Buddies fans have found new Paisley god in Baccus
HEAD bowed, hands on hips, staring disconsolately into the distance, Keanu Baccus’ reaction at the full-time whistle in Paisley belied the central role he’d played in St Mirren’s richly deserved victory. The Australian’s angst at missing a sitter deep into added time was understandable but fleeting. In reality, it was a minor aberration on an otherwise commendable display. Any doubts that the midfielder may have had about that would have been swept away by the reception afforded to him by the home support as he made his way up the tunnel. They have a new hero. Signed from Western Sydney Wanderers in the summer, red tape delayed the 24-year-old’s arrival at the club, but he’s now making up for lost time. To a man, Stephen Robinson’s side were excellent against Hibernian, but it was Baccus’ energy and craft that set the tone for a third successive league victory. No one will hold his failure to hit the target with the last kick of the game against him. An Australia Under-23 player, the rich seam of form he is enjoying in Paisley could not be more timely. Robinson revealed at full-time that both Baccus and Ryan Strain are firmly on Socceroos boss Graham Arnold’s radar. More displays like Saturday’s and they might just be on the plane to Qatar. Strain, who joined from Maccabi Haifa in June, ran riot down the right side all day. Just six minutes in, he flicked the ball beyond Marijan Cabraja, ate up the ground and centred. Baccus made a difficult finish look simple to claim his first goal in a Saints shirt. The only valid criticism of St Mirren’s display was that their dominance didn’t translate into a more handsome victory. For all Hibs were second best, Christian Doidge came close to levelling on the half hour with a header. Elie Youan had a quite unbelievable miss after the break, then Trevor Carson denied Joe Newell with an outstanding save. But, bluntly, a point would have been more than they deserved. Saints squandered a string of chances to put the issue to bed. Eamonn Brophy was the guilty party on two occasions before Baccus spurned a chance of his own right at the death. A bit more finishing practice would perhaps not go amiss. ‘It was amazing to get the winning goal,’ Baccus said. ‘But I felt I should have had another one or two. I need to raise the standards a little bit, keep my shots down and on target. I get told that all the time by the coaching staff. Hopefully, if I keep working at it and practising, there will be more to come. ‘I want to work on it. In the past I’ve probably not scored as many as I would have liked given the amount of games that I’ve played. All the coaches here are working with me and telling me to make sure I get my shots on target at least. I could have had a hattrick on Saturday, which is why I was a little bit upset at the end. But we won so we move on.’ The understanding between Baccus and Strain, formerly of Adelaide United, is just one reason why the Buddies’ season now has lift-off. The former A-League rivals look a cut above most of the summer acquisitions in the Premiership. If Robinson can keep them fit and firing, his side will be hard to dislodge from the top six. ‘He did amazingly,’ Baccus said of his compatriot. ‘He was showing me in the changing room after how well he did, how he beat the man to create the space! And I was just in the right position to put it away. ‘Ryan and I were on two different teams back in Australia but I played in the Under-23s with him. ‘He didn’t come to the Olympics with us for some reason when he was over in Israel. But I’m really happy for him as he’s been doing great for St Mirren now. ‘Hopefully, we can both push on. Things can change quickly in football and there could be something around the corner for us national team-wise. And that’s what we’re aspiring to. ‘The World Cup is in my thoughts. You have to think positively as a footballer and that anything is possible. Things can change quickly and it could be your turn or not your turn. ‘There have been times when it wasn’t my turn, but hopefully with a good run here I can get there.’ Where Hibs are going right now is anyone’s guess. Manager Lee Johnson apologised for their lame effort in Paisley — and no wonder. They may still be missing some key players, including Aiden McGeady and Kevin Nisbet, but there’s no accounting for the lack of intensity in the play of those who did take the field. Three late goals have brought them joy on as many occasions this season but they have only papered over the cracks. The team badly needs to find its identity and personality. ‘After a performance like that, I think for each player it’s their job to take responsibility and ask yourself if you’ve done enough,’ striker Doidge said. ‘I think the manager set us up really well, our shape was working fine. It’s getting the ball in the box (that’s the issue). ‘I don’t remember many chances that we had. The game probably came down to decision-making and we made some bad decisions. That’s where it cost us. ‘We are all extremely disappointed in there. Each player has to take responsibility for the defeat. ‘The fans have come all this way, spent all that money to come and watch us. When they see their team lose they are obviously going to be frustrated. ‘Listen, it’s our responsibility. We tried our hardest but it wasn’t good enough. Basic mistakes really cost us.’
ST MIRREN (4-4-2): Carson 7; Fraser 7, Gallagher 7, Dunne 7, Tait 8; Strain 8, Baccus 8, Erhahon 7 (Gogic 79), O’Hara 7; Main 7 (Kiltie 76), Ayungu 7 (Brophy 67). Subs not used: Urminsky, Shaughnessy, Flynn, Henderson, Offord, Greive. Booked: Ayunga. HIBERNIAN (4-3-3): Marshall 6; Cadden 5 (Miller 86), Porteous 5, Hanlon 5, Cabraja 5 (Stevenson 69), Newell 5, Doyle-Hayes 5, Campbell 4 (Henderson 69); Boyle 4, Doidge 4 (Bojang 86), Youan 4 (Melkersen 57). Subs not used: Schofield, Kenneh, Tavares, McGregor. Booked: Newell, Youan, Hanlon. Man of the match: Keanu Baccus. Referee: Graham Grainger. Att: 5,343.