The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Saints left to rue big turning point
Craig feels disallowed goal played major part in Dens defeat
St Johnstone’s Liam Craig insists that a disallowed goal by skipper Steven Anderson was the big turning point in the derby at Dens against Dundee on Saturday.
Saints had just pulled it back to 2-1 with Craig scoring the first of his two penalties in the game when Anderson rose highest to head past home keeper Scott Bain.
However, referee Alan Muir ruled the goal out, gesturing that the St Johnstone skipper had pushed down on a Dundee defender.
Instead of Saints drawing level, the Dark Blues then went up the park and scored their penalty to make it 3-1. Another Craig spot-kick made it 3-2 but ultimately St Johnstone headed back to Perth without any points and with their unbeaten start to the league campaign at an end.
Craig said: “Everyone from outside will look at us and say we have made a good start and all the rest of it.
“But we put a lot of pressure on ourselves in the dressing room to get results and we felt we had the players in the squad to come here and get a win.
“That’s the hard thing to take – we have come away from home, scored two goals, it should have been three.
“It (the disallowed goal) was a massive turning point in the game. We didn’t get it, they have gone right up the park and get a penalty to make it 3-1.”
While St Johnstone could understandably feel aggrieved about refereeing decisions that cost them dear against Dundee at Dens on Saturday, Liam Craig candidly confessed that they did not deserve to take anything from the game.
Whistler Alan Muir had an “interesting” afternoon to say the least, disallowing what the Saints players firmly believe was a perfectly good goal by skipper Steven Anderson and then moments later giving the Dark Blues a penalty that was soft to say the least.
Craig though admits the sense of injustice about the big calls that went against them cannot disguise the fact they need to improve.
The 30-year-old said: “We are disappointed with the goals we lost.
“But I think we will be more aggrieved that when we got back to 2-1, there was nothing wrong with Ando’s goal.
“I have seen pictures and you can dress it up any way you want to but it is a centrehalf against a centre-half. It is a great header and it should be two each.
“But we should have done better after that. It is disappointing that we got beat but now we need to pick ourselves up and go again next week.”
When asked what manager Tommy Wright had said to the players, Craig replied: “He isn’t happy with the performance overall.
“At times it was better than last week (against Hibs) but the three goals we give away...we did the same here last New Year’s Eve as well.
“We have been pretty solid all season. Even when we haven’t played well we haven’t let in goals.
“So to concede three against Dundee, we probably didn’t deserve to get anything out of the game.
“We say it every week in this league that if you score the first goal, there aren’t many times when you will get beaten and that was shown again.”
The Dark Blues stormed into an early lead against St Johnstone in just the ninth minute. Roarie Deacon delivered a freekick from the right into the St Johnstone penalty area with Darren O’Dea heading towards goal. Saints keeper Alan Mannus looked to have it covered but he fumbled allowing A-Jay Leitch-Smith to pounce and shoot home from close range.
The Englishman then made it two in the 65th minute. Lewis Spence headed the ball into the path of Leitch-Smith in the Saints box and he made no mistake lashing the ball high past Mannus from six yards.
St Johnstone came right back into it in the 75th minute when home keeper Scott Bain raced out and clattered into St Johnstone sub Graham Cummins with referee Muir having no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Craig calmly stepped up and gave Bain no chance with the penalty.
St Johnstone were then mightily aggrieved when Anderson’s “goal” was disallowed with the referee indicating that he had pushed down on a defender.
Shortly after in the 78th minute, Dundee were awarded a penalty of their
We have been pretty solid all season. Even when we haven’t played well we haven’t let in goals. LIAM CRAIG
own when Leitch-Smith went down under a challenge by Richard Foster. Sofien Moussa took the spot-kick and calmly sent Mannus the wrong way to restore his side’s two-goal cushion.
Mr Muir then awarded an astonishing third penalty of the afternoon in the 84th minute when he judged that O’Dea had fouled Anderson. The Dundee captain had been booked just a few minutes earlier and the referee showed him a second yellow followed by a red before Craig again sent Bain the wrong way to make it 3-2.
As tempers started to boil over, home assistant boss Graham Gartland was sent to the stand.
Meanwhile, Leitch-Smith has revealed he will be keeping his man-of-the-match Champagne on ice until the eagerlyawaited arrival of his first child.
He said: “It was a great start at Dens for me but more importantly we won and took the three points.
“I think it was a great team performance and I thought we looked dangerous throughout the game.
“My girlfriend Alison is back down south so I am just waiting for the nod for her to go in. It doesn’t seem to be happening yet but she still has a few days until she is due so we will see what happens.
“I will be keeping my man-of-thematch Champagne until the little one comes along and then it will be gone!”