A goal worthy of winning any match
Strike from distance edges Saints closer to second
ST JOHNSTONE WFC ...............2 EAST FIFE ...................................1
Elvie Mclean picked the ball up from distance and thought ‘why not?’
It would prove a wonderful decision and one which clinched St Johnstone three points in Wednesday evening’s league challenge against East Fife.
The midfielder’s second half screamer sailed into the back of the net to again nudge Saints closer to second-placed Gartcairn.
The impressive finish added to the goal Mclean scored last weekend and she hopes there are more on the immediate horizon.
“I remember the ball was bouncing about and I’ve managed to turn,” Mclean told the PA.
“The goalkeeper was a wee bit to the left of her goal so I just thought ‘why not?’
“I’m happy with any goal to be honest but I especially like scoring when it’s the winner.
“I would like to get some more goals now. My one last weekend was my first of the season so I’m on a wee streak and want to keep that going.
“I’ve played up top, midfield, left wing. I’ll play wherever I’m put. I’m not too fussed.”
Saints had carved out the perfect start at the Riverside midweek when Ellie-may Cowie headed home a Brodie Greenwood cross after just one minute.
Mclean said: “It was a really good way to start. I don’t think we’ve done that all season.
“Last Sunday, we didn’t really start with the same urgency as Stirling. That was one of the things we said before our game on Wednesday.
“We then definitely went out and showed that we had that urgency. We just need to not let teams back into games.”
East Fife had levelled proceedings through Chloe Guppy before Mclean’s intervention turned the result back in Saints’ favour.
“We had a few half chances and hit the bar too,” Mclean said. “It’s just about making sure we put those away.
“I thought their goal was a wee bit against the run of play. At that point in the game I felt we were still looking the more likely to score.
“But we need to make sure we are more comfortable in the game.
“We have a lot of character and are very together. If we let in an equaliser, we don’t let it get to us and know we need to get another one.”
Saints’ win moves them just three points behind secondplaced Gartcairn, although the Perth side has no fixture this weekend to immediately build the momentum.
Mclean said: “It is so tight at the top and we still need to play every team apart from Stirling and East Fife.
“If we can keep up the levels of performance we’ve shown in the last couple of games, I don’t see why we can’t be up there challenging.”