Saints learn hard lesson in finishing
Missed chance comes back to bite Perth men men
ST JOHNSTONE .................... 0 CELTIC ..................................... 2
It is the beautiful game, yet can be so cruel.
And sometimes you learn that the hard way.
Craig Conway was a man left wondering just what could have been in the aftermath of St Johnstone’s 2-0 defeat on Sunday afternoon.
His 49th minute chance was the kind you dream of against Celtic.
A wicked delivery to the back stick had the Perth winger licking his lips in anticipation.
As he edged in front of defender Greg Taylor, the ball’s final destination looked set to be the back of the net.
Instead, the woodwork came to the rescue of the Glasgow visitors.
“I’d expect myself to do better than that,” admitted Conway, who signed for Saints in the summer. “I think I’ve caught it too flush.
“It’s bounced up a little higher than I thought. The way it has bounced I needed to go with the side foot.
“But no excuses, I should do better and score. Or at least make the goalkeeper make a save.”
While the miss was not the direct cause of the defeat, you really do need to bury a clearcut chance such as this.
This was, by Celtic’s lofty standards, a poor performance on their part but much of that was down to the disciplined nature of Saints’ performance.
Ultimately, substitute Leigh Griffiths showed off his true striker’s instinct to nod in a 90th minute opener, before Patryk Klimala added another deep into stoppage time.
Conway added: “It was frustrating – and that is the overall feeling. We were pretty comfortable for the full game and we limited them to hardly any chances.
“We frustrated them for long periods and created our own chances. We picked them off well at times. I don’t think there was any point where they cut us open – and they normally do that to teams.”
There was really no failure in a Perth jersey and Conway is certainly deserving of particular praise.
At 35, he showed experience and energy in equal measure.
When Saints needed to retain possession and keep hold of the ball, he did.
And when there was a need to open up the legs and power deep into opposition territory, he was always a willing runner.
Conway was aided admirably by Millwall loan man Danny McNamara. In fact, the whole backline was worthy of a clean sheet.
Skipper Jason Kerr, Liam Gordon and Jamie McCart, for so long, kept Celtic’s attack under wraps – including the dangerous Odsonne Edouard.
Both Conway and manager Callum Davidson fear they are becoming broken records when conducting post-match interviews this season.
It has very much been a case of playing well but not picking up points. That does not make the current Scottish Premiership table pretty viewing for Perth fans. Saints sit bottom of the pile.
However, only four points better off is fifth-placed Kilmarnock.
Conway said: “I don’t want to sound like we’re saying the same things, but I felt that was the best and most organised we’ve been as a team. If we keep playing like that then I’m confident we’ll be fine.”
The Perth side battled very well on Sunday with Craig Conway (inset) one of the star performers, but Celtic struck late to steal the three points
Impressive energy on the right from Craig Conway. He worked his way into a number of promising positions throughout the game.
A fine day for David Wotherspoon in the Perth midfield. Showed plenty of class on the ball and put in a power of work.
Composed showing from Scott Tanser. He kept close tabs on Jeremie Frimpong and also offered a threat in attack.