Saints let down once more by lack of firepower in latest
ST MIRREN’S barren run without a win stretched to seven as resolute Ross County claimed a point in freezing Paisley.
The Buddies are yet to taste victory since their 3-2 triumph against County in the middle of October and it was another frustrating night for Jim Goodwin’s men who could not find the net despite a staggering 21 efforts at goal.
That is not to say Malky Mackay’s team were without major chances of their own in an open contest in -1C temperatures.
During the week Goodwin suggested St Mirren were due to give a team “a bit of a doing”, and on recent results between the sides there was no better time than last night. The Buddies had been the Dingwall side’s bogey team having finished the winners in the last four meetings and being unbeaten in the previous six contests.
But County were on a run of their own, picking up seven points from a possible 12 in their last four games.
Both teams made changes for the midweek fixture. Joe Shaughnessy was missing from his centre-back role for St Mirren through suspension, with
Ryan Flynn also dropped from the draw with Livingston.
Kyle McAllister came into the side with Kristian Dennis also in the line-up as Goodwin went with two up front.
County made four changes, one enforced with Harry Clarke
out after his red card against Dundee United. Jordan Tillson, Regan Charles-Cook and Jordan White were also out with Jake Vokins, Ross Callachan, and forwards Dominic Samuel and Joseph Hungbo coming in.
County showed their intent from the first seconds as their pacey forwards Hungbo and Samuel raced into the Buddies box with Jak Alnwick forced to race out to smother the ball.
On five minutes the visitors thought they were ahead courtesy of a wicked deflection. Blair Spittal sent a shot goalwards from the edge of the box, it clattered off Richard Tait and only just dipped over the bar.
Moments later and Samuel was again causing problems. He latched on to a misplaced Charles Dunne clearance before his bending shot was tipped wide by the diving Alnwick.
It was a lacklustre opening from the hosts, but they had a major chance to break the deadlock after 27 minutes.
Alan Power flicked a clever
ball through to Eamonn Brophy on the right side of the box, he fired the ball past Ash Maynard-Brewer in the County goal but Jack Baldwin covered brilliantly to clear off the line.
Within the same minute Harry Paton raced up the other end to test Alnwick again as he parried the midfielder’s effort round the post.
If anything was to sum up St Mirren’s goalscoring troubles it was the scramble after 33 minutes. Dennis missed the ball in the box before laying it to Brophy who watched his weak shot bobble through to Maynard-Brewer.
Dennis went close again just after the break after a Jamie McGrath cross but he nodded wide. Maynard-Brewer would then deny the Buddies on a couple of occasions, first stopping a Dennis strike before parrying a Ronan shot wide.
Then was the big chance. Curtis Main just off the bench caught a cross on the volley, sending the ball pinballing around the box where Maynard-Brewer stuck out a foot to make an excellent stop after 64 minutes.
Despite the second-half onslaught from the hosts it was County who would rue a major missed opportunity in the final minutes. Spittal controlled the ball well on the left-hand side of the box before striking low forcing Alnwick into a reflex stop. The rebound fell to David Cancola on the edge of the area but he too was denied by Alnwick who leapt across goal to push the shot wide.