The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Saints set points record with victory
Kane goal enough to open 12-point gap over Jambos
ST JOHNSTONE 1 HEARTS 0
A season of success yielded another little piece of club history for St Johnstone, with victory over Hearts breaking a top flight points record.
Chris Kane’s first half goal was enough to secure the win for Tommy Wright’s men, who are undefeated against the Tynecastle side this season and haven’t lost to them in their last eight encounters.
And perhaps the most telling statistic of the night is the 12-point gap that has now been opened up between the fourth and fifth placed teams in the Premiership.
Two players for whom injury looked to have ended their season prematurely were in the Saints starting line-up – Kane and Chris Millar. Craig Thomson was the other new face following the weekend win over Partick Thistle, with Steven MacLean and Liam Craig dropping to the bench and Paul Paton left out of the squad.
The contest kicked off in the sort of warm weather Perth fans can expect when their team begin their Europa League campaign in not much more than a month’s time. Beach balls (and a lilo) were thrown out of the East Stand to greet the two sides on to the pitch, just in case the Hearts supporters had forgotten which team had cost them European football.
This was Danny Swanson’s last game in a blue shirt, as he is suspended for the Rangers match on Sunday, and he started with the look of a man determined to sign off with a flourish.
Just three minutes in the Hibs-bound playmaker drove through the heart of the visitors’ midfield and drew a foul from Esmael Goncalves. From the freekick Tam Scobbie had a chance to give Saints an early lead but his tame effort didn’t trouble keeper Viktor Noring.
Saints had another chance five minutes later when Richard Foster was released on the overlap and he picked out Kane in the box. The striker was off target with his volley, however.
There was some sharp one-touch passing from Hearts on the edge of the hosts’ penalty area on 15 minutes but it all came to nothing when Goncalves got the ball stuck in his feet as he tried to make space for a shot.
Midway through the first half Millar was robbed of possession in midfield by Sam Nicholson but the mistake wasn’t punished as the counter-attack broke down when it got to Bjorn Johnsen.
Saints had been the better team so far and they got a deserved opener on 26 minutes. Swanson put a perfectly weighted ball in behind the right side of the Hearts defence and Kane guided a precise first-time low shot past Noring with the outside of his boot as the keeper rushed out.
Kane was an impressive performer on his recall and 10 minutes after the goal, a shot on the turn just inside the box wasn’t far off target.
Hearts sparked into life shortly before the break when Johnsen forced a save out of Alan Mannus with a well-struck 25-yarder and then moments later Joe Shaughnessy timed a tackle perfectly to deny the same man as he was pulling the trigger to shoot.
On the stroke of half-time Kane rattled the bar from over 20 yards out and Graham Cummins hit the rebound past the post.
Ian Cathro made a half-time substitution, with Rory Currie coming on for Johnsen. Hearts had a bit more about them after the re-start but it was Saints who threatened first when Thomson crossed from the right and Kane’s backheel was saved by Noring.
At the other end a looping Arnaud Djoum deflected shot was tipped over the bar by a back-pedalling Mannus.
Just after the hour Hearts’ second sub of the night, Jamie Walker, smashed a volley into the away stand with his first touch and then a tight angle shot from Liam Smith was smothered at his near post by Mannus.
Blair Alston and Michael Coulson came on for Saints, the latter replacing Swanson, who departed with home fans on their feet to show their appreciation for his efforts as a Perth player.
Third sub of the night, Liam Craig, followed up a Kane shot which was spilled by Noring and tucked it away, but his 87th minute strike was chalked off for offside and the game finished 1-0. Attendance: 3,141.
St Johnstone: Mannus, Scobbie, Millar (Craig 81), Wotherspoon, Swanson (Coulson 71), Shaughnessy, Foster, Easton, Kane, Thomson (Alston 67), Cummins. Subs not used: Clark, Anderson, MacLean, Gilchrist.
Hearts: Noring, Tziolis, Hughes, Djoum, Nicholson (Choulay 77), Cowie, Nowak, Johnsen (Currie 45), Smith, Goncalves, Martin (Walker 61). Subs not used: Hamilton, Kitchen, Avlonitis, Brandon. Referee: Don Robertson.