Match report

Sunday, 30 August 2009
Saints bounce back for a draw in another thriller

Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Saints (2) v Hearts (2)
Attendance [5, 825]

Left: Murray Davidson rises to power home the opening goal.

Kenny Deuchar and Collin Samuel were chosen to lead the attack in this afternoon’s match against Hearts at McDiarmid Park - both were among the goals in Wednesday’s cup win at Arbroath.

Murray Davidson and Jody Morris were both back in the side having missed the midweek trip to Gayfield.

Shooting towards the North Stand, Saints started on the front foot straight from kick off but their first attack ended when Mike Tumility awarded a free kick.

However, it was a sign of things to come as Saints took the game to their opponents and twice in the opening ten minutes Murray Davidson had a chance to score. The first of those came after only four minutes when he got on the end of a Stuart McCaffrey cross from the right and the midfielder’s diving header was just a yard past the post.

Apart from an early corner kick which came to nothing for the visitors, it was Saints who looked the more likely side and they passed up a second chance after Deuchar flicked the ball on to Samuel wide on the right. Collin's cross was returned to Deuchar but he couldn’t get a good enough connection on his attempted shot.

Murray Davidson was next up and while he couldn’t have been criticised for his first miss, he really should have done better with the chance that came his way in eight minutes. David Mackay thumped the ball from right to left to Kenny Deuchar and the big man’s headed knock down was perfection for Davidson who was all alone eight yards from goal with just keeper Balogh to beat. Murray did well to get there in the first place but he really should have got his header on target rather than head wide of goal from that position.

The potential for damage which Collin Samuel posed was clearly worrying the visitors and he was twice halted in his tracks – the first of those challenges bringing a yellow card for Lee Wallace.

Hearts’ best effort at this stage was a long range free kick which Craig Thomson which was hit with plenty of power but was too close to Alan Main to cause a problem from 30 yards.

There was controversy in the 20th minutes when Danny Grainger and Suso Santana challenged for a ball at the touchline and with the Saints man grounded, the home support were incensed when the Hearts player appeared to spit in the direction of Grainger who, to his credit, walked away and later played down the incident in the post-match press conference.

Saints made the breakthrough in 23 minutes and it was third time luck for Davidson. Ironically, it was arguably the hardest of the three chances that had come his way but when David Mackay’s cross came in from the right touchline Murray got his head to it ahead of Kenny Deuchar and a Hearts defender fourteen yards from goal and his header crept in at Balogh’s left hand post. Full marks too, to Collin Samuel whose persistence in the middle of the park was key in getting the ball wide to Mackay in the first place.

Hearts threatened only occasionally and in the best of those attempts, Gary Glen drove the ball across Alan Main but wide of goal having been released by Christian Nade.

Jose Concalves became the second Hearts player booked for bringing down Collin Samuel, his halt on the Saints man coming after Samuel had pounced on a poor clearance from the keeper and attempted to break clear.

Half-time came with Saints having enjoyed by far the best of the half and the only concern was that they had not converted at least one other chance.
Saints pressured the visitors early in the second half – a Davidson header was well over the bar and keeper Balogh did well to nip in ahead of Collin Samuel and reach a low David Mackay cross.

However, the experienced Edinburgh side then started to show signs that they were determined to get back into the match. David Mackay headed the ball over his own bar to clear danger and minutes later he became the first player in blue to be booked for a jersey tug. It proved to be Mackay’s last involvement as he was replaced by Gary Irvine – Derek McInnes later revealed Mackay had complained of discomfort in his groin at half-time.

There was a real talking point in 55 minutes, particularly given what has gone on in football over the last week. Graham Gartland was indecisive with an attempt to get the ball back to Alan Main and the Saints keeper had to burst from his line to try and beat Christian Nade to the ball. Nade went down and the Hearts fans in the North Stand rose as one claiming for a penalty kick but neither the East Stand assistant nor the referee were moved. Alan Main reacted furiously and the end result was a booking for the man in maroon and a free kick to Saints.

However, Hearts were not to be denied and just two minutes later they were level. Graham Gartland was booked on the left touchline for a crude challenge and when Gary Glenn swung the ball into the box, Goncalves rose to head the ball powerfully into the net.

Hearts had their tales up now and they made two substitutions in a bid to press home their advantage but it was Saints who had the next best chance – Chris Millar slipped a lovely ball into Samuel but his parting effort was blocked by the keeper.

In 65 minutes Martin Hardie replaced Murray Davidson who was another suffering from a groin problem.

Saints weathered the mini-storm which followed the visitors’ equalizer although Gartland had to look sharp to deny Obua after Danny Grainger had lost his footing and then Hearts Ian Black saw a dipping 25 yard drive drop just over Alan Main’s bar.

Then, with just five minutes to go and just seconds after Gartland had rightly had a goal chalked off for an infringement, disaster for Saints.

Lee Wallace skipped his way down the left before cutting the ball back to Novikovas and although Alan Main pulled off a tremendous save from his shot, David Obua was on hand to drill the loose ball behind the Saints keeper and into the net.

It was cruel on Saints who looked to have survived the onslaught brought about the visitors’ deserved equaliser.

However, this Perth side are out to prove they will not be SPL pushovers and in the final minute of the three minutes added on we were back on level terms.

Martin Hardie pulled Hearts sub David Witteveen into making a rash challenge on him 20 yards from goal and it was the Saints midfielder himself who took the free kick. Similar in distance and location to a free kick he netted at Dunfermline last season, Martin went for it again and it was absolute perfection – over the wall and into the top right hand corner of the goal. Cue celebrations in front of the East Stand.

It proved to be the final bit of action because Mike Tumilty brought the game to a close as soon as Hearts had centred the ball.

Saints could and should have had more than a one goal advantage at half-time but the visitors were certainly worth their equalizer in the second half. The late goal would have been cruel on Saints had it led to defeat but this confident side deserved the injury time leveler – and what a strike it was.

Another thoroughly entertaining McDiarmid Park encounter though – if they were all like this and the recent Motherwell game a lot of the gloom would be lifted from the Scottish game.

SAINTS: Main, Mackay (Irvine), Grainger, Morris, McCaffrey, Gartland, Millar, Davidson (Hardie), Morais, Deuchar, Samuel (Milne).
Subs: McLean, Craig, Reynolds, May

HEARTS: Balogh, Wallace, Goncalves, Santana (Novikovas), Black, Obua, Nade (Palazuelos), Bouzid, Sttewart, Glen (Witteveen), Thomson.
Subs: Kello, Kucharski, Thomson, Smith

Referee: Mike Tumility

Att: 5, 825

PHOTOS:
Top - Martin Hardie perfectly executes the free kick which brought the injury-time equaliser
Bottom - The celebrations which followed Hardie's goal