Saints outgunned by Celtic

Dec 20 2011 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

THREE defeats in eight days have left St Johnstone treading water and pondering how to mirror their form on the road at home, reports Gordon Bannerman.

Fourth place in the SPL is still in their possession despite nine points doing a disappearing act.

But manager Steve Lomas will be hoping for an early Christmas present at Dunfermline to kick-start the Perth bandwagon, after suffering three punctures at McDiarmid Park.

The latest defeat, against a pumped-up Celtic side which held Serie A outfit Udinese on Thursday and was en route to clocking-up their seventh successive domestic victory, wasn’t the most distressing of the rapid reversals on home soil. But with seven goals against and just one in their favour, Christmas cheer has been in short supply around McDiarmid Park.

Two goals in the space of four second-half minutes shredded the Lomas game plan, with Saints undone by a scrappy set-piece and, in stark contrast, a mesmerising field-length counter attack from their own dangerous free-kick inches outside the Celtic penalty box.

That put paid to any prospect of a second turn-up-for-the book result, having frustrated Celtic in textbook style en route to a rare win at Parkhead.

Pre-match, there was no sign of talisman Fran Sandaza in a Perth tracksuit and while Kevin Moon was back, Callum Davidson was the latest absentee. Alan Maybury was in at left-back and midfielder David Robertson lasted only 39 minutes after being clattered into the middle of next week by a blood-curdling Majstorovic aerial clear-out which cost the defender a fractured cheekbone and left the Perth player concussed.

Marcus Haber led the line single-handed and a decent fist he made of it. But keeper Forster closed out his one decent chance, with the Canadian pouncing when Wanyama stumbled fending off a Carl Finnigan 68th minute through ball. The angled shot was struck well enough but the keeper stood his ground.

Forster also smothered a Dave Mackay 16-yarder as the home side came out of the blocks impressively after half-time.

But the Celtic number one was left admiring two stunning stops conjured-up by opposite number Peter Enckelman, returning to form after troubled shifts against Motherwell and Aberdeen.

The Finnish international defied Hooper against all the odds when Celtic undid the tight Perth backline in the 32nd minute. The striker was bemused when his dummy and six-yard strike was somehow turned round the post by the grounded keeper’s left arm.

Other than that moment of fear and trepidation, Perth fans had little to fret about, other than the sight of thousands of visiting fans standing for 90 minutes in a ground where stewards are eager to pick-off rascals trying that with fewer folks in attendance.

On the stroke of half-time Liam Craig was cautioned for refusing to retreat 10 yards at a Mulgrew free-kick. Encroachment became a talking point post-match when Kayal was carded for springing from a defensive wall which at no point retreated the required distance, yet escaped similar retribution and a red card for emulating the charge down on Craig’s second attempted from the edge of the area.

Enckelman kept Hooper out again in the 58th minute with another stunning stop and gratefully scooped up an earlier deflection which Maybury knew precious little about.

But the deadlock breaker came on the hour when Saints failed to clear a Mulgrew corner met by Wanyama six yards out. It was crowded and scrappy but Hooper tucked away his 10th goal in a dozen games with the sort of poacher’s strike once the copyright of guys like Ally McCoist and John Robertson.

And when Kayal thwarted Craig and got off the hook for a mirror image encroachment, with five passes the ball was in the Perth net. Cha, Forrest and Samaras interlinked to bemuse a stretched defence and midfielder Ki rammed a close range finish off Enckelman from point blank territory.

Bookings and substitutions followed but no more goals, although Willie Gibson and Murray Davidson sought in vain for a consolation strike in the dying minutes.

SAINTS: Enckelman, Mackay, Maybury, Anderson, McCracken, Millar, M. Davidson, Craig (Gibson80), Robertson (Finnigan 39), Moon and Haber. Subs not used: Mannus, Parkin, Durnan, McIntosh and Gray.

CELTIC: Forster, Majstorovic (Rogne 33), Brown, Samaras, Cha, Ki, Mulgrew, Kayal (McGeouch 78), Forrest, Wanyama and Hooper (Bangura 82). Subs not used: Zalukas, Wilson, Blackman and Twardzik.

REFEREE: Euan Norris.