denied a decent scoring chance.

Jim Hamilton, often the scourge of Saints in the past, summed-up the occasion in the dying moments with a daft 40-yard lob which might just have troubled Gulliver when playing against Lilliput FC, but not Alan Main. And so the match ended goal-free, with the tell-tale sign that neither keeper will be needing new gloves for the re-match in the Challenge Cup final.

However with Dundee losing and Hamilton maintaining their incessant progress at the top of the division, this season's campaign has already taken on a familiar theme; caught in a chase before the baubles get dusted off – and with three weeks until the next league encounter there is plenty to be pondered down the Crieff Road.

St Johnstone: Main, Irvine, Stanic, McInnes, McManus, Anderson, McLaren (Weatherston 52), Sheerin, Deuchar, Jackson (MacDonald 83), Quinn. Subs not used: Stewart, Lawrie, Cuthbert.

Dunfermline: Murdoch, Woods, Wilson, Glass, Bamba, Murphy, Ryan (McGlinchey 75), Simmons, Burchill, McManus (Crawford 37), Muirhead (Hamilton 84). Subs not used: Harris and Paterson.

Referee: Scott MacDonald