Wright hails Hendry’s super strike as Saints move on up

CALLUM HENDRY pounced with a dramatic late winner to keep alive St Johnstone’s hopes of snatching a top-six place.

The son of ‘Braveheart’, former Scotland captain Colin, struck with just six minutes remaining to deliver a kick in the teeth to a Livingston side that deserved a better outcome.

The 22-year-old striker finished off a cross from Drey Wright from close range after the Livvy defence had been exposed.

It was his ninth of the campaign and it’s a measure of his importance to the club that Hendry’s goals have been responsible for more than a third of Saints’ 36 points.

But his strike was the only highlight of an awful spectacle, which was not helped by the strong wind and an absence of flair.

Perth striker Stevie May had a header saved after 17 minutes before Steven Lawless had two chances for Livingston, the first saved magnificently by Zander Clark and the second squandered when the striker couldn’t even hit the target.

The second half was marginally harder to watch than the first and it wasn’t until substitute Scott Robinson had a shot saved by Clark nine minutes from time that the weary fans were given a sliver of respite.

Several scouts were on hand to assess the talents of St Johnstone midfielder Ali McCann and Livingston’s Australian striker Lyndon Dykes, including representatives of Wolves, Cardiff and Queens Park Rangers.

But they won’t have learned a great deal as neither player stood out to any extent likely to lead to an immediate follow-up.

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright admitted: ‘It was a poor game but ultimately it’s about getting results at this stage of the season.

‘Some people wrote us off far too early. Whether we get into the top six or not, the players deserve a lot of credit for the way they have pulled the season around.

‘Keeping a clean sheet against a team who ask you so many questions with long throws and balls into the box was a big test for our centre-halves and fair play to them. We said at half-time that it was a game which would be won by one bit of quality — and we produced it.

‘It was a very good cross from Drey and a great finish from Callum, but if it had ended up

0-0, I don’t think we could have argued.’

Livvy boss Gary Holt added:

‘You just don’t want to make a mistake in those conditions. It wasn’t conducive to football and there wasn’t much played.

‘We play a risk-and-reward game but it wasn’t a day for that. Although we had better chances, we have to defend better.

‘The ball was sent wide and we didn’t stop the cross for their goal.

‘St Johnstone got too easily down the side of us and we didn’t defend it, so the manner of the defeat is the most disappointing thing.’