Saints alive after lion took their foot off pedal
A cycling event led to an earlier kick-off at Mcdiarmid Park and come full-time it was Livingston manager Gary Holt who was left feeling thoroughly deflated after a dramatic St Johnstone comeback denied his side victory.
The Lions were firmly on course for all three points following first-half strikes from Scott Pittman and Steven Lawless but, as the Women’s Tour of Scotland flew by, the wheels came off for the visitors when a Kyle Jacobs mistake allowed Matty Kennedy to rouse St Johnstone.
Substitute Callum Hendry then rescued a point with the equaliser eight minutes from time to restore some pride in Perth following last weekend’s embarrassing 7-0 mauling from champions Celtic.
Tommy Wright’s outfit still had keeper Zander Clark to thank, however, when he stopped Lyndon Dykes’ poor penalty in the final minute.
Looking back on an opportunity lost, Livvy manager Holt said: “You need to be ultra-professional, especially when you’re 2-0 up. You know Tommy’s not going in (at half-time) and being nice to them. So, you know you can’t give them anything in the game.
“I thought the game was dead at that point.
“But if you give teams a goal in the game, the crowd lifts, they get a lift and suddenly you’re a wee bit all over the place. When you’re 2-0 up and cruising, you have to be clinical.”
Livingston caught many in the Premiership by surprise last season with their workmanlike game-plan but it was the intricacy of their opening goal after just 12 minutes that appeared to shock the home side.
Aymen Souda played a neat 1-2 with fellow summer signing Marvin Bartley before shipping the ball wide to the supporting Lawless. The winger’s low centre was swept forcefully into the roof of the net by Pittman.
Pittman has had his suitors of late, Aberdeen amongst them, and highlighted his uncanny knack of arriving in the box at just the right time in the 22nd minute, only for Clark to produce a superb diving save.
However, the Lions did not have long to wait for the deserved second goal.
A mix-up between Danny Swanson and Michael O’halloran sparked a counterattack for Livingston and Lawless eventually speared his left-foot drive low past Clark from 20 yards out.
There were few signs of a revival after the break but Saints suddenly pulled a goal back. The home side launched a counter-attack of their own that had the Lions scrambling.
Then Jacobs was woefully short with a pass-back that allowed O’halloran to nick in ahead of keeper Ross Stewart. Kennedy gave the Perth outfit hope with the finish.
Hope turned to reality with eight minutes left when the Perth men hauled themselves level. Another ball was delivered into the heart of the Lions’ area and, when keeper Ross Stewart initially repelled Chris Kane’s effort, Hendry reacted quickly to hammer in the rebound.
There was time for yet more drama in the final minute but Dykes, bundled over by Richard Foster, could not beat Clark from the spot.
“I thought he (Dykes) was exceptional for us and I feel for the big guy,” added Holt. “I was standing on the touchline saying: ‘Smash it as hard as you can. It’s the 90th minute, just hit it as hard as you can’.
“But I’m never going to criticise someone stepping up