Match report

Saturday, 17 April 2010
Saints grab late draw amid controversy

Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Saints (2) v St Mirren (2)
Attendance [3,557]

PHOTO: Michael Duberry grabs his first goal for Saints with a header to make it 2-1.

Defender Dave Mackay was expected to be fit for the visit of relegation-threatened St Mirren but in the event he didn’t make it and so that meant just the once change – Danny Grainger in for Murray Davidson with Liam Craig moving to midfield from the left-back role he had at Pittodrie.

The opening half was not a great spectacle and it is fair to say that the visitors looked the livelier, more cohesive side but the quietest men on the field were goalkeepers Graeme Smith and Paul Gallacher.

Danny Grainger and Filipe Morais dropped efforts over the bar – the former from a free kick - while at the other end there was relief in Perth ranks when a 3rd minute Andy Dorman square ball flew across the penalty box.

The 22nd minute brought a great chance for Saints and Cillian Sheridan was the sinner when he blasted past when well placed to the right of goal after Michael Duberry flicked the ball onto to him with his head.

Four minutes later the visitors almost made the breakthrough when Andy Dorman did well to take a ball played into his feet first time and his effort looped over Graeme Smith and touched the top of the bar on its way over.

At this point Kenny Deuchar looked to be toiling with an injury but he recovered to remain on the pitch but he was on onlooker as the Paisley side took a deserved lead in 33 minutes.

Steven Anderson, who has performed so well since coming back into the side, was at fault as he surrendered possession to Stephen O’Donnell and he was unable to stop the St Mirren man getting the better of him on the byline and when the cross was whipped into the six yard box Graeme Carey was on hand to back heel it into the net from just a couple of yards out.

Saints’ lack of impact on proceedings clearly wasn’t lost on Derek Mcinnes and just three minutes after that goal he shuffled his pack by introducing Murray Davidson at the expense of Liam Craig as Saints tried to gain a foothold in proceedings.

Each side had a player booked before the break – Filipe Morais and Lee Mair respectively, with the East Stand punters being particularly unhappy at Mair’s challenge on Sheridan which saw the Saints striker have to head to the treatment room for 3 minutes with blood pouring from his face.

St Mirren held onto their lead to half-time and Saints were left to reflect on a first half in which they had not done themselves justice. This really had been poor stuff from the home side.

Any hopes that the home support had of seeing their side start the second half on a more positive footing were dashed in 50 minutes when Gus MacPherson’s side doubled their advantage and again it was a poor goal to lose from a defensive point of view.

Billy Mehmet picked up the ball in the centre of the park and had the time to dink the ball over the top where Andy Dorman chased onto it and was able to hoist it over the on-rushing Graeme Smith and it bounced once before nestling high in the rigging.

Just two minutes later St Mirren had a chance to put the game beyond Saints when Mehmet was through on goal. He managed to poke the ball past Smith and appeared to be caught by the Saints keeper after the ball had gone and with the ball trundling past the post the St Mirren was looking for a spot kick but Charlie Richmond showed no interest.

It really was pretty bleak for home fans but the introduction of Collin Samuel for Cillian Sheridan slowly began to pep things up and after a lengthy spell of play which suggested that the Buddies were entirely comfortable on their lead, Saints were thrown a lifeline with eleven minutes to go.

Michael Duberry eventually managed to nod the ball over the line but it came at the dn of a right old scramble which followed a Saints free kick – a shot was blocked on the line and then another effort came off the post before Chris Millar dinked it back in and ‘”Doobs” headed home.

An equaliser still looked unlikely although this was a much improved Saints side by now. However, with the clock ticking onto 90 minutes, the game exploded in controversy.

Gus MacPherson would later content that a challenge on Kenny Deuchar was not a free kick and it may have been on the soft side but it has to be said that The Doc put up with an awful lot of challenges throughout the afternoon that he got little protection for.

In any event, Filipe Morais sent in the free kick and after a scramble, Murray davidson fired it goalwards only to see Stephen O’Donnell stick out an arm to stop the ball on the line. It’s fair to say that confusion then reigned.
The fact that referee Charlie Richmond stopped the game would suggest he had seen the hand ball and had awarded the penalty kick but if that was the case where he didn’t do himself any favours was his failure to show clearly or at least confirm to Perth players that a penalty had been given.

A lengthy consultation with his Assistant James Bee followed and even once this had come to an end there was a minute or so of nobody quite knowing what was going on. O’Donnell was booked – but for dissent, not the hand ball – and presumably only because he was unable to be sure who had handled, St Mirren were left with 11 men on the park.

Some three minutes after the incident, the referee finally indicated that it was a penalty kick.

Jody Morris had spotted the ball but with Paul Sheerin a late substitute, instructions from the bench saw the veteran midfielder grab the ball from Morris and he duly converted in the style we have become so used to during his Saints career.

The final whistle brought protests from visiting players and it was a generally a scrappy and controversial end to the affair.

Saints got out of jail in this one. There was no debate over the penalty award – it was quite clearly a hand ball – and perhaps Richmond’s only fault was not making that clear from the start but it gave Saints an equaliser they barely deserved because for the first 70 minutes of this one we were second best to a slick, determined St Mirren side.

Hopefully, a lesson learned for the remaining four games.

SAINTS: Smith, Irvine, Grainger (Sheerin), Anderson, Duberry, Morris, Millar, Craig (Davidson), Deuchar, Sheridan (Samuel), Morias.
Subs not used: Main, Rutkiewicz. Swankie, Reynolds

ST MIRREN: Gallacher, Carey, Mair, Potter, Murray, Dorman, Mehmet, Thomson, O'Donnell, Robb, Barron.
Subs not used: Howard, Higdon, Brady, Loy, Innes, McLennan

Att: 3,557

PHOTOS
Top - Paul Sheerin slots home the penalty to make it 2-2 after....
Bottom - ...Referee Charlie Richmond had taken some time to decide on the spot kick award