The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
St Johnstone were held to a goalless draw away at St Mirren last night. The Perth side played the final stages with 10 men after Liam Craig was sent off. Saints defender Callum Booth is pictured tackling Jamie McGrath.
Wright’s men earn point despite red card for Craig
St Johnstone are now unbeaten in halfa-dozen Premiership games but Tommy Wright’s men had to settle for a small step towards top six post-split football rather than a decisive one.
The draw against St Mirren saw them gain a point on sixth-placed Hibs and was the second 0-0 in a row against the Buddies, who have proved to be stubborn opponents.
After Liam Craig was sent off, the Perth side had to see out more than 10 minutes at a one-man disadvantage but they did that without a serious scare.
Wright said pre-match that the games against St Mirren and Livingston would determine how realistic their chances of getting into the top half were and beating Livi on Saturday will make it a successful early March double-header.
There were four changes to the Saints team that started against Celtic on Sunday, with Anthony Ralston, Callum Booth, Craig and Chris Kane returning. There was also a different formation – back to 4-4-2.
The hosts were the first side to get a shot on target when Alex Jakubiak fired in a low effort that Zander Clark gathered comfortably on three minutes.
At the other end David Wotherspoon tried his luck from the edge of the box soon after but it was a big ask for him to trouble Vaclav Hladky with a firsttime volley under pressure and the midfielder’s strike soared over the bar.
Wotherspoon did well to beat his man out wide on the left and his cross to the back post was an inviting one for Kane to attack. Left-back Calum Waters did a fine job with his clearing header, getting clattered by the Saints striker for his troubles.
Wotherspoon was seeing a lot of the ball in the early stages and when there was a free-kick awarded 25 yards from goal, he took it. The less said about the set-piece, though, the better.
Saints had been the better team at this point but a moment of brilliance from Jon Obika nearly put them behind.
The striker, who scored a spectacular overhead kick when the teams met here in the autumn, worked the ball on to his left foot on 16 minutes and beat Clark with an angled, curling effort. It struck the inside of the post, came back across the goal-line and just evaded Ilkay Durmus before being cleared.
The next 20 minutes was a pretty dull stalemate with nothing much happening in front of either keeper.
Saints had an opportunity to change that when Stevie May worked the ball out wide to Ali McCann on the halfway line, rolled his marker and charged forward in anticipation of the ball being returned into his path. For a change, McCann’s weight of pass was poorly judged and it allowed Hladky to clear from the edge of his box.
Two minutes before the break May was brought down from behind in the middle of the pitch. While the St Mirren players were arguing about the referee’s decision, Wotherspoon took a quick free-kick, spotting the hosts were short of numbers in defence.
By the time Kane got the through-ball under control Hladky had charged out of his area and managed to convince Euan Anderson that his block on the Perth forward was a legal one.
Saints made a bright start to the second half when Drey Wright picked out Ralston on a rare overlap and the on-loan Celtic full-back forced a save out of Hladky, who needed Waters’ help after he failed to hold the well-hit shot.
Just before the hour a near post Ross Wallace corner was met by Conor McCarthy and the centre-back’s header narrowly missed the top corner.
McCarthy had some defending to do a few minutes later, getting his body in the way of a powerful Wotherspoon shot after he had cut in from the left on to his right foot.
The former Hibs man was the first man to be brought off on 65 minutes, replaced by Michael O’Halloran.
Seconds after that substitution Wright sent over a dangerous cross from the other flank, which Lee Hodson did well to turn round the back post from a couple of yards out rather than into his own net.
St Mirren hit woodwork for the second time in the contest on 71 minutes. Jamie McGrath’s long-range shot was left by Jason Kerr and Clark got the slightest of touches to divert it on to the far post.
A slick counter-attack involving
Wright and then McCann very nearly ended up with O’Halloran scoring but Hodson’s back post defending saved the day again and from the corner that followed Kerr hit the bar with his header.
A foul in midfield saw Craig ordered off for a second yellow card, leaving Saints down to 10 men for the last 11 minutes. From that point neither side could find a winner.