Kiernan accused of punch
● Rangers defender set to face SFA punishment after Saints captain Anderson says he caught him in ribs
Rangers defender Rob Kiernan is likely to face a suspension after television pictures showed him aiming a punch in the stomach of St Johnstone captain Steven Anderson.
On a miserable night for Kiernan, whose error gifted Steven Maclean the equaliser for Saints after Barrie Mckay had put Rangers ahead at Mcdiarmid Park, his clash with Anderson is now in line to earn him a notice of complaint charge from the SFA compliance officer.
Holiday deadlines mean the case will not be heard before the weekend, leaving Kiernan free to play in Saturday’s Old Firm game at Ibrox. Rangers will go into that match 16 points behind Celtic, who also have a game in hand.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton said he had not seen the incident involving Kiernan. Anderson, however, was forthright in his condemnation of the Rangers player.
“It was a corner and he caught me in the ribs,” said Anderson. “Brian Easton saw it as well. It was a clear punch on me. If that’s the way he wants to play then it’s up to him – but he is going to get done for it.
“You can’t do that in football games. I’m not bothered but if it gets highlighted then he deserves it. I was marking him at a corner and there was a bit of argy bargy – then he punched me. The referee said he did not see it and you can understand it because there was a lot going on in the box. The linesman has probably not seen it either.”
Warburton was left frustrated by the 1-1 draw which brought a halt to his team’s recent run of four successive league victories but he refused to blame Kiernan.
“I feel like we are leaving here having dropped two points,” he said. “It was a mistake by Rob and we are all human. How did he respond to the mistake? Did he shy away from the ball or from a tackle? No, he didn’t. So all credit to Rob. As long as he learns from his mistakes, as we we all must do, I’ve got no problem with that.”
Warburton is hopeful both skipper Lee Wallace, who missed out last night with a hamstring strain, and Clint Hill, who limped off with a dead leg, can recover in time for Saturday but admitted it will be “touch and go”.
Rangers hit another bump on the road as the steady momentum they had built up recently stalled in Perth.
Mark Warburton’s side had their hopes of a fifth successive Premiership victory thwarted by a St Johnstone side they have yet to overcome in three attempts under the Englishman’s guidance.
Rangers have now dropped 15 points from their ten away fixtures in the league this season, a telling statistic on their return to the top flight, in which they now trail champions Celtic by 16 points at the top of the table, having played a game more.
Their lead over third-placed Aberdeen is now five points, the Pittodrie men also having played one match less.
Barrie Mckay looked to have laid the platform for Rangers to secure another confidenceboosting win ahead of Saturday’s Old Firm showdown at Ibrox when he put them ahead, but a defensive blunder by Rob Kiernan allowed Steven Maclean to draw Saints level before half-time.
Warburton would have been exasperated by his team’s failure to convert their first-half superiority into a commanding lead, their good work undone by Kiernan’s error.
Deprived of captain Lee Wallace because of injury, Rangerswentwithathree-mancentral defence in which Kiernan played alongside Clint Hill and Danny Wilson. It also proved to be a worrying night for Hill, the veteran stopper limping off in the second half with an injury which places his participation against Celtic in doubt.
Rangers had started brightly, hitting their stride with some sharp and cohesive play in which Mckay and Josh Windass were especially prominent. It was Windass who produced the first attempt at goal, exchanging passes with Kenny Miller before dragging a shot narrowly wide of Zander Clark’s right-hand post.
Joe Garner, receiving his now customary and endlessly repetitive serenade from the visiting support, was next to find a threatening position but his header from Andy Halliday’s cross was tame and comfortably gathered by Clark.
The Saints goalkeeper was far more seriously tested in the 14th minute when Miller burst into the penalty area and drove in a powerful right-foot shot from a tight angle. Clark reacted superbly to keep the ball out with a one-handed, diving save.
Rangers came even closer four minutes later when the home side were unable to properly clear a Mckay corner. The winger regained possession and fed James Tavernier whose dipping right-foot shot from 20 yards smacked back off the crossbar with Clark well beaten.
Mckayflashedashotoverthe bar from the edge of the penalty area before Rangers finally made their pressure count with the 23rd minute opener. It came as they countered from a rare Saints attack and found Garner just inside the penalty area. His shot was parried by Clark, the ball breaking tomckaywhoshowedcomposure to steady himself and finish neatly from the left corner of the six-yard box.
Wright’s men were in need of a quick response and they found it with the unwitting assistance of Kiernan five minutes later. The big defender was under no pressure as he received a pass from Wes Foderingham but in opting to return the ball directly to the goalkeeper, he badly underhit it.
Maclean was alive to the opportunity, sliding in to secure possession before Foderingham and then coolly rolling the ball beyond the exposed keeper into the net.
The setback visibly rattled Rangers who struggled to regain their earlier rhythm. Saints, who changed their shape midway through the first half to match up to the 3-5-2 system being deployed by Warburton, were far more confident and purposeful.
Play also became more fractious, Holt collecting the first booking of the evening for a rash challenge, while Kiernan was fortunate an off the ball altercation with Steven Anderson was not spotted by the officials.
Saints, who made their first change of the night just before the interval when Tam Scobbie replaced Blair Alston, now looked just as likely as Rangers to claim the next goal.
Windass saw a shot deflected narrowly wide off Chris Millar in the 56th minute, but the home side enjoyed a far greater share of possession in the second half. Rangers appeared vulnerable to cross balls and Graham Cummins went close with a powerful header as he got on the end of Joe Shaughnessy’s cross.
Garner was replaced by Martyn Waghorn as Rang- ers sought fresh impetus in attack and the substitute caused anxiety in the Saints defence when he cut in from the right and dragged a shot just wide of Clark’s righthand post.
Waghorn came close again in stoppage time with a shot which rippled the outside of Clark’s net but Saints were well worth their point in the end as they consolidate what already appears certain to be another top-six campaign.
ST JOHNSTONE: Clark, Foster, Anderson, Shaughnessy, Easton, Alston (Scobbie 44), Millar (Craig 69), Paton, Wotherspoon (Swanson 79), Cummins, Maclean. Subs not used: Mannus, Watson, Kane, Hunter.. RANGERS: Foderingham, Kiernan, Hill (Hodson 66), Wilson, Tavernier, Halliday, Holt, Windass, Mckay, Miller (O’halloran 81), Garner (Waghorn 62). Subs not used: Gilks, Forrester, Crooks, Senderos.