The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Wotherspoon bemoans late sucker-punch in Dingwall
Team always saw itself as top six side, says Kane following Staggies draw
St Johnstone midfielder David Wotherspoon has bemoaned the fact that the Perth men have failed to beat Ross County in the Ladbrokes Premiership this season.
The two sides drew 1-1 in Dingwall on Saturday as Saints edged further away from strugglers Hamilton and Hearts–but the 2014 Scottish Cup winning hero can not believe his side have not beaten their opponents again.
“It was a great performance,” Wotherspoon told Saints TV.
“They didn’t really create much and we created loads and should have been well out of sight.
“But we didn’t take our chances and they got a lucky deflection for their goal.
“We are gutted because it would have been a massive three points. It felt so comfortable throughout the game and it was a sucker-punch at the end.
“Even the first game of the season in the cup when we lost 2-1 I felt we dominated
“I feel we have dominated every game but still haven’t got three points off them.
“They could all count at the end of the season.”
ROSS COUNTY 1 ST JOHNSTONE 1
Chris Kane insists St Johnstone’s dressing room never doubted they could challenge for the top six – even when they were anchored at the foot of the Premiership.
The Saints have enjoyed a remarkable renaissance since late October, losing just four of their last 19 matches.
Before that the bookies were slashing odds on their relegation chances, with even some supporters writing them off.
Kane, though, insists the players never lost sight of the goal – and remain buoyant despite Saturday’s late hammerblow in Dingwall.
Billy Mckay wiped out Stevie May’s first half opener with almost the last kick of the game to deny Tommy Wright’s men a leap into seventh spot in the table, above Kilmarnock.
Kane, who hit the midweek winner at the death against Motherwell, experienced what it felt like to be on the receiving end as Saints endured their fourth game this season against County without victory.
The 25 year-old frontman stressed: “We feel hard done to after controlling the first half massively – we were by far the better team. Then, in the second half Ross County switched on to what we were doing and gave us fewer chances.
“But they didn’t create anything themselves and all the boys are massively disappointed.
“We’ve been playing well and getting results. But this brings us back down a bit and it’s frustrating.
“We never, at any time, thought it was impossible to get into the top six, even when we were bottom of the table.
“But we’ve just being taking every game as it comes and, thankfully, put quite a few points on the board since then.
“We are only a couple of points off sixth place so we are going to knuckle down and get as many points as we can.”
Kane says the league recovery is down to Wright’s management work and the natural process of getting to know new squad members.
He said: “We’ve gelled and the manager’s got us doing what he wants us to do. We’ve all settled down and it seems to be working now.”
As for his burgeoning partnership with
Stevie May, who hit Saturday’s opener after playing a one-two with Kane, the striker added: “I like playing with Stevie – and Callum Hendry as well.
“I thought we linked up well today, especially in the first half, with us getting the ball at our feet and turning them, while making runs in behind and getting chances and stuff.
“But we need to take more of our chances when they come our way.”
In atrocious conditions, the constant downpour made it tough on both sides, but St Johnstone adjusted superbly, playing some fine football in the first half.
They might have had the points sewn up before the break, although County had the odd moment with Josh Mullin’s tight-angled strike hitting Zander Clark and the post before ricocheting away.
Ex-hibs striker Oli Shaw also forced a diving parry by Clark from 20 yards.
But Tommy Wright’s side, carrying confidence from a three-game winning run, took a 33rd minute lead when May played a perfect one-two with Kane.
The latter weighted May in behind the home defence before the striker hit his shot into the left corner of the County net for his sixth goal of the season.
Saints, for a long spell, were less of a threat in the second half, and County kept battling.
Late chances might have sealed it for the Perth side, but were squandered and then Mckay, in trademark fashion, slid in to meet a Mullin cross and score with almost the last kick.
It was a sickener for Saints, although they remain upwardly-mobile in the table and are very much pressing for top six football after a terrible start to the campaign.
Manager Wright felt his team had paid the price for lax finishing, with the Northern Irishman complaining: “We dominated the whole game. I don’t think they have one shot my keeper has to deal with in the second half.
“It is the same as every game we’ve played them, we’ve come away with a result we didn’t deserve.
“But in saying that, we should defend right to the end, which we don’t do.
People switch off. It allowed them back into the game, but with the performance in the first half we should have been out of sight.
“In the last 10 minutes we missed three unbelievable chances and that’s what happens.
“Fair play to them, but it’s another game where we’ve totally dominated them and not got the result we deserved.”
While Saints have only been beaten four times in 16 games now, Wright wasn’t about to take any solace from the continuation of their unbeaten run.
He added: “That should have been another win, which is the disappointing thing.
“It was a great opportunity today to close the gap and gain three points on the team above us, although we gain a point.
“It was a good finish from Stevie May and he has done well today, but there was some poor finishing in the first and second half from us.
“That’s ultimately what cost us the game.”