HEART A ACHE
LOOKING BACK AT A CLASSIC SAINTS ENCOUNTER: APRIL 10, 2018 ST MIRREN V DUNDEE UNITED
Dundee United....1 St Mirren.............0
It just wasn’t to be for St Mirren last night as the champagne was again put on ice thanks to a defeat by Dundee United.
Saints are still in search of the point required to seal the Championship title.
But the ball just didn’t drop for the Buddies on a frustrating evening at Tannadice.
There was little to write home about in the way of opportunities for either side, but that didn’t matter a jot to United who clinched it with a goal from Billy King after only two minutes.
Saints’ biggest disappointment will be the fact that they never even forced Deniz Mehmet into a real save over the course of the 90 minutes.
St Mirren got off to the worst possible start as their dreams of winning the title at Tannadice hit their first bump in the road after just two minutes.
A rampaging run from former Buddie Paul McMullan saw the winger nip in front of Liam Smith before squaring across the face of goal.
His tame cross caught the entire St Mirren defence flat-footed and there was Billy King to fire past Craig Samson and into the bottom corner with United’s very first attack.
But the strike appeared to do little to dishearten a St Mirren side backed by over 2,000 supporters who made the trip to Tayside.
Instead of letting the heads go down, Saints looked to go on the front foot, forcing a succession of corner kicks that they were unable to capitalise on.
Kyle Magennis then chanced his luck with a free-kick from 25 yards but the youngster could only find the side netting of Deniz Mehmet’s goal.
In an opening 20 minutes devoid of much football neither side was truly able to get a stranglehold on the game.
Slack passing and high balls were the order of the day as United looked to frustrate St Mirren at every turn.
The Buddies’ night looked like it could go from bad to worse when skipper Stephen McGinn pulled up with a thigh problem after spraying a cross-field pass to Lewis Morgan in 25 minutes.
It appeared as though his night was over but the captain vowed to battle on.
And he was in the thick the action moments later, winding up in the book for reacting to Thomas Mikkelson scything down Ryan Flynn as the challenges started to rain in from the hosts.
Clearly aggrieved, Saints ramped it up shortly before the half hour, with Adam Eckersley’s tempting ball diverted narrowly wide of the goal by the outstretched leg of United’s Willo Flood.
The Buddies, however would go even closer a minute later as Cammy Smith did well to free up Liam Smith on the right flank.
The full back fired a great ball towards Danny Mullen at the front post, who forced himself in front of Bilel Mohsni, but the forward’s strike was just a couple of inches too high as it cannoned back off the bar and to safety.
But the hammer-throwing tactics of United, in a bid to unsettle the Buddies, would continue right up to half-time.
McMullan would be the next to be booked for a late lunging tackle on Liam Smith, before Durnan was also cautioned by referee Andrew Dallas for bringing down Mullen right before the interval.
Saints came out in the second half with all guns blazing and looking to grab the goal that would put the title back within their grasp.
Mullen was taking on the role of tormentor in chief but his strike on the angle was blocked by the diving Mohsni at the front post as he continued to pose the United backline problems.
A Mark Durnan header from a Morgan cross in 50 minutes then looped agonisingly over the bar as a feeling started to creep in among the Saints support that maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t going to be their night.
Struggling to get the ball down and play, the likes of Morgan and Cammy Smith, who have been heavily relied upon this season for a moment of magic, were having little impact on the game.
Top goalscorer Gavin Reilly was introduced in 63 minutes as Jack Ross looked to add another attacking dimension to Saints play.
Mullen was the man to be replaced having run himself into the ground on another impressive display.
But it was United that looked the more threatening, with Mikkelson forcing Samson into a low save at his near post with a vicious effort.
Next on was John Sutton, making his first appearance in four months, as he replaced McGinn who was still hurting from his first half war wounds.
However, it was United that should have been on the scoresheet in 73 minutes, with Saints relying upon Samson to make a tremendous save from Sam Stanton’s strike from just eight yards out as the ball broke to the midfielder just inside the box.
The last roll of the dice came from the
dugout with 10 minutes remaining as Myles Hippolyte replaced Cammy Smith to add some pace to Saints play in the closing stages.
However, it increasingly looked like it just wasn’t going to be St Mirren’s night as they struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities.
Saints laid siege to the United goal with only three minutes left on the clock.
Sutton had the pick of the chances as his effort was blocked at close range, while Eckersley also had his strike blocked.
But it wasn’t to be for Saints as Andrew Dallas’ full-time whistle dragged the title race on for yet another few days at the very least.
Dundee United Mehmet, Murdoch, Ralston, Durnan, Mohsni, Stanton, Flood, Gillespie, McMullen (Briels 86), King (Glass 90), Mikkelson.
Subs not used: Lewis, Scobbie, Robson, Smith and Mason.
Booked: Mikkelsen (24), McMullan (41), Durnan (45), Gillespie (73).
St Mirren Samson, L Smith, Eckersley, MacKenzie, Davis, McGinn (Sutton 74), Magennis, Flynn, C Smith (Hippolyte 79), Morgan, Mullen (Reilly 63).
Subs not used: Stewart, Baird, Stelios and McShane.
Booked: McGinn ( 24), Davis ( 65), Morgan (80).
Referee Andrew Dallas
Attendance 5,905.
Star Saint Kyle Magennis: The heart and soul in the Saints midfield, Magennis was the driving force in the St Mirren side as they went in search of a second- half equaliser. Challenge