Buddies lost out in battle of the Saints in Perth
St Mirren FC is a club with a proud tradition — and a history to match. They have been at the centre of the Scottish game since their formation in 1877. Next weekend they take on St Johnstone, and in today’s Flashback we look at another Buddies trip to Perth back in October, 2012.
St Mirren looked most likely to draw first blood, with Kenny McLean twice forcing Alan Mannus to scramble in the first ten minutes.
Yet despite the visitors’ domination of territory and possession, their hosts had in Gregory Tade and Nigel Hasselbaink a combination of power and pace which put St Mirren under pressure every time either received the ball.
Hasselbaink showed his intent early when he wriggled through three challenges and pinged the ball across goal to Gary Miller, where only a despairing sliding tackle by Paul Dummett stopped St Johnstone opening their account.
Hasselbaink was not to be denied, though, and when the increasingly influential Murray Davidson slipped a sublime through ball into his path just two minutes later, the striker made no mistake, coolly slipping the ball underneath the onrushing Craig Samson for the opening goal.
While St Mirren continued to get more shots on goal, St Johnstone looked incisive on the break and displayed a greater sense of urgency.
That bore fruit five minutes before half-time when Hasselbaink and Davidson combined again,
Hasselkbaink bringing the ball up, Millar taking a first time shot and Davidson pouncing to ram home Samson’s parried save.
St Mirren dominated possession to limited effect during a first period in which they struggled to get the ball forward quickly enough, after the break there was a quickening in their game. Much of the impetus for this came from the introduction of
Dougie Imrie during the break, in place of the ineffective and outpaced Sam Parkin.
Imrie’s introduction this time bore fruit within seconds. The ball was quickly swung out to the left from where Graham Carey’s driven, curling cross was touched in by Lewis Guy from almost point blank range just as Mannus came to claim it.
St Mirren were suddenly a side rejuvenated. Dummett smacked a shot into Mannus’s arms from the edge of the box seconds later and then Imrie drove a fierce shot right at the bottom corner of the home goal, forcing the keeper to move sharply to turn it around the post.
No matter how hard they pressed, St Mirren could not break down a St Johnstone side to bag a point.