Match report: St Johnstone 2 Hibernian 0

Oct 5 2010 by Johnathon Menzies, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

St Johnstone 2 Hibernian 0

THE class of ‘69 took a half-time bow and their successors made sure the drinks were flowing in the hospitality suites at full-time with timely goals from second-half substitutes Liam Craig and Marcus Haber, writes Gordon Bannerman.

Both players have a long way to go before they can match statistics forged by Willie Ormond’s legends, with seven of the attackers from his era sharing 450 goals, but they look likely to trouble opposition defences this season.

Craig, recuperating from a hamstring injury, has a proven record in the goalscoring stakes and Haber opened his SPL account in style, emulating a one-on-one finish against Man United in pre-season.

The Canadian is bound for Kiev. This stoppage time strike will have done his international debut chances no harm.

Twelve months ago Saints were picking-up more plaudits than points and chiselled out a win at Hamilton which worked wonders for their confidence.

Perhaps this victory will provide impetus when work resumes after an international break.

While, strangely, John Hughes kept his replacements in the dug-out rival manager Derek McInnes trusted to Craig, Haber and Andy Jackson to make a difference.

They didn’t let him down.

Michael Duberry sent the goal frame shuddering with a glancing first-half header from a free-kick swept into the danger zone by Danny Grainger.

But Saints were unable to exploit their obvious advantage in terms of possession and territory before dead ball specialist Grainger delivered another teasing corner kick in the 76th minute.

Craig made the near post run and his stooping header careered into the far corner to finally end the stalemate.

Deflated Hibs, with one win in seven, had no answer.

Keeper Brown brilliantly denied Haber with a one-handed save from the striker’s header after Chris Millar and Alan Maybury had worked the opening down the right.

But the on-loan West Brom man soon got his revenge, exploiting woeful defending to surge through and finish in stoppage time.

It sent the locals home happy, while travellers from the capital vented their spleen on a manager who led them into Europe last season.

They did so from the safety of the away stand. Probably a wise move.

The Perth side fully merited maximum points, which nudged them up the table, but they had to be patient.

Battle-hardened veterans like the ever-commanding Duberry and Jody Morris had the savvy and resolve to convince their colleagues the rewards would come, while Chris Millar kept moving and probing.

Keeper Peter Enckelman got a fright when a cross, seemingly drifting behind, was nodded back into the danger area.

But, otherwise, his only real moment of anxiety came when Riordan clipped a 16-yard shot wide minutes before Craig’s breakthrough goal.

He heads for Finland’s clash with Hungary buoyed by his first clean sheet in Perth colours.

His kicking, which had been suspect after a thigh strain, even paved the way to a Route One strike to dispel any lingering doubt over the outcome.

In a less than enthralling first half, winger Jennison Myrie-Williams troubled Brown with a hanging cross which tempted Murray Davidson to leap and head over.

Later he sliced through the Hibs defence to power a deflected shot wide before being withdrawn.

ST JOHNSTONE: Enckelman, Maybury, Grainger, Mackay, Duberry, Morris, Davidson, Millar, Parkin (Haber 77), Samuel (Jackson 62) and Myrie-Williams (Craig 62). Subs not used: Smith, Rutkiewicz, McIntosh and May.

HIBS: Brown, Hart, Dickoh, Bamba, Grounds, Miller, McBride, Wotherspoon, Nish, Riordan and Rankin. Subs not used: Smith, de Graaf, Hanlon, Stevenson, Stephens, Trakys and Horner.

Referee: Dougie McDonald.