SAINTS ALIVE AND KICKING
GONE are the dark days. The Saints have risen. The banners bearing those dramatic words of rebirth and regeneration in the West Stand as the teams emerged from the tunnel before kick-off painted the picture of something quite preternatural happening around the environs of the Simple Digital Arena.
And what unfolded over the course of the following 90 minutes made it indisputably clear that this is a place where miracles can — and do — happen.
After a competitive first half which saw Dundee’s Elton Ngwatala cancel out an early opener from home forward Danny Mullen, St Mirren fell completely out of the game.
They were pinned back by Dundee, who squandered chance after chance in the second period — including a 58th-minute penaltykick from Sofien Moussa that was expertly saved by Craig Samson after he had been given a yellow card for pulling down Jean Mendy in the box.
Samson’s contribution to this victory cannot be underestimated. However, it was the late intervention of his counterpart at the other end of the field, Jack Hamilton, which proved the most decisive action of all. With just seven minutes remaining, he was given the simple job of dealing with a passback from Cammy Kerr after playing the ball out to the full-back from a goal-kick. What happened next really did defy belief.
Hamilton stood on the ball, lost his balance and possession to Ryan Flynn on the left-hand side of his area. The Saints substitute played the ball across the six-yard box and, after what seemed an age, Mullen got in between a number of backtracking Dundee bodies to nudge the ball into the net.
‘It was just a bad decision from Jack,’ said Dens Park boss Neil McCann. ‘We are trying to encourage him to play but, at that moment, it wasn’t the right thing. I think he just got his mind maybe a bit clouded.
‘He has apologised to the boys, but I am not going to go through him because I thought he made some good stops in the first half.
‘We paid a heavy penalty, but should have been ahead before then. We had a gilt-edged chance from the penalty spot. It was a good save from big Craig, but I have my thoughts on whether he should still have been on the field of play. ‘I don’t have a problem with the new rule because the triple punishment can be hard on teams, but it is whether he made a genuine attempt to get the ball. ‘There is no genuine attempt there for me. I think the ball was past him before he dived. He is cleaning out the player, but he stays on the field and makes a good stop.’ Both managers should also have some issues about just how open this was at times. Entertaining as it may have been, it was bonkers in the early stages. Having escaped when Samson saved an early header from Mendy, Saints took the lead after eight minutes. Cammy Smith did well to spray the ball out right to Paul McGinn and, from his cross, Mullen sent a glancing header over Hamilton and into the net.
Dundee levelled in a matter of minutes, though. A poor header from McGinn resulted in Jack Baird having to win a 50-50 challenge that broke to Ngwatala around 20 yards out. Showing great presence of mind, the French midfielder struck the ball sweetly with his left foot and saw it zip low into the net off Samson’s left-hand post.
From there, the chances continued to come thick and fast. Matty Willock headed over for the home side after being picked out at the back post by Kyle Magennis. Then, in the closing moments of the first half, Josh Meekings saw a clever header loop over at the other end.
While that opening period had been end-to-end, the second half bore a rather different complexion. Dundee bossed it. And blew it.
Just moments into the second 45, Mendy miskicked directly in front of goal from a Karl Madianga pass. Both Ngwatala and Moussa were then just a little too late in reacting when Jesse Curran sent a first-time ball into the six-yard box.
Yet, it looked like their pressure would pay off when Mendy was allowed to race clear by a static Cole Kpekawa. Referee Alan Muir had no option but to point to the spot when Samson brought him down.
However, Moussa saw the keeper get a strong hand to his shot low to his left. Indeed, Samson was keeping Saints in the game at that stage — saving from Mendy at close quarters shortly afterwards.
When the home side’s big chance came, though, they took it. The Saints may have risen, right enough. Just a shame their re-emergence left Hamilton looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. ST MIRREN (4-4-2): Samson; P McGinn, Baird, Kpekawa, Coulson; Magennis (Kellerman 90), Willock, S McGinn, Smith (McShane 86); Stewart (Flynn 77), Mullen. Subs (not used): Rogers, Heaton, Cooke, King. Booked: Samson, Coulson, Smith. DUNDEE (4-1-3-2): Hamilton; Curran, Caulker, Meekings, Kerr; Spence; McGowan (Wighton 87), Madianga, Ngwatala; Mendy, Moussa. Subs (not used): Parish, Ralph, Kusunga, Nabi, Henvey, Moore. Booked: Moussa. Referee: Alan Muir. Attendance: 5,470.