SAINTS STAR ALI IS CHIEF SINNER
McCann’s miss proves costly for Perth men
THERE won’t be any Turkish delight for St Johnstone unless they sharpen up their act in front of goal.
The double cup winners begin their adventure on Thursday when they travel to face Galatasaray in the first qualifying round of the Europa League.
But it threatens to be a short-lived experience, judged purely on their failure to score at the Global Energy Stadium yesterday.
The suffering Saints couldn’t even manage to be spot-on when they were handed the chance to claim all three points.
Staggies hearts sank when referee Colin Steven pointed to the penalty spot in the 70th minute after deciding that Coll Donaldson had fouled Reece Devine.
Ali McCann stepped up to the plate, then wished he hadn’t when his effort flew over the crossbar.
To be honest, despite volunteering, McCann seemed to lack conviction and is unlikely to be quite so quick to do so next time.
Not that his manager Callum Davidson was of a mind to criticise the highly-rated midfielder. He said: ‘I thought we should have won and, after a quite scrappy first half, I was pleased with the intensity as I asked the players to be a bit more positive and aggressive.
‘The penalty was just one of those things. Liam Craig, who usually takes them, was off the pitch and Ali was confident.
‘It’s disappointing because they are massive things in games and it could have turned things our way.’
Expectations are high among St Johnstone fans in the wake of the club’s remarkable League Cup/ Scottish Cup Double last season. And yesterday was about trying to launch a new Premiership campaign in style against a County team under new management.
But, in truth, it was far from being a classic with little for the near 2,000 crowd to get excited about.
The first half was notable only for a save by Ross Laidlaw from Michael O’Halloran and a low cross from Ross Callachan that Dominic Samuel only just failed to get a touch on at the back post. The second half was hardly any more memorable, perhaps with the exception of McCann’s miss.
County also lived dangerously in the closing stages when Craig hit the post six minutes from time after latching on to fellow substitute Stevie May’s initial shot.
But it would have been something of an injustice had the home side not garnered a point for their efforts.
In their defence, County have not been able to ease their way into the season, far from it. A Covid outbreak forcing the postponement of two League Cup ties, several injuries and considerable changes in personnel means new boss Malky Mackay and his team should not be judged at this juncture.
Midfielder Callachan, signed from Hamilton, where he was top scorer last season, provided a rare moment of inspiration when he broke down the right for County and delivered a low cross across the Saints goal. But he put too much on it for Samuel to be able to reach the ball at the back post and fire the home side in front.
County certainly appeared more defensively sound than they have done in recent times and that is due to Mackay’s tactical influence.
One suspects that if he can get the core of his side performing the way he wants them to there is a very good chance that another season of trials, tensions and tribulations can be avoided.
Reflecting on his introduction to Premiership management in Dingwall, Mackay still managed to raise a smile in the face of adversity. He said: ‘It’s been a really tough few weeks. Just two weeks ago the players were all sitting at home because of Covid.
‘We’d already had a huge turnover of 15 players leaving and we’ve only had five in so far. In fact, we had only 14 fit players and three or four children on the bench!
‘Two of the boys were in the Gold Cup three days ago in America and Harry Paton was somewhere over the Atlantic 18 hours ago. For him to fly into London and then fly up here this morning — and end up sitting on the bench and getting on the pitch — is testament to him.
‘I was just waiting on a big wave coming in from the Cromarty Firth and taking the stadium out. It’s about the only thing that hasn’t happened so far.’
Mackay added: ‘We knew it was going to be a tough game. Callum has a really well-drilled team and they’ve just had a fantastic season.
‘But credit to my team. They changed their system twice during the game so we’re delighted with the clean sheet. It’s also great to have fans back in the stadium.’
Saints fans can also take heart from last season’s astonishing exploits as they look ahead to European football. But one thing is certain, Galatasary represent a huge challenge.