Match report

Saturday, 28 November 2009
Saints can't find a way through

Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Saints (1) v Hamilton Accies (1)
Attendance [3,426]

Photo: Filipe Morais watches as his header from a Kevin Moon cross flashes into the the goal


For the first of two successive home matches Derek McInnes made one change to the starting line-up from last weekend’s Tynecastle success with Kevin Moon replacing Chris Millar.

It was a hark back to First Division days with only two stands open at the stadium and for the first half Saints were shooting towards the empty North Stand.

Both sides had chances in the opening five minutes but such early excitement was certainly not a signal of things to come.

Those two opportunities fell to Saints’ Kenny Deuchar and Hamilton’s Mark McLaughlin but neither could get their headed efforts beyond the respective goalkeepers.

There followed half-chances for each side – Antoine-Curier for Hamilton and Murray Davidson unable to make anything of them but the visitors made the breakthrough in 23 minutes and it came from the latest in a succession of dangerous corner kicks.

The first couple of in-swingers had caused panic in the Perth rearguard and this time when the kick was delivered from the right, the ball came off two different heads in the six yard area before reaching Antoine-Curier at the back post and he blasted it home from close range with the inside of his foot.

Not for the first time this season, we responded well to a set back and we were back level just 5 minutes later. Kevin Moon was the creator from the inside right channel and his cross was met by Filipe Morais who timed his run and jump perfectly and Cerny was helpless as the ball flashed past him.

Kevin Rutkiewicz and Danny Grainger were both wayward efforts but there was one good chance five minutes before the break when ther was a scramble in the Accies area after a Grainger corner fell to Collin Samuel and although he couldn’t get a shot in, Accies failed to clear and Rutkiewicz fired it in from outside the box and it deflected off Morais but the ball dropped just over the bar.

The second half was a 45 minutes of frustration in which Saints enjoyed plenty of possession but created little in the way of goal scoring opportunities. Arguably, the clearest one came just three minutes after the restart and it needed Tomas Cerny to provide a full-length dive to his right to push a Murray Davidson effort away for a corner kick.

Saints went on to play some good football but against a Hamilton side well-versed in closing their opponents down it proved a tough 45 minutes and there was always the feeling the visitors were perfectly capable of grabbing a goal on the break.

Saints probed and chased and it was not due to lack of effort that they could not find a way through. Home fans became frustrated with the referee and with Billy Reid’s men as it became apparent that they were happy to slow the game down as often as possible to hold onto what they had.

Chris Millar and Jonaton Johansson were introduced but to little effect and a cold, dreich day saw the game fizzle out to a 1-1 draw.

This was probably our poorest home display of the season but it is difficult to be hard on the players who bounced back well from losing the goal and certainly played some decent football as they tried to find a way through.

Filipe Morais and Collin Samuel caught the eye with their displays but all in all it was a game to forget – but another point gained nonetheless.

SAINTS: Smith, Mackay, Grainger, McCaffrey, Rutkiewicz, Morris, Moon (Millar), Davidson (Johansson), Morais, Deuchar, Samuel
Subs: Main, Irvine, Craig, May, Durnan

ACCIES: Cerny, Hastings, Canning, McLaughlin (McClenahan), Wesolowski, McArthur, Antoine-Curier, Neil, M Paixao (F Paixao), Elebert (Beuzelin), Mensing.
Subs: Murdoch, Evans, Kirkpatrick, Wilkie,

Referee: William Collum

Att: 3,426

PHOTOS:
Top - Murray Davidson gets in a header
Bottom - Jody Morris argues his case after a flare up with Simon Mensing