The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Saints boss aggrieved by penalty call
Wright’s men denied win by controversial penalty
St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright was left cursing a refereeing decision that cost his team a win against Ross County last night, writes Eric Nicolson.
The Perth men were 1-0 up after Denny Johnstone’s second-minute opener but referee Greg Aitken gave a penalty to the hosts when Chris Millar tripped Chris Eagles early in the second half.
Wright was unhappy with the call. “My players are adamant that it was outside the box,” he said.
“I’ve seen it back and it’s impossible for the referee, from the view he had, to say 100% that it’s in the box.
“Chris Millar’s feet don’t go in the box.
“It’s a tough decision but you’ve got to make sure that you’re 100% because there are big consequences. It’s touch and go whether it’s in, so surely you can’t give it.
“There were other moments we weren’t happy with.”
Looking at the bigger picture, Wright was satisfied with the result, which takes Saints into the top six.
“It’s a good point and we’ll take it,” he added.
County manager Owen Coyle believed his side – who moved off the bottom of the Premiership on goal difference ahead of Partick Thistle – deserved even more.
He said: “Over the piece, I don’t think there’s any doubt that we should have won all three points.”
St Johnstone couldn’t quite make it four league wins on the road in a row, but this draw in Dingwall continued their fine away form and took the Perth side back into the top six of the Premiership.
Denny Johnstone gave them a 90-second lead and it took a controversial penalty to deny Tommy Wright’s men all three points.
But, with Ross County laying siege to Saints’ goal at times, the point was a decent one.
There were three changes to the team that started against Hearts on Saturday, with David Wotherspoon, Michael O’halloran and Steven Maclean coming in for Blair Alston, Stefan Scougall and Paul Paton.
The snow had been falling before this game but Saints certainly weren’t caught cold and went ahead with the first real attack of the game.
The ball was crossed into the danger area from the left wing by Liam Craig and the County marking on Johnstone was shocking. The big striker will have more convincing finishes in his career but he did enough to get the ball past keeper Scott Fox.
For a bottom of the league team short on confidence, this start was the last thing the hosts needed.
After a few minutes of being pinned in their own half they did eventually manage to force a corner. And they came close to scoring from it.
Chris Eagles delivered the ball to the back post where Andrew Davies jumped highest and got his header on target. There wasn’t enough power in it to beat Zander Clark, however.
There was a flowing Saints move midway through the half that started with excellent skill from Johnstone on the halfway line and eventually ended up with a shooting chance created for Chris Millar on the 18-yard line.
The veteran midfielder has never been known for his finishing, though, and perhaps unsurprisingly his effort ended up in the stand behind the goal.
On the half-hour Michael Gardyne’s looping header appeared to have Clark worried but, as the keeper backpedalled, the ball dropped on to the top of the net rather than underneath the bar.
Saints were in a bit of trouble when Schalk drove forward through the middle and Richard Foster made the decision to come inside to help his centre-backs. That left space for a ball wide to Eagles and, had the former Manchester United man been able to pick out a team-mate in the box, it could well have been 1-1.
On 39 minutes Millar conceded a freekick in a dangerous position but Eagles struck his effort straight at the defensive wall.
The half nearly ended how it had begun, with a goal for Saints and Johnstone. Foster crossed from the right and the former Morton man made
the wrong call in trying to chest the ball down rather than heading it.
County made a half-time substitution, with Jamie Lindsay replacing Davies.
Saints had the ball in the net five minutes after the restart but Steven Maclean’s close-range finish from a Michael O’halloran cross was chalked off for offside.
The scores were level on 54 minutes and it was a controversial equaliser. There was no denying that Millar brought down Eagles, but referee Greg Aitken’s decision that the foul was inside the box rather than outside enraged the Perth players, who pointed to the mark in the turf where Millar had gone to ground.
Schalk scored the resulting penalty. Saints should have been back in front four minutes later but a heavy first touch from Johnstone allowed Fox the opportunity to close him down and block his shot.
Neither team was settling for a draw and when Schalk drilled a low ball across goal, Gardyne was inches away from connecting.
On 75 minutes Saints somehow escaped without conceding. They had Clark to thank for a couple of top-class saves, the woodwork for denying Schalk, and substitute Billy Mckay for missing a couple of sitters.
The play was pretty much all at the Saints end at this point and Clark could only watch on as Davis Keillor-dunn curled a shot for the top corner that just drifted over.
There were a couple of occasions when the visitors carried a late threat, one of them when Joe Shaughnessy was penalised for a foul in the six-yard box as he attempted to find a headed winner.
With three minutes left Clark was called into action again, saving low to his left from Keillor-dunn.
Then at the other end a Craig freekick wasn’t far off target.