The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Relief as goal drought is over
MacLean nets dramatic winner at Easter Road as Saints end 620 goalless minutes
St Johnstone midfielder Murray Davidson insists Saints’ players collectively heaved a huge sigh of relief after ending their six-game winless run with a dramatic victory at Hibs.
The Scotland cap scored his side’s first goal in 620 minutes of action with a second-half header before Steven MacLean sealed the win with literally the last kick of the game after Anthony Stokes had levelled with a hotly-disputed penalty.
The victory has put the Perth side’s Premiership top six hopes back on track and although none of the squad had been reaching for the panic button amid their hugely disappointing barren run, Davidson insists the fruitful trip to the capital has eased their worries.
He said: “It’s a big relief to get the win. It was a big win because we have not got a game next week. To win it like that was fantastic so it is a pretty happy dressing room.
“My goal was a bit of everything; relief, and I was delighted to get the goal at such an important stage of the game.
“When you looked at the run we were on and the run Hibs were on, I am not sure many people would say that St Johnstone would go to Easter Road and get the win.
“Sometimes that’s the way we like it, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t play in your mind. It’s more what people off the pitch say. They say ‘oh, you’re on a bad run’ – the last couple of years there have been so many positives.
“I have said for years now, especially this year, it’s extremely fine margins.”
Saints have demonstrated their character in the last three seasons by finishing fourth in the top-flight, despite the club’s modest resources.
Davidson insists their strong mentality ensured they never let themselves get too down by their poor run.
He added: “When you are winning six out of seven games or whatever, we have never been a team to get carried away.
“Even when we finished third we went on a similar sticky run.
“At Partick Thistle recently we felt we were the better team. Against Hibs, we had one cleared off the line and hit the bar in the first half, and sometimes when you are on a run things don’t go for you. “
St Johnstone limited Hibs to very little in a competitive first half that lacked quality
The visitors actually carved open the best chance of the opening 45 minutes when Liam Craig’s drive from 12 yards was turned on to the cross bar by Hibs goalkeeper Ofir Marciano.
The away team were much improved after the break and went in front when Davidson nodded in from close range after Graham Cummins headed Craig’s cross back across goal.
Stokes levelled in the first minute of injury-time when Joe Shaughnessy was adjudged to have handled a Martin Boyle shot, a decision Tommy Wright described as “harsh”.
But Saints responded in the right manner and MacLean was left with a simple tap-in after Marciano could only push out Craig’s shot.
The victory has lifted the players’ spirits at the right time as they prepare for an early Christmas night out next weekend when they do not have a game.