King of cool in a perfect storm
Doyle-Hayes lives up to ‘Xavi’ hype as Saints loan star excels
SCOTTISH football has chewed up and spat out its fair share of them down the years. Schooled in the academies of English powerhouses and f eted by stellar names, their raw talent is normally evident. Yet time and time again, they depart having made no appreciable impact.
For all its shortcomings, the fast and furious nature of our game makes for an unforgiving environment. Without speed of both action and thought, it will quickly expose you.
As this cup tie ebbed and flowed at typical breakneck speed, you wondered if Jake
Doyle-Hayes might eventually implode with its sheer intensity. Yet the more frantic it became, the more time he seemed to have on the ball. The greater the efforts of Aberdeen players to force him into mistakes, the more accurate his passing became.
A model of calm in the midst of a maelstrom, his control of the situation ensured St Mirren really never lost theirs. He was instrumental in a win which owed nothing to luck, despite the clanger dropped by Joe Lewis two minutes from time.
We now know why Roy Keane was so determined the Ballyjamesduff kid would choose Aston Villa over other would-be suitors five years back.
Even allowing for hyperbole, it’s now apparent why Cheltenham Town fans dubbed the midfielder ‘Xavi’ during his loan spell there last season.
And it’s also now clear why Jim Goodwin implored St Mirren fans to simply enjoy him for as long as they can. For once, the hype is justified.
‘You need to try to dominate games but I try to do it at my own pace and I speed it up when I have to,’ the
The manager has shown he trusts me and I haven’t played in a losing team yet for him
21-year-old said of his approach. ‘I can also slow it down but it’ s about recognising what needs to be done in the game and trying to do what’s best for the team.
‘There’s a great desire here to work for one another. Even in training the intensity is there and we try to replicate that in every game.’
Doyle-Hayes is fast coming to represent the impressive resurgence of Goodwin’s side after a troubled start to the campaign, brought about through circumstances largely beyond their control. Debilitated by Covid as much as any team in those early weeks, the manager must have felt this season was cursed.
Now, presented with headaches of the right kind of late, his side are unbeaten in seven and exuding an air of positivity once again.
For the young Irishman who’s quickly become the side’s beating heart, his commitment to joining the club has already been vindicated.
‘I haven’t played in a losing team so hopefully that will continue,’ he added. ‘The manager has trusted me to come straight into the team and he has played me in most of the games.
‘Hopefully I can repay him by helping the team to progress.
‘I knew a bit about Scottish football before I came here from watching it on TV. I knew it was really competitive.
‘I knew that Aberdeen were a really good team, so I knew all about their calibre before this game. It was about all of us, though, not just me. Everyone was outstanding.’
As Aberdeen took an afternoon nap, Saints went at them with the zeal of a greyhound eyeing a hare. The wonder was it took them four minutes to edge in front. Ilkay Durmas’ ability to get the ball up and over the Dons’ defensive wall from the edge of the box was impressive and no more than Saints’ start deserved.
With the Dons struggling to get up for air, Richard Tait struck the upright, Dylan Connolly disappointingly fired straight into Lewis’ arms and Jon Obika failed to guide a loose ball on target.
Shorn of Lewis Ferguson and Ross McCrorie, Aberdeen just couldn’t get a foothold. Their equaliser, two minutes from the break, was ill-deserved. Jonny Hayes’ shot spun off Sam Cosgrove into Niall McGinn’s path for a smart finish but the scoreline was fooling no one — least of all Derek McInnes.
A half-time change in personnel — with Mikey Devlin and Curtis Main replacing McGinn and Cosgrove —
coupled with a switch to a back-four did make for a more even contest.
But St Mirren earned their break when Lewis horribly mishandled Jamie McGrath’s speculative effort two minutes from time.
Normally so assured, the keeper’s attempt to push a routine shot down into the turf saw it squirm between his legs and into the net. A sloppy goal that rather summed up too much of what had gone before.
It’s been Aberdeen’s misfortune that so many important players have been absent in a week that was always going to be taxing at the best of times.
But too few of those who’ve awaited an opportunity have shown their manager they are up to the task. They were never at the races at Ibrox, didn’t do enough to win at Hamilton and could have no complaints here.
Ahead of a league game in Paisley next Saturday, there is much soul searching to be doing.
‘We knew they were going to come out and give i t everything,’ said defender Greg Leigh. ‘It obviously meant a lot to them. I don’t think we were taken aback. We just didn’t match it and that’s not good enough.
‘That’s something that’s going to kill you in games if you don’t match the energy of the other side. Now it’s time to say: “We weren’t good enough, that’s the kick up the backside”.
‘We’re playing here again in a week’s time and we just can’t have that same performance. We have to turn it round.
‘That’s definitely going to take some character from us, finding a winning performance when you’ve had three without a victory.’
ST MIRREN (4-5-1): Alnwick 6; Fraser 7, McCarthy 7, Foley 7, Tait 7; Connolly 7 (Morias 83), MacPherson 7, Doyle-Hayes 8, McGrath 7, Durmas 7 (McAllister 72); Obika 7 (Erwin 72). Subs not used: Lyness, Sheron, Flynn, Finlayson, Dennis, Jamieson. Booked: Doyle-Hayes. ABERDEEN (3-4-3): Lewis 4; Hoban 5, Considine 5, Leigh 6; Kennedy 6, Ojo 5, Campbell 5 (Edmondson 90), Hayes 5; Hedges 6, Cosgrove 5 (Main 45), McGinn 5 (Devlin 45). Subs not used: Woods, Taylor, Hernandez, Ngwenya, Ramsay, Duncan. Booked: Considine. Man of the match: Jake Doyle-Hayes. Referee: Don Robertson.