Match report

Saturday, 26 September 2009
Saints can't close out United

Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Saints (2) v Dundee United (3)
Attendance [7,225]

Above: Filipe Morais holds off a challenger to steer home the ball to make it 1-1.

Steven Milne missed today’s Tayside derby due to injury and Derek McInnes opted to go with Kenny Deuchar and Collin Samuel up front.

McDiarmid Park really was a great spectacle as the teams kicked off with sun shining down on four open stands – the east, north and south very well filled with the respective fans.

Saints were fielding former United men Alan Main, Danny Grainger and Collin Samuel in their line-up while veteran Darren Dods made a return to his old stomping ground for United.

The opening ten minutes belonged to United in terms of possession but they were unable to create a clear-cut scoring opportunity although Alan Main had to come from his goal to punch away an in-swinging Danny Swanson corner kick and United’s Paul Dixon showed early on that he could match our own Danny Grainger when it came to long throws into the box.

But it was a low ball into the box from Dixon which casued the next moment of concern for Saints as it eluded three players and Main had to look sharp with to gather.

Saints only glimpse of goal in the opening 20 minutes came after Stuart McCaffrey tried to release Danny Grainger with a quickly taken free kick but we had to settle for a throw and when that came in from Grainger, Collin Samuel's shot on goal was blocked by a defender.

It signaled a better period for Saints and we almost took the lead in 22 minutes when Kenny Deuchar's shot from just inside the box took a nick of Filipe Morais and although keeper Nicky Weaver was wrong-footed he just managed to stick out a foot to keep the ball out of the net.

The next clear cut chance also fell to Saints and what a good one it was in 27 minutes after Chris Millar had won a corner kick on the right. Danny Grainger’s kick was met by a great run from Murray Davidson but his unchallenged header was wide of Nicky Weaver’s left hand post.

The game came to life in the 33rd minute when United were awarded a penalty kick. It came after referee Dougie McDonald penalised Dave Mackay for a handball – the Saints defender certainly dropped a shoulder to control a loose ball in the box but it looked like it hit him high on his chest or shoulder. It mattered little to Danny Cadamarteri who blasted the ball into the net from 12 yards.

However, as they had done at Easter Road on Tuesday, Saints bounced back quickly and were level within three minutes. A ball played goalwards was met by Deuchar at the edge of the box who headed it down to Davidson who, in turn, found Filipe Morais and his shot appeared to take a touch off Darren Dods to deflect it past Weaver in the United goal.
Saints then had a great chance to get their noses in front before the interval but Murray Davidson was unusually wasteful with a chance after he was played into the box. He had Morais to his left but opted to retain possession and dwelt too long on the ball and was dispossessed.

Davidson had another chance to score before the half-time whistle went but this time he was unlucky after beating Weaver to a loose ball. He dinked it over the United keeper but it was wide of goal and Deuchar was unable to get the ball at the back post.

Saints undid a lot of their good work in the first half when they were caught napping at the start of the second. Only a couple of minutes had elapsed when United went back in front as Saints failed to deal with a United attack and when the loose ball fell to Andy Webster ten yards from goal he lashed it into the net to make it 2-1 to the visitors.

Neither side were able to create much in the way of clean cut chances for the next period of play but that changed in 71 minutes when Saints leveled the game again. Kenny Deuchar was bundled over at the edge of the box but before the free kick could be taken, Martin Hardie was introduced to proceedings in place of Deuchar. Martin had, of course, shown his expertise from just outside the box with free kicks at East End Park last season and in the last home game against Hearts and he needed no invitation to have another go....and it worked! This time he went for a low shot with pace rather than a dink over the wall but the outcome was the same – the ball landed in the back of the net and it was 2-2.

If Derek McInnes was hoping his side would take things on from there he was left disappointed as his side lost a sloppy goal to give the visitors the lead for the third time with fourteen minutes left and this time it was United’s turn to have a substitute score with his first touch.

Damian Casalinuovo shrugged off challenges as he surged into the box and his parting shot seemed to take a deflection and the ball hit the inside of the post where David Goodwillie – just on the park a matter of seconds – bundles it over the line.

Alan Main had to produce a finger tip save to push over a Casalinuovo drive – Weaver having done the same from Morais sometime earlier – as both sides tried to get a late goal.

With three minutes remaining there was a real talking point when Danny Swanson halted Gavin Swankie in his tracks 30 yards from goal. It was pretty cynical and clearly a yellow card but Swanson had plenty of sympathizers in the crowd when Dougie McDonald flourished a straight red.

Despite being a man down, United held on for the win and Saints are yet again having to deal with having contributed greatly to an entertaining game and not having a win to show for it.

SAINTS: Main, Mackay, Grainger, Morris, McCaffrey, Gartland, Millar (Craig), Davidson, Morais, Deuchar (Hardie), Samuel (Swankie).
Subs: McLean, Anderson, Lindsay, Reynolds

UNITED: Weaver, Webster, Wilkie (Goodwillie), Dods, Robertson, Cadamarteri (Fotheringham), Swanson, Buaben, Kovacevic, Casalinuovo, Dixon (Dillon).
Subs: Banks, Conway, Myrie-Williams, Shala,

Att: 7,225

Referee: Dougie McDonald

PHOTO
Top: Martin Hardie blasts home a free kick to make it 2-2
Bottom: Chris Millar and Danny Swanson tussle for the ball