The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Saints not looking for excuses
Saints’ plans thrown into disarray after players caught in A9 tailback
Liam Gordon doesn’t believe the prematch drama that affected St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright’s team selection was an excuse for the Perth side’s defeat to Kilmarnock, writes Eric Nicolson.
The young centre-back was drafted into the starting line-up after Richard Foster was stuck in an A9 traffic jam.
There were four players in the car that couldn’t make it to McDiarmid Park in time, with Michael O’Halloran only listed as a substitute, and Foster Chris Millar and Denny Johnstone left out. Saints lost 2-1 but Gordon didn’t put the result down to the confusion.
“You can look at it that way but we had 11 boys on the pitch who had prepared well and were willing to fight for the shirt so I don’t think we can blame that at all,” he said.
“It was the performance that let us down. We had a good first half but second half we weren’t at the races.”
ST JOHNSTONE 1 KILMARNOCK 2
It hasn’t been a long career for Liam Gordon so far, but even if the young St Johnstone defender goes on to play until his mid-thirties he’s unlikely to be faced with a pre-match situation like the one he encountered on Saturday.
Manager Tommy Wright’s plans were thrown into disarray after two of his starters for the Kilmarnock game were caught up in an A9 tailback caused by an accident near Dunblane.
Richard Foster would have been in his back four, and Michael O’Halloran would have been in his forward line.
Gordon and Graham Cummins were called into the XI.
Of all the ways the centre-back could have envisaged getting a first-team chance, this wouldn’t have been one of them.
“I must have found out at about two o’clock that I was going to be playing,” he said.
“It wasn’t what I was expecting but I’d prepared right as I would for any game that I’m going to be on the bench for, or even in the stand. I was fine.
“We were sitting waiting for the manager to give his pre-match team talk like he usually does, but there were a few boys not there because of the crash at the Dunblane roundabout.
“We thought they were going to get here in 20 minutes, then that turned into 40 minutes.
“Before you know it, they were rocking up 40 minutes into the first half.
“I’ve never known anything like it in my life. Nobody had encountered that before, so you don’t know how to react.
“It was a shock but not one that would affect a performance.”
Wright decided not to speak to the media after the 2-1 defeat but in his prematch interview with the BBC he said: “They haven’t made it on time, apparently there’s some accident.
“We’ve had to make two changes before the game’s even started. I’ve got absolutely no sympathy for them. They’ve got to leave plenty of time to get here at this time of year. We’ve put Michael down as a sub.”
Gordon said: “It would be disappointing for a manager if your players couldn’t make it.
“But it’s a freak accident that everyone can understand.
“I don’t know what his personal thoughts were but I can imagine that he’d have the team set out, trained all week, and to have a couple of individuals not playing would obviously be a pain.”
Gordon has had to be patient for his chance this season and when he got it, due to Steven Anderson’s suspension, he suffered the misfortune of injuring his shoulder. So any opportunity, however bizarre the circumstances, is a welcome one.
“It was disappointing that they couldn’t play but it was an opportunity for me,” he said.
“It was a chance to go and show the manager what I can do and I had to grasp it with both hands.
“I’d got into the team for the Hearts game but picked up a knock which kept me out the next two games.
“That was disappointing. To get another chance, I had to take it.”
The first Killie goal was a terrible one to lose from a St Johnstone perspective.
Scott Tanser played a clumsy backpass that couldn’t be kept in by Zander Clark, and then Liam Craig made a mess of his attempted clearance at the back post to allow Stuart Findlay’s header from the corner to find the net.
Steven MacLean’s diving header levelled the scores just before the break.
However, Eamonn Brophy took advantage of the space he was afforded
I’ve got absolutely no sympathy for them. They’ve got to leave plenty of time to get here at this time of year. TOMMY WRIGHT
to drill home the winner midway through the second half.
The nearest Saints came to an equaliser was a late David Wotherspoon shot that hit the post.
Both Killie goalscorers were breaking their duck.
Other people had to join up the dots for Findlay.
“I was a bit dazed and didn’t see where it went,” he admitted.
“Somebody shouted ‘it’s a goal’, so it was a bit of a weird moment for me.
“From what I’ve heard it was a bullet header in the top corner.
“Obviously it’s a great moment to score my first goal, but when you win you don’t really care who scores.”
Kilmarnock were unaffected by the A9 traffic chaos as they were sitting down to their pre-match meal in Perth at 12 o’clock.
Findlay didn’t even know that the Saints line-up had changed.
“In the lead up to the game we’re just focusing on what we do,” he said.
“I wasn’t even aware of the St Johnstone scenario. I just thought O’Halloran was on the bench.”