Rumple's Match Report-tonto time (all over again!)

Last updated : 02 March 2008 By Rumple
Paul McHale is suspended, and Gavin Swankie is mysteriously missing from the squad so Dundee bring back Milan and Freddie, lining up; Samson Cowan - Palenik - MacKenzie - Dixon Daquin - Robertson - McDonald - Malone McMenamin - Antoine-Curier The game kicks off a minute early, in bright sunshine with a stiff breeze blowing down towards the Shankly end. There are still long queues outside apparently. We kick down the slope in the first half, so Saints have the wind and the low sun in their faces. After just 30 seconds MAC chases the ball down into the left corner, cuts in and hits a fierce low cut-back into the danger area. Main spills it, there's a scramble, and Saints are relieved to escape with a corner. After five minutes MAC chases the ball into the right hand corner, skins Stanic and cuts the ball back for Scotty Rob who hammers his shot over the bar. This sets the pattern for the first half. We're strong, dangerous, dominant in midfield and sound in defence. Saints don't get a shot in the whole first half. Main is having a 'mare, dropping balls and miskicking. He has a hugely lucky escape when he drops a Freddie corner right on the goal line, but the ball is scrambled clear. We just can't get the goal though. MAC is far too good for the Saints central defence thugs. He wins nearly everything in the air, takes the ball down well, and beats his man with ease. The response is to go through him from behind and deck hi at every opportunity. Referee Dougal is outrageously gash, letting McManus off without a booking for a deliberate handball to stop McMenamin, declaring open season on MAC, and booking Kevin Mac for a couple of soft fouls. Robertson gets a lecture from the ref after another scything challenge from behind on MAC is tolerated. Then McMenamin is held back as he breaks down the right. Not even a ticking off! MAC gets the ball into the net eventually on 35 minutes after a great passing move, but he's called offside. Four minutes later Saints fail to clear a Freddie corner, and there's a huge stramash on the line. Unbelievably Saints escape yet again. We don't have much longer to wait though. On 40 minutes Dickers take a long throw. It's flicked on, dropping over MAC's head just beyond the far post, six yards out. His first touch is excellent, he shields the ball, spins round his marker, and lashes a low shot inside Main's near post. SUPERB FINISHING!!!!! 1-0 the Dees! The mood's good at half time. It's 1-0 going on four as Dark Blue Fish puts it. Saints haven't been in it, but the narrow lead is a bit worrying. There's some interesting gossip at half time from Dave Webster, who says a highly respectable source has told him there was big row before the match between pish-poor referee Stuart Dougal and Jim Thompson, when the ref parked right outside the main entrance, refused to move it at first, and was told to GRTF by Thompson. Hmmm. Is this why the ref's having a shocker? Surprisingly the feeble Saintees make no change at the start of the second half, and they are out a good couple of minutes before the dominant Dees deign to put in an appearance. (Next day edit - actually, Saints brought on Barry Wilson, on loan from Caley Thistle, for Rocco Quinn, at half time. I didn't notice because St Johnstone away shirts are yellow, and the numbers are white, and therefore nearly invisible at a distance. Shouldn't be allowed! Though anyone with a working brain should have been able to spot the problem). Bad, bad news for the Dees on 48 minutes when Scotty Robertson gets crocked when the ref fails to give a foul on him, then penalises him when he makes a challenge back. He's carted off on a stretcher. Very worrying. Let's hope it's nothing too bad. We play on with 10 men for a couple of minutes in which time Dougal at last gets his card out for one of the Saints, when Rutkiewicz hammers McMenamin late. Lyle eventually comes on for Scotty, a straight replacement, dropping into central midfield. After 57 minutes Saints have their first shot, when Savo hits the ball well wide from a tricky angle. Saints bring on Jody Morris for Lynch (on loan from Hibs) just after the hour. MAC comes within inches of a second, when Saints let a free kick come all the way into the 6 yard box and bounce. MAC is onto it, but Main is right on top of him, leaving him little to shoot at. He gets his shot in, but it rebounds from the post. There's a scramble, and MacKenzie manages to make a bit of space to set up a good chance, but he drives wide. A great chance missed to kill off Saints. MAC shields the ball well from Stanic, who tries to wrestle him out of the way. MAC is too strong, so Stanic falls over and gets a ludicrous free kick. Stanic has had a nightmare - a constant bombscare, passing wildly and being caught in possession. He nearly does it again after 72 minutes as he tries to bring the ball over the half way line. He's lucky to get away with it, the ball comes back to him, then he puts over a good cross from which Morris scores with a diving header. Poor concentration from the defence I thought. They probably relaxed thinking Saints were going to give the ball away again. It's a sickener when we've been so much on top. We blast back at them though. Irvine fouls Malone badly wide on the right. Surely a booking? No chance! Eddie whips over the free kick; a quality cross with loads of pace, and at just the right height. We have men to spare charging in at the far post, and Colin McMenamin hurls himself at the ball and powers a great header past Main who's nowhere. YA BEAUTY!!!!! Colin's booked for leaving the pitch to celebrate. Ridiculous, the ref has been excusing all sorts of assaults, and no end of deliberate handballs, and whips out his card for a trivial offence like that! We're looking good and take control again, but there's another boot in the baws coming. Stanic hoofs a high nothing ball into the area, Milan's in two minds, leaves it to Samson, but it's Jackson behind him, who just manages to get a foot to the ball to scoop it past Samson. We're sick! we should have had the game in the bag by half time, we reacted well to the first equaliser, and it looks like we're going to blow it. One or two walk out from the Coxy (numbnuts!). Jackson leaves the pitch to celebrate with the Saints fans. He was booked for repeated diving a few minutes earlier, but Dougal decides that it's no longer a bookable offence! MAC is tiring, so Bobcat comes on. We press forward, trying desperately to get a winner. Good play, but we can't quite create a good chance. McMenamin has been immense, chasing everything. He had started to look phooked, but he draws on reserves and keeps grafting. On the 90 minutes Main comes charging out of his area to grab the ball from McMenamin's head - a good yard outside the area. That was really very naughty of him. The referee books him! Red card??? Don't be silly. Eddie Malone hammers the free kick hard, but too close to Main who holds it for about the first time all afternoon. Well that is surely it, no? Two minutes and 40 seconds into injury time, Kevin Mac picks up the ball in the centre circle, makes a bit of space for himself, and sees Dickers charging down the left. 2m and 42 secs, and the ball arrives in front of the galloping full back, just inviting him to whip it in. 2m and 43 secs, and Dickers duly sends over a top notch cross into the danger area. 2m and 44 secs, Colin McM is in mid air 8 yards out with the ball coming onto his napper. A split second later the ball is stretching the back of the net, Colin's hitting the deck, Main is lying in a heap, and IT'S ABSOLUTELY PHOOKING TONTO TIME IN THE COXY (and even wilder in the Derry by the looks of things!). Last time we played Saints and won it at the death I wrote "there are times you just can't shout loudly enough". Well it was louder this time. The seats in the Coxy took a hell of a pounding fae dancing Dees. We were all hugging each other, and we just kept on and on, shouting and screaming! The ref blows as soon as Saints kick off and that was that! This was a huge win for us, and boy did it feel good! Hugely well deserved over the 93 minutes I thought. MoM? Freddie Daquin was very good throughout, giving Stanic a really tough time, and covering well in defence. Kevin Mac & Scotty Robbo were excellent till Robbo went off, then Kev found it tougher. Dickers and Eddie were very good on the left. But the best were surely the strikers who fully deserved their goals. With 80 minutes gone I was expectting to say that MAC had edged it, but I'm giving it to Colin McM, not just for his goals, but for his commitment, and the way he hounded their defence all afternoon. If we go up, then I think we'll look back on this game as being one of the key afternoons.