Ten man St Johnstone crash to Celtic

Jan 26 2010 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

THE luck of the Irish seems to have deserted Perth defender Graham Gartland when appointments with the Old Firm come along, writes Gordon Bannerman.

The former Drogheda skipper was accumulating cautions on a weekly basis early in the campaign but has put together some solid performances, despite an Ibrox aberration.

But his dismissal just 10 seconds after the interval, with Saints defending a 12th minute Liam Craig penalty strike signalled a sea change and inspired Celtic to a barnstorming second-half fightback which culminated in three late goals in the space of nine minutes.

While Gartland’s straight red card seemed harsh for clipping Fortune as he burst onto a Samaras header, he’d previous form anyway, with a yellow doled out before half-time for unceremoniously halting a threatening McGeady counter attack.

It threw Celtic an unexpected lifeline and short-handed Saints were left to face not much a tidal wave as a full-scale tsunami as manager Tony Mowbray launched offensive substitutes and torrents of attacks.

Keeper Graeme Smith, who had used his legs to deny McGinn with a rare opening in stoppage time, found himself cast in the role of King Canute as he attempted to keep the green tide at bay.

But despite his heroics and some appalling Celtic finishing, Smith was finally defeated by an extraordinary strike speared into the top corner from 16 yards by Fortune in the 64th minute.

With McCourt and McGeady launching attack after attack from the flanks, and their geed-up fans – ignoring stadium regulations enforced more rigorously in home stands – urging them on from either end of the park, Saints found themselves being swamped. And Samaras cashed in on head tennis to ram home a 16-yard volley with 13 minutes remaining.

Exhausted Perth players tried to pick themselves up but Fortune rammed an angled finish into the far corner after Smith beat out a snapshot and McCourt swept past bemused full-back Gary Irvine and Jody Morris to thrash a spectacular finish into the top corner before the end.

Yet it had started so promisingly for Saints, with Morris and Kenny Deuchar combining to play in Stevie Milne, only for Loovens to concede a penalty with a sly tug as the striker stole in behind him. It was Saints’ first spot-kick of the SPL campaign and Craig converted it with aplomb. Morris popped up on the line to boot out a low netbound Zhi shot minutes later but with the Perth midfield harassing hooped jerseys at every opportunity, at that stage Celtic chances were few and far between. And with Loovens carried off on a stretcher, Perth fans sensed the second half would offer chances for Milne and a relentless Kenny Deuchar to examine an untested and rookie defensive partnership.

But the game plan unravelled within seconds of the restart. A power surge outside the stadium had killed two thirds of the floodlights but they were back on full beam to pick-out Gartland’s dismissal.

McGeady skied an opening, Samaras miscued one and stroked another wide and O’Dea was defied by Smith. Deuchar departed to a rousing ovation, having hounded McGeady over 40 yards to typify the work ethic in this Perth team.

But within seconds Fortune sent an equaliser screaming past Smith. Then the keeper turned aside a raking Caddis shot and nullified McCourt at his near post.

The odds were titled heavily in favour of a Celtic comeback win but when O’Dea scooped a sitter wide and Smith thwarted McCourt, Perth fans wondered if they might just sneak a point.

But those hopes proved forlorn 13 minutes from safety when Samaras finally found his range to turn dambuster. And while Kevin Moon defiantly inched an 18-yard shot wide and Peter MacDonald almost embarrassed Boruc by pilfering possession, Steven Anderson had to hood away a McCourt lob between Fortune’s second and the Irish winger’s extravagant strike for number four.

ST JOHNSTONE: Smith, Irvine, Grainger, Mackay, Gartland, Morris, Millar, Davidson (Moon 77), Craig, Deuchar (MacDonald 64) and Milne (Anderson 47). Subs not used: Main, Morais, Jackson and Reynolds.

CELTIC: Boruc, Hinkel (McCourt 57), Samaras, Fortune, McGinn, Crossas, Loovens (Caddis 25), Zhi (McGowan 61), Thompson, McGeady and O’Dea. Subs not used: Zaluska, Mizuno, Lafferty and Forrest.

Referee: Willie Collum.