Great performance yields nothing for Perth men
Blair Alston wins the ball from Demetri Mitchell Hearts ........................... 1 St Johnstone ................. 0 There was a feeling at half-time that missed chances would come back to bite St Johnstone.
And 39 seconds after the restart that proved to be the case on what turned into a bitterly disappointing day for the Perth side in Gorgie.
This was a fine performance from Saints – quite possibly the best of the season – but it matters little when no points are picked up.
David Milinkovic’s 46th-minute strike separated the teams at Tynecastle Park but Tommy Wright’s men could have been out of sight.
Midfielder David Wotherspoon picked up a second yellow card in the second half to bring a premature end to his afternoon.
Perth defender Scott Tanser knows Saints can’t afford to spurn so many chances.
“We were the better team throughout the whole game so it is very disappointing not to come away with something,” he said.
“It was a sloppy goal to concede – they got the luck of the draw – but it was also bad defending.
“We came straight out of the blocks against a strong side. It was a great performance from everyone.
“We had plenty of chances in the first half and their goalkeeper has pulled off a couple of good saves which is unfortunate for us.”
Chris Kane retained his place in Wright’s starting line-up after a confidence-boosting hat-trick against Albion Rovers in the cup.
And he did well in the seventh minute to win a free-kick 25 yards from goal after holding off the pressure of Christophe Berra.
Wotherspoon took control and sent a