St Johnstone lose semi-final clash with Rangers

Feb 5 2010 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

IT’S in danger of becoming an annual event. For the fourth time in as many years, St Johnstone fell short as a cherished cup final again proved tantalisingly out of reach.

A Saints side will be contesting the March final but sadly it’s the Paisley version who will square-up to Rangers to grapple for the silverware.

It was an evening laced with bitter disappointment for ambitious manager Derek McInnes, his players and fans at a ghostly and snow-swept National Stadium, with the bizarre insistence on an all-ticket affair restricting the attendance to less than 18,000.

With the thermometer hovering around zero and travel proving hazardous, many of them must have pondered why they’d passed-up a cosy evening at home in the company of Dougie Donnelly.

With Hibs and Dundee United already accounted for, Saints had to make it a hat-trick of SPL scalps to spell an end to their semi-final misery.

But two scrappy first-half goals took the tie beyond the Perth side and allowed a Rangers team minus several big hitters to ease their way into another final. While Saints enjoyed plenty of possession, the delivery into the box was lamentable and rarely did stand-in keeper Neil Alexander have a direct shot to fret about.

The introduction of Stevie Milne at the interval added a bit of devilment up front but by that time strikes from Scottish player of the year elect Steven Davis and old warhorse Lee McCulloch allowed Rangers to sit back and snipe at the Perth defence. As the snow swept Hampden, even a St Bernard bearing brandy would have been hard pushed to rescue the Perth cause.

Keeper Graeme Smith had mixed fortunes, saving a Steven Naismith spot-kick, but he was rescued as early as the fifth minute by backtracking defender Dave Mackay, with a brilliant sliding intervention to prevent Novo squeezing home a shot after the goalie found himself sprawling outside his penalty area.

With Cillian Sheridan up front instead of the injured Kenny Deuchar, Saints relied on a five-man midfield to push forward and support. The tactic should have borne fruit when the impressive Gary Irvine crossed for Murray Davidson to burst into the area. The run was perfect, the finishing touch wasn’t. The keeper was second best but Davidson’s header went wide instead of nestling in the net. Two other teasing close range headers were scooped up by the keeper.

Filipe Morais rammed a shot off a defender when the keeper flapped at a Liam Craig corner.

But Irvine’s calmness in the six-yard box was required on several occasions, with a near-post presence thwarting Davis as he punched a hole in the Perth defence. But seconds later the alert Irishman hooked in a close range finish despite being off the pitch. He got the break of the ball after clipping Novo’s centre off the keeper and poked home a crucial opener.

The generally composed and unflappable Weir was inches away from an own goal but in the 37th minute McCulloch rammed a low 20-yarder through a bustling penalty box, with Smith badly deceived as the ball whipped beneath his body.

While the interval change reinvigorated Saints and their fans, they were unable to turn possession into chances, and found themselves vulnerable as Davis, invariably, turned defence into attack.

Irvine was penalised for a back post push on Naismith in the 70th minute but Smith denied the substitute, diving down to his left. The right-back, who showed fancy footwork worthy of a Soccer AM showboat slot, also proceeded to deny Fleck twice with crucial penalty box interventions. His evening rounded off with a caution for flooring Naismith in stoppage time.

Milne deserved a better reward seven minutes from the end when he eluded two defenders only for his left foot strike to drift over the crossbar from 18 yards. So no grand stand finish and a tame exit from Saints.

RANGERS: Alexander, Smith, Weir, Whittaker, Wilson, McCulloch, Davis, Thomson, Fleck, Novo (Naismith 62) and Lafferty (Little 61). Subs not used: McGregor, Broadfoot and Wylde.

ST JOHNSTONE: Smith, Irvine, Grainger, Morris, Mackay, Gartland, Millar, Davidson, Sheridan (MacDonald 67), Craig (Moon 75) and Morais (Milne 46). Subs not used: Anderson and Main.

Referee: Dougie McDonald.