Worrying injury to keeper mars an impressive victory

St JoHNStoNE 3 MacLean (19), Wotherspoon (21, 23). SuNdErlaNd 0

A WORRYING head injury to keeper Zander Clark took the shine off a confidence-inducing victory for St Johnstone over Championship side Sunderland.

Clark had to receive lengthy treatment on the pitch during the interval and was taken to Ninewells in Hospital in Dundee when the game was held up briefly in the second half to allow ambulance staff to wheel him away pitch-side on a stretcher.

The 25-year-old sustained a heavy blow to the head when diving at the feet of Sunderland debutant James Vaughan moments before the halftime whistle.

Manager Tommy Wright has expressed hope his No. 1 makes a swift recovery.

The McDiarmid boss said: “I won’t know how Zander is until we get some word from the hospital.

“He’s been conscious throughout it all, I believe, and just had a little bit of discomfort in his neck.

“I’m hoping it’s just a precautionary measure.

“The lad’s caught him accidentally with his knee on the way through, so he’s taken a bang to the head.”

Sunderland, minus new signing Aiden McGeady, were swept aside by St Johnstone with a three-goal burst in six fantastic first-half minutes.

With goalkeeper Clark saving Vaughan’s early penalty, Steven MacLean fired in the opener for Saints from an indirect free-kick in the 19th minute after Black Cats keeper Vito Mannone had been forced to handle as a back-pass he had miscontrolled trickled towards goal.

David Wotherspoon then cut inside on a precise Murray Davidson pass two minutes later to drill in the second after incisive build-up play from MacLean and summer signing from Sheffield United Stefan Scougall.

And, three minutes later, the impressive Wotherspoon cheekily dummied his way past Mannone after being put through one-on-one with the Italian.

St Johnstone manager Wright also took a look at trialist Romain Habran, with the ex-PSG and France under-20 attacker impressing in the final 15 minutes.