Dreyer hands Saints a spot of solace
AFTER their penalty pain of the past, St Mirren may be able to force a smile if spot-kicks eventually prove to be the difference between relegation and Premiership survival.
Eleven days ago, Simeon Jackson’s ‘Panenka’ attempt at St Johnstone failed so miserably it attracted headlines in a messy aftermath as the Paisley men lost 1-0.
That single incident could have threatened to become the theme of a difficult campaign for Oran Kearney’s side.
Eyebrows were certainly raised, then, when St Mirren earned a second-half penalty at Hamilton yesterday — their first since that fateful night in Perth.
Despite Jackson being on the pitch, responsibility this time fell to 20-year-old Danish winger Anders Dreyer to fire his team level three minutes after Steve Davies had put Accies in front.
By assessing the enormity of the situation, Kearney knew it was time for simplicity — and the on-loan Brighton player delivered to seal a point, which moved second-bottom Saints three points clear of Dundee.
‘I spoke to him (Jackson) about it,’ said the manager, whose side still trail Hamilton by four points.
‘With the magnitude of the game and the atmosphere, when we won that penalty — if I had left him on it — the grumbles would have started in our large support.
‘You want to have as little baggage as possible. Anders has hit many penalties in his short career.
‘Last season, he scored 22 goals to get Esbjerg promotion and six or seven were penalties. So even though he is only 20, he has hit some big penalties.
‘I spoke to him earlier in the week and said I wasn’t forcing him to take them but he was more than happy. There was a lot of confidence and he stroked it away superbly.’
With the post-split fixtures set to commence in a roller-coaster finale, Kearney added: ‘Football at this stage can be helter-skelter. We are frustrated not to have three points today but we will take one point and move on.’
At this stage of the season, it’s all about priorities, so it was no surprise to see Kearney make major changes to his starting XI — seven in total.
After resting players who he believes will be key in this run-in for Wednesday’s night’s 2-0 home defeat to Celtic, the manager restored Danny Mullen and Brad Lyons — the scorers in last week’s crucial 2-1 home victory against Dundee — to the team.
Dreyer, Paul McGinn, Ethan Erhahon, Ryan Flynn and Jackson also returned.
But Saints were without Duckens Nazon after the club accepted a two-match ban handed to the striker for elbowing Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer in midweek.
Accies boss Brian Rice opted for four changes, bringing back Davies, defender Matt Kilgallon, Alex Gogic and Mickel Miller.
After only five minutes, Accies were lucky to escape. Scott McMann gave the ball away cheaply on the edge of his own box. Lyons nipped in but was denied an early goal when the defender deflected his effort behind for a corner.
St Mirren saw claims for a penalty dismissed midway through the half when Dreyer fell in the box after pressure from Ziggy Gordon. The Dane would later come to haunt the Accies veteran.
Then, just short of the half-hour mark, Hamilton should have taken the lead.
Captain Darian MacKinnon’s pass found Davies in the penalty box. The striker turned and shot but Saints keeper Vaclav Hladky made a vital block to divert the ball behind.
Five minutes before the break, it was the visitors who blew it big time.
Dreyer thumped the ball upfield, Jackson raced onto it, outmuscled Kilgallon and played Lyons through on goal. Bizarrely, the on-loan Blackburn midfielder toe-poked his effort wide from 10 yards.
In the 55th minute, it was Accies’ turn to mess up. First, Miller’s shot from 18 yards was pushed clear by Hladky. The ball came back out to striker George Oakley but his header was cleared off the line by Erhahon.
The game then burst into life with two goals in three minutes.
Accies took the lead in the 63rd minute when substitute Tony Andreu, who had been on the pitch for just four minutes, delivered a cross from the left and Davies’ deft volley found the net. It was the former Blackpool striker’s first goal since his arrival in January.
But St Mirren struck back quickly. Gordon brought down Dreyer in the penalty box. The on-loan Brighton winger made no mistake, firing the ball into the bottom-right corner.
Hamilton nearly bagged the win two minutes into stoppage time but Oakley’s terrific volley brought an outstanding save from Hladky before Andreu’s header was deflected wide. Despite seeing his team lose their lead, Rice was pleased both sides produced an open game. ‘It’s a credit to the players on the pitch,’ he said. ‘I’ve been in situations like this before when it’s so tense. It was like a basketball match towards the end. I enjoyed the game, although I’m not happy with a point. I want to win home games. ‘We have a point more than before and we’re a point further in front of Dundee — but it’s all to play for.’