City make leaders work hard for victory
CSt Mirren recorded their third win of the season over Brechin but each of the victories has only been by a single goal and they were yet again made to fight all the way to claim their points on their pursuit of the Championship crown.
Saints’ gaffer Jack Ross was pleased to pick up the points, sating: “If we had scored the penalty then it would have been a long afternoon for them but they hung in and it gave them encouragement.
“We need to capitalise on our points total now and that is the challenge to the players in these remaining games.”
St Mirren made two changes to their disappointing defeat at Livingston last time out, with Gary Mackenzie and Ian Mcshane returning in place of Jack Baird and Ryan Flynn, and inside 90 seconds the returnees made their mark when Mcshane’s corner kick delivery was headed goalwards by Mackenzie but cleared off the line by a packed City defence.
In the early stages the Paisley men were rampant with Gavin Reilly setting up Lewis Morgan for a blocked shot and Liam Smith having a good run into the penalty area but he shot high and wide.
Saints grabbed the vital goal 15 minutes into the encounter when after Reilly was tripped. Kyle Magennis hit a masterful free-kick that came off the underside of the crossbar and clipped keeper Patrick O’neil to find the net.
O’neil kept City in the game three minutes later when he palmed away a
st mirren:
Samson 6, L Smith 5, Mackenzie 6, Davis 6, Eckersley 6, Magennis 6, Mcshane 6 (Flynn 59, 4), Mcginn 6, Morgan 6, C Smith 7 (Baird 81, 3), Reilly 6 (Hippolyte 67, 3). Unused – Stewart, Demetriou, Hill, Mullen.
O’neil 8, E Smith 6, Crighton 6, Gadzhalov 6, Dyer 6 (Layne 68, 3), Spark 6, Dale 6 (Stories 80, 3), Tapping 6, Watt 7, Morrison 5 ( Orsi 52, 5), Mackin 7. Unused – G Smith, Fusco, Graham.
brechin city:
Stephen Mcginn effort for a corner from which debutee Kostadin Gadzhalov pulled down Harry Davis. However from the resultant penalty, Ian Mcshane’s strike was again pushed away with O’neil then having made two expert saves inside a minute.
Saints made another claim for a
penalty five minutes later when Mackenzie was stopped in his tracks by Sean Crighton and Liam Smith wasted a chance for Saints to double the lead leading up to the break.
The second half was a different story. After Cammy Smith hit the crossbar for Saints after the restart, Brechin then