The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
O’Halloran helps Saints to top spot
Tommy Wright’s men put Betfred disappointment behind them, and Steven MacLean equals record
ST JOHNSTONE 4 MOTHERWELL 1
Three goals in two games from Michael O’Halloran since returning to Perth have helped Saints to the top of the Premier pile.
Three red cards shown to Motherwell players in the closing half-hour overshadowed a fine double from the on-loan Rangers player, who would have savoured a hat-trick but for a late penalty miss.
It has had fans delving deep into the history books to find out when their team last topped the division.
Tommy Wright’s men did as they have done so often in the wake of a disappointing result by bouncing back to claim an impressive victory.
The Betfred Cup exit at the hands of Partick Thistle was quickly forgotten as O’Halloran’s brace provided the meat in a sandwich featuring Steven MacLean’s early opener and Murray Davidson’s last-gasp strike.
While Motherwell bemoaned red cards shown to keeper Trevor Carson, with the match poised at 2-1, skipper Carl McHugh, and defender Charles Dunne, Saints are savouring an unusually productive opening phase of the season.
Just six minutes into the match, veteran striker MacLean bagged his 39th goal to equal Paul Wright’s topflight club record and O’Halloran followed up his winner at Kilmarnock by drifting inside to unleash a shot into the far corner in the 18th minute.
His second, hard on the heels of keeper Carson’s ill-conceived decision to grab the ball outside his penalty area with David Wotherspoon lurking, saw him slide a shot under the legs of stand-in keeper Russell Griffiths after another trademark sprint.
He could have bagged a hat-trick when Dunne fouled sub Graham Cummins in the final minute, but his spot-kick was saved and the fourth was reserved for stoppage time as Davidson stroked home an 18-yarder from Blair Alston’s slide-rule pass.
MacLean, like manager Tommy Wright, believes O’Halloran is a better player now than he was 18 months ago, when Rangers spent £500,000 on acquiring his services.
He was out of favour under the new regime at Ibrox but is clearly eager to make up for lost time.
MacLean said: “When you have pace like that it is always going to hurt teams. It’s good for myself to play with him.
“Michael will stretch games and give me space to work in. If he keeps this going he will do well for himself and for us. That’s what we want him to do.
“Maybe the goal at Kilmarnock took some pressure off him. But he knows he can go and express himself. We will let him do that.
“I’ve told him if he works hard he will get what he deserves. If he does the job both ways for us he can go and push on again. You never know where it will take him.
“You can tell Michael is better than when he was here before. I think his touch has got better. He has maybe learned a bit from his time at Ibrox as well. He has gone and worked hard on his game when things haven’t been going well for him.
“I also think he appreciates us in the dressing room more now – and how hard we work for him.
“The move has opened his eyes to a lot of things and hopefully he can kick on again.
“There will probably be Rangers fans watching his goals and looking to get him back, especially after getting beat 3-2 from Hibs.
“But we will let them worry about Rangers. We are just happy to have him. We will see what happens in January.”
The victory sees the Perth side leading the way but MacLean observed: “Top of the league? It’s nice but it’s just good to get six points.
“You are already putting pressure on teams that are going to be there or thereabouts. We are looking to create a gap on them.
“Motherwell aren’t a bad side and they will take points off teams this year. They will be looking to get in around us. So results like this are massive for us.
“It’s six points out of six, a good start, but that’s all it is.”
O’Halloran, Stefan Scougall and David Wotherspoon provided plenty of flair, although Saints had to withstand pressure inspired by a 28th-minute back-post header from Andrew Rose.
They relied on athletic keeper Alan Mannus to prevent Rose snatching a mirror-image equaliser soon after the interval, but O’Halloran swiftly ended short-handed Motherwell hopes with his second.
“Michael and Stefan are two good signings for us. It was a big statement getting them,” said MacLean.
“It was good for the gaffer and the chairman getting them in. I’m sure they
“Michael and Stefan are two good signings for us. It was a big statement getting them.
STEVEN MACLEAN
are looking to get another one in as well.
“If they do that, hopefully we can push right on.”
Manager Wright had been tracking Miles Storey at Aberdeen and Conor Sammon at Hearts but Partick Thistle have snapped-up both forwards.
He introduced former Blackburn Rovers forward Callum Hendry in the closing stages and predicted the son of Scotland legend Colin will become a fixture in the squad this term.
“It’s no secret we are still looking for a striker. The chairman (Steve Brown) and myself are working hard at it,” Wright stressed.
“But I think Callum has a real bright future. He has come in and impressed everyone, not only on the training pitch but in the games he has played.”
Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson threatened to lodge appeals against two of the red cards, but Wright backed referee Craig Thomson’s decisions.
However, he preferred to focus on O’Halloran’s instant impact on his return to McDiarmid.
“He has come back and I think he is even better.
“To score three goals already is an incredible start for him.
“Michael will be disappointed with the penalty because he is a perfectionist. It would have been nice to get a hat-trick but now we know if it is 0-0 he won’t be taking them!
“It was an excellent way to bounce back from the midweek defeat.
“I’m not 100% happy with the performance because I thought we were too deep at times. We gave up too much territory.
“But when we made two or three passes we looked a real threat when we got Michael and Stefan in.
“We have to pass it better and get them on the ball further up the field. It is a work in progress.”