Kilmarnock 0 Saints 2
St Mirren earned a rare second successive league victory tonight away to in-form Kilmarnock. The two sides had been in fine scoring form in recent weeks so it was a fixture that was sure to catch the eye given the two sides’ attacking preferences. Saints made two changes for the trip to Ayrshire. Dougie Imrie’s performance on Sunday was rewarded with a start in place of Graham Carey, and Marc McAusland’s suspension saw a much welcomed start for Darren McGregor, his first for 9 months since his cruciate knee injury at Tannadice in August.
Saints opened the scoring with the first real chance of the game. Paul McGowan received Steven Thompson’s flick-on, showed great trickery and weaved past two Kilmarnock defenders before slotting past Cammy Bell in the 9th minute.
St Mirren eased into the game and started passing well, showing far less of the sloppy passing that has been witnessed in recent weeks. Kilmarnock’s first chance resulted from a handball from Dieter van Tornhout that deceived the referee. He teed up Harkins whose shot fell to James Fowler, who forced a good save at the second attempt from Craig Samson.
Saint’s most exciting play was emanating from the left hand side. Hasslebaink was at the centre of most attacking play, with Tesselaar providing the overlapping option; the Dutchman filled with confidence after his assist against Hibs. As Tesselaar wasn’t afraid to go forward, Saint’s attacking unit weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty at the back to help quash Kilmarnock pressure.
Nigel was involved again as half time approached. Great work down the left hand side freed up space and time to pick the correct cut-back for Thompson. Our star striker however spurned the chance by blasting miles over the bar.
However Thompson didn’t spurn his next opportunity with the last action of the first half. It was Jeroen Tesselar’s turn to supply the big man, who sumptuously volleyed home with his left foot to notch his 16th goal of the season in emphatic style. The 2-0 halftime score-line perhaps flattered Saints slightly given the openness of the game, however it’s one which was truly deserved for impressive attacking vision and efficient defending.
Saints opened the scoring with the first real chance of the game. Paul McGowan received Steven Thompson’s flick-on, showed great trickery and weaved past two Kilmarnock defenders before slotting past Cammy Bell in the 9th minute.
St Mirren eased into the game and started passing well, showing far less of the sloppy passing that has been witnessed in recent weeks. Kilmarnock’s first chance resulted from a handball from Dieter van Tornhout that deceived the referee. He teed up Harkins whose shot fell to James Fowler, who forced a good save at the second attempt from Craig Samson.
Saint’s most exciting play was emanating from the left hand side. Hasslebaink was at the centre of most attacking play, with Tesselaar providing the overlapping option; the Dutchman filled with confidence after his assist against Hibs. As Tesselaar wasn’t afraid to go forward, Saint’s attacking unit weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty at the back to help quash Kilmarnock pressure.
Nigel was involved again as half time approached. Great work down the left hand side freed up space and time to pick the correct cut-back for Thompson. Our star striker however spurned the chance by blasting miles over the bar.
However Thompson didn’t spurn his next opportunity with the last action of the first half. It was Jeroen Tesselar’s turn to supply the big man, who sumptuously volleyed home with his left foot to notch his 16th goal of the season in emphatic style. The 2-0 halftime score-line perhaps flattered Saints slightly given the openness of the game, however it’s one which was truly deserved for impressive attacking vision and efficient defending.
Kilmarnock started the second half the brighter, presumably following a baffling metaphor-filled half time team talk from Plato enthusiast Kenny Shiels. Their reaction was rewarded with a dubious penalty after Darren McGregor handballed. I’m not sure there was much question over the contact to the arm, however the question remains as to the intent. Dean Shiels stepped up to spur Kilmarnock back into the game, but on this occasion the usually prolific Northern Irishman’s centre-placed spot kick was saved by the legs of Samson. Samson’s great save carved a noticeable hole in the confidence of Kilmarnock. They maintained the possession advantage over St Mirren but created nothing of any importance in the final third.
Saints took a back seat in the second half. The Buddies were more than happy to allow a disjointed Killie to control the balance of play. McGowan provided the best chance of the second half, forcing Cammy Bell to tip his shot round the post for a corner.
Samson looked lively long after his heroic penalty save by saving from Van Tornhout and gathering at the feet of Gros, snuffing out any embers of a Kilmarnock revival.
Gary Teal was sent through on goal after coming on after 85 minutes, however while he waited to pull the trigger he was tackled superbly by Liam Kelly. Saints saw the game out without any real threat being posed by our Ayrshire opponents, and secured a vital three points to edge us within a point of Kilmarnock with two games remaining.
Aberdeen’s defeat ensured a swapping of positions with the victorious Buddies, who pull three points clear of the Dons. Tonight was only our third away league victory all season, and only our first back-to-back league victory this season – remarkable given the positive start to the campaign. The second half performance was gritty yet effective, whilst the joyous football observed in the first period proved enough to secure a well deserved three points in an entertaining game given the end-of-season feel. It appears the players did indeed yield Danny’s warning two weeks ago to push themselves towards a high league finish, and the attitude of the players at this late stage in the fixture list is extremely promising for next season. Given that Nigel was here there and everywhere this evening, offering lots all over the park, we can only hope that he does sign that new contract and chooses to grow and strengthen his game with St Mirren.
Comments
we still need another couple of players in key positions which is why where we finish in the league and how far we can progress in the cups are crucial
BUT the future is bright, the future is black and white.
Matts dad
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