SAINTS MAKE IT A RHAPSODY IN BLUE
The unsung heroes are on song as Perth outf it f inally end long wait for a trophy
THE classic unsung hero, as Steven Anderson was described by former boss Owen Coyle recently, will now form one of the high notes of a celebratory St Johnstone tune until the end of time after sending Tommy Wright’s grafters on to glory.
The Scottish Cup, 130 years and the outstanding Steven MacLean — who clinched the prize six minutes from time — are other key lyrics required to laud an achievement that has been so long in the making that it has tested the patience of hundreds of thousands of Saints.
But they wait no more to have gleaming silverware in Perth, while at Tannadice, the future remains bright for Dundee United’s young stars of tomorrow.
The present, though, is absolutely dazzling for Saints’ men of the moment at a club that runs as one of the steadiest operations in the otherwise madhouse arena that is Scottish football.
‘May 17’ — the date and shirt number of Wright’s star striker Stevie — was supposed to be the Cup Final omen. But the victory signpost could actually be found on a film marked ‘Apr 19’.
On that day last month, Anderson opened the scoring with a back-post header as St Johnstone beat Jackie McNamara’s side 2-0 — a third success against United on Premiership business this term.
As part of his planning for yesterday, Wright compiled a DVD for his team of the sort of goals typically conceded by the Tannadice defence. How that move paid off as the men from Perth worked the trick once more.
Perhaps it was fitting, after May had grabbed so much of the spotlight all season for his scoring heroics, that so many of the understated Saints shone at Celtic Park.
Manager Wright talked fondly of a photo he liked from the semi-final win over Aberdeen at Ibrox that featured Anderson, Chris Millar, Frazer Wright and Dave Mackay celebrating after suffering so many last-four letdowns over the years.
Perhaps the snapshots of yesterday warrant a double take from some of these guys, just to confirm their St Johnstone careers will be defined by this mighty triumph — and never again by near misses.
It was deserved, too. Although they were underdogs yesterday, Saints’ victory was no great surprise. That’s only one loss in the last nine meetings with United.
Wright had a disagreement with McNamara on the touchline during St Johnstone’s 1-0 win at Tannadice in March but they were in accord over the deployment of United’s teenage stars Ryan Gauld and John Souttar.
The Northern Irishman’s pre-match prediction was spot on as the youngsters began on the bench, while he stayed true to the team that won their semi-final. But it wasn’t inexperience that cost United. Rather, a couple of dubious moments from goalkeeper Radoslaw Cierzniak proved critical.
And yet it was the Pole’s counterpart, Alan Mannus, who betrayed signs of early nerves, spilling a Ryan Dow cross under pressure from Nadir Ciftci.
However, it was St Johnstone who settled into a more assured stride. May wondered if Cierzniak might be similarly jittery, taking speculative aim from distance but failing to trouble the keeper, who had warmed up by the time James Dunne tested him. The on-loan Stevenage man hit a shot from 22 yards after a David Wotherspoon lay-off and Cierzniak sprang to tip the shot over.
The corner dropped into the path of Wright’s late arrival into the box but the ball came off his shin and trickled into the arms of keeper.
After being dumped for each of the last two Hampden showpieces by Pat Fenlon at Hibs, Wotherspoon made the most of getting the call and he was quick to pounce on the United wall’s deflection of a May free-kick.
After cutting smartly inside Keith Watson, Wotherspoon saw Cierzniak deal well with a shot that took a nick off Gavin Gunning.
The league’s second-top scorers, United are never timid for long and at last came a killer delivery from Andrew Robertson.
Dow ghosted in to offer a flick that bounded off the base of the far post and, to the delight of Mannus, back into play before being cleared.
United then claimed for handball against Wotherspoon as Gunning tried to thread in Dow. But minutes later, it was Wotherspoon who crafted the opening goal in first-half injury time.
His corner convinced Cierzniak to make a bone-headed break from his goal and come flapping for the ball.
Anderson, meanwhile, faked a run to clear himself of close policing and peeled away to rise and meet the cross six yards out. Watson was the nearest but helpless attendant as Anderson nodded into the unguarded net.
The St Johnstone manager suspected United might be vulnerable to dead-ball deliveries in the air. Little wonder, then, that he waved a clenched fist as he turned heels and darted for the team talk.
McNamara’s was more succinct as his men emerged first after the interval hell-bent on a quick reply. That made for an increasingly combative second half.
The 50th-minute drama provided the moment that must have convinced Saints fans that this would be their day.
Ciftci, a bruising presence to front the United attack all afternoon, floated a freekick over the wall. Off the crossbar it came, the ball falling kinder than any Saints player could have dreamt of as it nestled cosily aside the grounded Mannus when it could easily have cannoned off him and over the line.
Illegal means were then tried at the opposite end to do just that. Wright’s free header guided the ball into the path of May, who appeared to be successfully bundling home a 28th goal of the season before Cierzniak scrambled a save. May then used his hand for the final nudge. Referee Craig Thomson initially awarded the goal, but the extra
officials were bound to come in useful one of these years and Alan Muir correctly snatched the celebrations back off the Saints fans.
Wotherspoon at one end, then Robertson at the other, were denied then the call for Gauld came on 64 minutes, Gary Mackay-Steven making way. Millar was the shadow for Gauld and the action passed the kid by.
Brian Graham was introduced to partner Ciftci and no one dug deeper than the Turkish forward for an equaliser. No one went closer, either, than he did when rifling a low drive from 20 yards that skimmed the outside of Mannus’s right hand post.
But it was the extra striker selection of Saints that proved the winner. MacLean’s hold-up play and knockdowns had been a fine feature all day and, six minutes from time, he shot into centre stage.
A May crossfield pass took a wild deflection and, as MacLean slid in with Cierzniak, the first crunching contact was a draw. The second scramble for possession quickly saw the striker hook his foot around the ball and steer it into the empty net.
MacLean stripped off his top as he wheeled away to greet the acclaim of the Perth fans and earned the happiest booking of his life.
Graham missed a chance to make it nervy at the death with a free header. So, 20 years since Craig Brewster stopped a string of Hampden horror stories for United, St Johnstone legends were at last created from the dramas of this Scottish Cup Final.