IT’S FERGIE TIME
Late strike and sale of Magennis piles the pain on Goodwin
ST MIRREN’S players sank to their knees in despair and defeat after throwing away a lead at Pittodrie to remain rooted to the foot of the Premiership.
Lewis Ferguson’s stoppage-time winner proved a dire end to a day for the Paisley men that saw a worrying schism develop between manager Jim Goodwin and his board of directors.
The root of Goodwin’s frustration was yesterday’s surprise decision to agree a fee for captain Kyle Magennis with Hibs, four days before Monday’s transfer window closes. Previously, Saints had turned down two offers from the Easter Road club.
The U-turn came to light just 24 hours after Goodwin had spoken strongly in the press about his squad being so thin that they were not in a position to sell, adding: ‘Thankfully, the club has backed me on this’.
Certainly, cashing in on a player Goodwin rates as the best at the club does not square with chief executive Tony Fitzpatrick’s latest lofty ambition, stated in July, that: ‘We will be in the top six (at the end of the season), make no mistake about it.’
A clearly angered Saints boss, who was only able to name four substitutes at Pittodrie last night due to injury and suspension, could not contain himself before kick- off when quizzed on radio about the situation.
When managers publicly challenge their superiors it rarely ends well.
‘I didn’t want to sell Kyle Magennis,’ he told BBC Scotland ahead of a match that saw Ethan Erhahon’s spectacular opener cancelled out by Aberdeen’s Marley Watkins before Ferguson’s late winner. ‘You’ ll need to ask Tony Fitzpatrick or someone on the board.
‘Kyle was a big player for us. I made him captain and was looking forward to working with him. Unfortunately. things have changed overnight.’
Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes made no changes to the side that won 3-0 against Ross County in Dingwall last Sunday.
For St Mirren, Nathan Sheron and Jon Obika were restored to Goodwin’s starting line-up after Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock. I l kay Durmas dropped to the bench while the injured Sam Foley was out of the squad altogether.
On a perfect autumn evening in the Granite City, the opening 45 minutes were poor despite a fast start from the hosts.
Jonny Hayes went on a brilliant a run from his own half and, when his effort was saved by Saints keeper Jak Alnwick, Niall McGinn’s secondary effort was blocked by Marcus Fraser.
Alnwick then made a fine stop to prevent a thumping, low 20-yard drive by Lewis Ferguson finding the bottom corner of the net.
But St Mirren grew into the game and began carving out opportunities. The first came when Lee Erwin’s headflick sent Obika bearing down on goal but Tommie Hoban got in a with a vital block to concede a corner that came to nothing.
Then Cammy MacPherson saw a shot deflected over the bar for the visitors. And Erwin was picked out at the back post but his chipped effort was plucked out of the air by Joe Lewis.
It had been an encouraging opening 45 minutes for Goodwin, whose midfield was performing well, but his side’s inability to score will have been a recurring worry. By contrast, Aberdeen were so quick in coming out for the second half, they had the look of a team who had just been on the end of a dressing down from McInnes.
If they had, it made little impact. It was the visitors who found a quite sensational breakthrough.
When the ball was laid into Erhahon’s path 25 yards from goal, he dispatched a thumping shot into the top corner of Lewis’ net with laser-like precision. It was t he 19- year- ol d’s first Premiership goal and one to remember.
Aberdeen were not themselves and McInnes gave his starting XI another ten minutes before making a double substitution.
Off came McGinn and Scott Wright and on came winger Connor McLennan and on-loan Leeds United striker Ryan Edmondson.
Yet still the Dons struggled to impose themselves in attack, with the Saints backline — supported vocally by Goodwin — keeping their shape and discipline.
Frustrated, Watkins tried his luck from 20 yards but it was straight down the throat of the again-impressive Alnwick.
There was to be better luck for Watkins, however, when he buried an equaliser from the edge of the box af t er good work f r om McLennan and Ryan Hedges on the right. As both sides pressed for a winner, Sheron had a shot blocked and Ferguson failed to hit the target with a header. Hedges then saw a shot from a tight angle blocked by Alnwick.
The cruel suckerpunch for Saints arrived in stoppage time when Ferguson fired home to secure an unlikely win for the Dons.
For Goodwin, the glare he sported at full-time after a sixth successive loss was as frosty as the message he had delivered towards his board of directors. It is a state of affairs that will surely leave St Mirren fans fretting over his future.
ABERDEEN (3-4-1-2): Lewis; Hoban, Taylor (Anderson 87), Considine; Hedges (McGeouch 90), McCrorie, Ferguson, Hayes; Wright (Edmondson 63); Watkins, McGinn (McLennan 63). Subs not used: Cerny, Logan, Ojo, Hernandez, MacKenzie. Booked: McCrorie. ST MIRREN (3-5-2): Alnwick; Fraser, McCarthy, Shaughnessy; Morias, Sheron, Erhahon, MacPherson, McGrath; Erwin, Obika. Subs not used: McAllister, Durmus, Lyness, Jamieson. Booked: McCarthy. Man of the match: Marley Watkins. Referee: Gavin Duncan.