The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Same script on new start
Returning winger earns praise after repeating last game feat with Saints
Who would have believed it?
The last goal Michael O’Halloran scored for Saints came in a 2-1 victory over Kilmarnock on November 7 2015, and he marked his second debut for the club with a stunning strike in the final minute to ensure that history repeated itself.
The visiting fans in the stand behind Jamie MacDonald’s goal would have known – as Killie’s defenders should have done – what was going to come next when the winger collected the ball on the left touchline and began to cut inside.
He kept his mazy, diagonal run going until he reached the penalty area.
Then, just as he looked to have taken the ball too wide, he pulled the trigger, drilling a shot behind the goalkeeper from a tight angle for the decisive goal.
Midfielder Stefan Scougall, who had made way for the loan Ranger, is convinced that O’Halloran will provide the inspiration that can fire his hardworking team-mates to a seventh consecutive top-six finish.
“His winner was fantastic – I lost count of the number of players that he took on,” Scougall said. “It was a great strike and a great goal. “Every team needs one or two players to provide that little spark.
“It’s good having hard-working players but you also need that something extra.
“Mikey gave us that today and it bodes well for the rest of the season.”
In spite of having had no competitive action for a month, Saints came out of the blocks quickly and bossed the opening 45 minutes.
David Wotherspoon fired them in front after 10 minutes following another lengthy run, and Murray Davidson came close to notching a goal of the season contender with a chip from the centre circle which hit the bar.
However, they had to dig in after the break as the home side finally found their form.
Kris Boyd equalised with a venomous free-kick from 30 yards and it took two fine saves from Saints stopper Alan Mannus – from Boyd and substitute Lee Erwin – to keep Tommy Wright’s men in contention.
“We played better than them in the first half and deserved to be in the lead,” Scougall said.
“Fair play to Kilmarnock because they changed it round a little and came back into it.
“They were on the front foot until we got that late goal and, at the end of the day, we’re the ones with the three points.
“To do that away from home, especially on an Astroturf pitch which isn’t the greatest, is a good sign.”
Scougall revealed that their Europa League elimination by Lithuanians FK Trakai had been eating away at them and that they used that disappointment as motivation at the weekend.