St Johnstone v Dundee United in the Scottish Cup – Previous Meetings Part 3

When St Johnstone and Dundee United take to the field on Saturday at Celtic Park in the Final of the Scottish Cup it will be the fourth time that the teams will have come together in this famous competition.

This is the final part of my look back at the previous three encounters.

The 19 years that had elapsed between the 2010 tie and the 1991 semi final at East End Park had seen both teams fortunes ebb and flow. In Saints case relegation to the first division was followed by promotion again in 1997 and the highs of the Sturrock/Clark period which culminated with a League Cup final appearance and the exhilaration of UEFA Cup matches with VPS Vaasa and AS Monaco. The pain of another relegation with a further period in the lower division was eased by winning the Challenge Cup in 2007 and then by Manager Derek McInnes’ successfully navigating a return to the SPL in 2009.

In the 4th Round of the 2010 Scottish Cup a Kenny Deuchar strike and two Liam Craig goals had given Saints a comfortable 3 – 0 win at Station Park over Forfar Athletic.

Earlier in the season Saints had knocked United out of the League Cup at McDiarmid Park, winning 2 – 1 with the help of two own goals. However, on the Wednesday night prior to this match Saints had lost 2 – 0 in the League Cup semi final to Rangers at Hampden.

Manager Derek McInnes selected the following team for the 5^th Round match at McDiarmid Park on 6 February 2010: – Graeme Smith, Gary Irvine, Danny Grainger, Michael Duberry, Dave Mackay, Jody Morris, Chris Millar, Murray Davidson, Filipe Morais, Kenny Deuchar, Steven Milne. Subs: – Alan Main, Mark Connolly, Paul Sheerin, Peter MacDonald, Cillian Sheridan.

The former Chelsea and Leeds United player Michael Duberry had arrived in Perth the previous day and was making his St Johnstone debut when he partnered Dave Mackay in the centre of defence.

It was the visitors who opened the brighter and in just 6 minutes Graeme Smith had to make a good save to keep out a fierce Goodwillie shot from a tight angle.

Then in 15 minutes Saints had a strong penalty claim turned down after Daly had blatantly fouled Murray Davidson in the penalty box. However, to the consternation of Saints players and fans alike, the referee said “no pen!”

Five minutes later and Smith was again called into action when he saved a Swanson header.

For some time play swung from end to end without any real threat to either goal until the 40^th minute when again the Saints No 1 thwarted Goodwillie to keep Saints on level terms.

However, seconds before half time the United striker scored what would prove to be the only goal of the game from a melee following a corner. This time Goodwillie was on hand to thump the ball into the roof of the net after Smith, who initially appeared to have the ball in his grasp, dropped it under severe pressure from United players.

Saints best chance came five minutes into the second half when Peter MacDonald latched on to a Filipe Morais pass and rounded the keeper, only to watch in anguish as his parting shot was cleared off the goal line.

The after effects of the stamina sapping semi final with Rangers now seemed to be catching up with Saints players as, particularly in midfield, they appeared to be struggling to get higher energy levels and rhythm into their play.

Late on in an effort to salvage the match Duberry was sent forward but it was substitute Paul Sheerin who came closest to equalising. The midfield maestro had replaced Murray Davidson midway through the half but his last gasp glancing header went over the bar.

In time added on David Robertson rattled the Saints bar with a rasping shot and so the match ended 1 – 0 with “The Terrors” progressing to the next round.

On the day Saints did not do themselves justice and the after effects of the Rangers game just 3 days earlier was clearly a factor in the outcome of this match.

For the record, Dundee United eventually went on to win the Scottish Cup defeating Ross County 3 – 0 in the Hampden Final.

So Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final is set up for Saints to redress the balance between these old rivals and to bring the famous trophy to Perth for the first time in the club’s 130 years history.

Come On You Saints.

St Johnstone v Dundee United in the Scottish Cup – Previous Meetings Part 2

When St Johnstone and Dundee United take to the field on Saturday at Celtic Park in the Final of the Scottish Cup it will be the fourth time that the teams will have come together in this famous competition.

This is the second part of my look back at the previous three encounters.

Following the first meeting in 1933 it would be Season 1990/91 before the teams faced each other again. This time at the semi final stage.

To a large extent the status of the two clubs was a bit of a role reversal of the 1930’s and although regarded by some as underdogs Saints were clearly on the way up.

During the 1980’s Dundee United had won the Premier League, reached the semi finals of the European Cup, and been losing finalists in the Scottish Cup on four separate occasions.

On the other hand Saints Manager Alex Totten had transformed Saints playing fortunes by lifting the team from the depths of the Second Division to the Premier League in just 4 Seasons.

Saints had advanced to the semi-final stage by defeating Berwick Rangers 4 – 3 in a replay after a 0 – 0 draw, Hibernian, 2 – 1, and Ayr United 5 – 2 in the quarter final. Allan Moore scored a hat trick in this match at McDiarmid Park.

United had reached the penultimate stage by overcoming East Fife 2 – 1 in a replay after a ( fortuitous ) 1 – 1 draw, Airdrie 2 – 0 and Dundee 3 – 1.

East End Park, Dunfermline, was the venue for the semi final on 6 April 1991 and Manager Totten selected the following team: – Lindsay Hamilton, Mark Treanor, Sergei Baltacha, Don McVicar, John Inglis, Gary McGinnis, Allan Moore, Tommy Turner, Steve Maskrey, Roddy Grant, Harry Curran. Subs John Davies, Paul Sweeney.

Interestingly, the United team included Alan Main, John O’Neil and Darren Jackson who would all later play for Saints.

The near capacity 16,560 crowd generated an electric atmosphere as the teams came onto the pitch.

Saints kicked off and almost immediately “Roddy” fouled John O’Neil which would prove to be the first of some 35 fouls in what would turn out to be a highly competitive match.

Saints had a great chance in just 5 minutes. Grant sent in a high cross and when Main, under pressure from Maskrey, punched the ball weakly it fell to Moore who shot wide of the goal from just 10 yards out and a great chance was gone. A few minutes later Moore was unmarked when a McVicar corner arrived in the penalty area but this time the winger headed wide.

Play raged from end to end with both keepers making saves to keep the scoreline blank. On the half hour mark Saints fans thought their favourites had taken the lead when “Roddy” headed the ball home. Unfortunately the linesman had his flag up for off-side and the “goal” didn’t count.

Saints were having most of the attacking play and Don McVicar’s long throws and corners were causing problems to the United defence.

However, very much against the run of play, United took the lead five minutes from the interval. Duncan Ferguson touched on a Bowman throw in and although Roddy Grant appeared to handle the ball in the box, instead of awarding a penalty, the referee allowed play to continue, and John Clark drilled the ball into the bottom corner of the net giving Lindsay Hamilton no chance from 20 yards. 0 – 1.

Despite this setback Saints players showed great character and were back on level terms on 44 minutes. Another Don McVicar corner caused problems in the United defence and, although this time Moore’s header was blocked on the line, Harry Curran was on hand to head the loose ball into the net from close range. 1 – 1.

Saints almost took the lead at the start of the second half. A Mark Treanor free kick was met by Curran but Alan Main produced a brilliant save to keep out the midfield man’s header.

United restored their lead in 60 minutes when a corner into the Saints box found Malpas but he mishit his shot. Just when you need a slice of luck you don’t get it and the ball fell nicely for Duncan Ferguson to prod home from 6 yards. 1 – 2.

McGinnis, Curran, and Turner all had chances but were unable to take just one of them. Then the referee turned away Saints penalty appeals when it appeared that Bowman handled the ball in the area.

Saints went all out for the equaliser and brought on John Davies for Tommy Turner. However, it was United who nearly scored in a fast break away. Fortunately Davies slid in to get the ball back to the keeper.

Back to the other end and it looked as if “Roddy” would score only to see his looping header go just over the bar with Main scrambling.

The final action came at the Saints end when Lindsay Hamilton made a fantastic one-handed save to deny Darren Jackson.

So, in summary, Saints were most unfortunate to lose a fiercely contested tie. A draw would probably have been a fairer result but you need a bit of luck to win the Cup and Saints didn’t have it that day.

St Johnstone v Dundee United in the Scottish Cup – Previous Meetings Part 1

When St Johnstone and Dundee United take to the field on Saturday at Celtic Park in the Final of the Scottish Cup it will be the fourth time that the teams will have come together in this famous competition.

The previous encounters have seen Saints win once with the “Terrors” successful in the more recent two.

The first meeting took place in season 1932/33 at Tannadice where a record attendance of 19,513 turned up to watch the second round tie. Gate receipts were reported as £900 – how times have changed!

In the first round Saints had needed a replay and extra time to overcome Second Division East Fife. The first match at Muirton Park had ended 2 – 2 before Saints squeezed through 2 – 1 at Methil whilst Dundee United had seen off non league side Armadale 2 – 0 away.

Going into the match Manager Tommy Muirhead’s team were sitting in 6^th position in the First Division and widely regarded as one of the top sides in Scotland. Dundee United were languishing in mid table in the Second Division. However, this was a cup tie and, as we all know, teams often raise their game when meeting higher level opponents.

This proved to be the case in what would prove to be a pulsating match. Newspaper reports of the game indicate that the early stages were fairly even and largely uneventful until United took the lead in 14 minutes. Saints keeper Sandy McLaren allowed a low Kay shot to squeeze in at the post. 0 – 1.

Both teams had near things but the game really burst into life 6 minutes before half time. Saints winger Harry Ritchie set off on a mazy run and as he drove into the penalty area he was brought down by two defenders. The referee immediately blew for a penalty but then appeared to have second thoughts. However, after consulting with both of his linesmen he stuck to his original decision. One can only imagine the noise from the home fans as John Priestley stepped forward to take the kick. The wing half kept his composure to tuck it away and level the scores. 1 – 1.

Clearly this was a major talking point and also proved to be a turning point in the match. Two minutes later Harry Ritchie made it 2 – 1 with a drive from the edge of the penalty box which crashed against the underside of the crossbar before going in.

A further two minutes elapsed and Saints had increased their lead. This time it was George Fulton who gave the keeper no chance with a fierce shot from a tight angle. 3 – 1 at half time.

The second half saw Saints continue to dominate and it was little surprise when Harry Ferguson scored to increase the advantage on 52 minutes.

4 – 1 and you might think – Game Over. I suspect some of the Saints players thought that, as they eased off, seemingly happy to rest on their three goal advantage.

Dundee United had other ideas and when ex Saint Peter Gavigan crossed for Dyet to score the visitors got a bit twitchy. 4 – 2.

Then when the same combination struck again to make it 4 – 3 it was now all very nervy for Saints players and fans alike.

United continued to pile on the pressure in an attempt to secure the equaliser but Saints wakened up and defended stoutly. In the final few minutes Jimmy Benson and George Fulton each had chances to increase Saints advantage but failed to do so and the game ended 4 – 3 in Saints favour.

The St Johnstone team that day was: – Sandy McLaren, Johnny Welsh, Willie Clark, George Mason, Bob Ireland, John Priestley, Harry Ritchie, Percy Dickie, George Fulton, Harry Ferguson, Jimmy Benson.

In the third round Saints lost 2 – 0 to Hearts at Tynecastle.

The second meeting between the teams in 1990/91 will be recalled tomorrow.

St Johnstone v Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership

When St Johnstone meet Dundee United at Tannadice Park tomorrow in the Scottish Premiership fixture it will be the 61st time that the teams will have met in the various formats of the competition dating back to the first meeting in season 1975/76.

The following is a summary of these previous meetings: –

P            W           D            L             F            A

4            1             1             2             4             5          Muirton

27          5           10            12          28           41          McDiarmid

29          8            9            12           25           42         Tannadice

60        14          20            26          57           88         Totals

As can be seen our record against the Terrors is not great with an overall win percentage of just 23%.

When Liam Craig scored the winning goal in the 1 – 0 win at Tannadice at the end last season, it was Saints first success there in 10 previous visits dating back to 2000.

Saints fans will not wish to be reminded that the meeting in August resulted in a 4 – 0 defeat.

Although this was partly redressed with Stevie May’s hat trick in the 3 – 0 victory at McDiarmid Park at the end of December, a win is needed to leapfrog our near neighbours in the League Table.

20 November 1993 – Dundee 0 St Johnstone 1 – Paul Sturrock’s First Match

On this day 20 years ago Saints visited Dundee at Dens Park in a Premier League fixture.

The previous week had seen the departure of Manager John McClelland after a miserable run of results culminating with a 3 – 1 loss in a “must win” game against Partick Thistle at McDiarmid Park.

Chairman Geoff Brown did not waste any time in securing Paul Sturrock from Dundee United where he had been coaching since his retirement from the playing side of his career some 4 years earlier.

Whilst this was his first Managerial role Sturrock came with a glittering CV as both a player and a coach. With the Terrors he had gained 20 Scottish caps at full International level, and been part of a fantastic team that won the Premier League in 1983 before reaching the semi finals of the European Cup the following Season. The Chairman expressed the view that ” he was the only man for the job”.

Saints had not registered a win during their 7 previous matches and his first game in charge could not have been more difficult. A derby against local rivals Dundee at Dens Park.

He selected the following team: – Andy Rhodes, Kevin McGowne, Sean McAuley, Gary McGinnis, John Inglis, Paul Cherry, Allan Moore, Tommy Turner, Guni Torfason, Harry Curran, John Davies. Subs : John Donegan, Paul Deas, Martin Buglione.

A large Perth support made the short trip down the Tay and swelled the crowd to 4,864. The fans played a major role in encouraging the team during the home team’s second half onslaught.

An Allan Moore strike in 16 minutes would see Saints win 1 – 0. Torfason should have scored earlier but missed something of “a sitter”. Then came Moore’s goal when he latched on to a short back header to shoot past the advancing keeper. Buoyed by this success the little winger nearly made it two but watched in anguish as a header was cleared of the line. Saints defence looked stronger than in previous matches and with something to hold on to Cherry, in a man marking role, and McGinnis were outstanding. Behind them keeper Rhodes was in inspirational form. A save from a Billy Dodds shot was particularly memorable. Late in the match Saints were hitting on the break and substitute Buglione hit the Dundee post with a shot following a corner.

This was was a real team performance with all 12 players giving their all. It was also Saints first away victory since January – some 17 matches previous.

Despite the later purchase ( in January 1994 ) of Billy Dodds for a record fee of £400,000 and a fighting finale to the Season, unfortunately, Sturrock could not save Saints from the dreaded drop into the First Division. Three teams went down that year and whilst Saints finished on the same points as Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle they had an inferior goal difference. It would take a further 4 years before Sturrock managed to get the Club back into their rightful place in the Premier League.

Paul Sturrock’s managerial record was Played 208, Won 96, Drew 56, Lost 56. Goals for 314, against 212. Win Ratio of 46%.

St Johnstone’s 600th Match at McDiarmid Park – Part 1

After last Sunday’s 700^th Premiership match, tomorrow we have yet another such milestone, as our meeting with Partick Thistle marks St Johnstone’s 600^th game at McDiarmid Park.

Following the move from Muirton Park to the new stadium in 1989 Saints have played 599 games in all competitions and our record over what is now the 28^th season at the ground is: – P      W       D         L          F          A

League Div 1          200     110      57       33      353     178

Premiership            314      107     92      115      362     385

League Cup              31        18        0       13       63       37

Scottish Cup             34        17        7        10      48       33

Challenge Cup           12         9        0         3        32       11

European                    8          3        3         2       11      10

Totals                      599      264     159     176     869     654

It is interesting to note from a review of the previous games that Dundee United have visited McDiarmid Park more times than any other team, appearing here on 38 occasions, whilst Aberdeen, Celtic and St Mirren are next with 33 appearances each.

The Paisley Saints and Hamilton Accies have each lost here on the most occasions – 16 times. The flip side of this coin is, unsurprisingly, that the “Old Firm” have inflicted more defeats on Saints on the ground than any of the other teams, with Celtic winning 19 times and Rangers just one behind.

Our record at McDiarmid Park against today’s visitors Partick Thistle is : –

P23     W13    D7      L3       F33     A17

It is however worthy of mention that “the Jags” have won both of their last two visits here by 2 goals to 1.

Looking back over previous seasons, the very first visitors to McDiarmid Park on 19 August 1989 were Clydebank for a League Division 1 fixture. Great anticipation and excitement had been generated both by the opening of this, the first purpose built football stadium in the UK, coupled with Manager Alex Totten moulding together an exciting, attacking, team that was very much upwardly mobile. Such was the interest in this game that the kick off had to be delayed by some 15 minutes to allow the 7,267 crowd into the ground.

The Bankies though didn’t come just for the party and had the audacity to take a 7^th minute lead when Jim Hughes had the distinction of scoring the first ever goal at the new stadium. However, it was not long before Saints were back on level terms. Grant Jenkins headed an Ian Heddle cross against the post but new signing Harry Curran would write his name into the St Johnstone history books when he slammed the rebound into the net to make the scoreline 1 – 1. Saints kept pressing for a winner but it would be 10 minutes from full time before it would eventually come. The visitors goal was bombarded with shots and when Sweeney used his hand to stop the ball on his own goal line the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty to Saints. Captain Don McVicar stepped forward and fired the ball home to give Saints a 2 – 1 win and both points.

Saints team was: – Balavage; Cherry, McVicar; Thomson, Nicolson, Johnston; Moore, Curran, Grant, Jenkins, Heddle. Subs: Thompson (for Heddle), Sorbie (for Grant).

The “Official” opening was a very auspicious evening. (Now Sir) Alex Ferguson brought a strong Manchester United team (including Pallister, Bruce, Robson, Ince, Hughes) to Perth on 17 October 1989. The legendary Sir Matt Busby (who had played at Muirton Park in 1935) also attended this gala occasion along with (now Sir) Bobby Charlton. Although the visitors won 1 – 0 thanks to a Brian McClair goal, that night will always be remembered for the floodlights going out, and the match being stopped for around 20 minutes.

There were some really great matches that first season. On 28 October 1989 a crowd of 10,169 (the first attendance in excess of ten thousand) turned up to watch an early season “top of the table” clash between Saints and today’s visitors Partick Thistle. Saints won a thrilling match 2 – 1 thanks to goals from Allan Moore and Steve Maskrey with Chick Charnley netting a last minute penalty for the visitors.

The 31 March 1990, is one of the most truly memorable dates in the history of St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. The all ticket match against Airdrie was effectively a “promotion decider” with Saints completely dominating the game, coming close on a number of occasions, but unable to find the visitors net. As often happens in these circumstances, Airdrie momentarily silenced the stadium when Steve Gray scored a “worldie” to put the visitors into the lead with 20 minutes remaining. Saints redoubled their efforts, and roared on by the fans, goals from Mark Treanor (penalty), Roddy Grant and Kenny Ward brought an exhilarating game to a fantastic conclusion. A few weeks later, after the final match of the season against Forfar Athletic, Saints were celebrating promotion to the Premier Division as Division 1 Champions.

With the passage of time (more than a quarter of a Century) it seems incredible that a total of 118,579 spectators had turned up for the 20 league matches that season. An average of 5,928 per match! What would Chairman Steve Brown give for those sorts of numbers attending today?

Aberdeen were the visitors to McDiarmid Park on 6 November 1993 for a Premier Division fixture and the 100^th game at the stadium. 5,757 spectators watched as Gary McGinnis put Saints ahead in the 9^th minute with a rare goal and it looked like Saints would take both points. However, the referee found an additional 4 minutes of injury time, from somewhere, and Scott Booth equalised with virtually the last kick of the match to make it  1 – 1. Manager John McClelland’s tenure in charge would come to an end 10 days later with Paul Sturrock replacing him.

Saints team was: – Rhodes; McGowne, Deas; Cherry, Inglis, McGinnis; Davies, Curran, Wright, Torfason, McAuley. Subs: Donegan, McClelland, Moore (for Wright).

Too many draws coupled with league reconstruction meant three teams were relegated to the First Division … and sadly Saints were one of the three, going down on goal difference. It would take Sturrock a further 3 seasons to get Saints back to the Premier Division.

When Motherwell came to McDiarmid for match 200 in the final home game of the 1997/98 season there was still a very slim chance of securing a European place for the following season. A crowd of 6,754 turned up on 2 May 1998 and they were not disappointed. In an end to end game two goals from Leigh Jenkinson and a Stuart McCluskey goal edged the homesters to a 3 – 2 win over the Steelmen. Jenkinson’s winner coming just 2 minutes from full time.

Saints team was: – Main; McQuillan, Preston; O’Neil, Weir, Kernaghan; McMahon, O’Halloran, Grant, O’Boyle, Jenkinson. Subs: McCluskey (for Weir), McAnespie (for McMahon), Andersson.

Defeat at Celtic Park from the Champions the following week meant that a very respectable 5^th place in the league table was not enough to enable supporters to get their passports out for foreign travel just yet.

A Division 1 match with Clyde on 18 January 2003 marked the 300^th match, but it did not have the outcome that Manager Billy Stark hoped for with the visitors winning 2 – 1. The match started well with Paddy Connolly netting in just 4 minutes but “The Bully Wee”, now managed by former Saints’ favourite Alan Kernaghan, equalised later in the first half. A Simon Mensing goal took the points back to Broadwood leaving the Saints fans in the crowd of 2,455 somewhat disgruntled.

Saints team was: – Main; J.Robertson, Forsyth, McCulloch, Murray, Maxwell; Reilly, Parker, Hartley, Connolly, Lovenkrands. Subs: Cuthbert, Dods, Hay (for Connolly), Panther (for McCulloch), Baxter (for Reilly).

Game number 400 saw local rivals Dundee visit the stadium on 18 August 2007 for a Division 1 fixture. A very healthy crowd of 6,079 witnessed a fierce encounter in which both teams ended with 10 men and honours even at 1 – 1. On loan striker John Stewart had put Saints into the lead just after half-time when he converted a wonderful Paul Sheerin cross from 6 yards. However, the game would change when Martin Hardie saw red on the hour mark. The Dark Blues’ capitalised on their numerical advantage when Daquin netted to level the score. Just prior to full time time Dundee were also down to ten men when Zemlik received a second yellow card.

Saints team was: – Main; Anderson, Lawrie; McInnes, Rutkiewicz, McManus; Weatherston, Hardie, Stewart, MacDonald, Sheerin. Subs: Cuthbert, Jackson (for Stewart), Daal, Dyer (for Weatherston), McCluskey (for MacDonald).

A Scottish Cup 5^th round replay with Hearts would mark the 500^th match on 14 February 2012. The first match at Tynecastle 9 days earlier had ended in a

1 – 1 draw, this despite Saints going 1 – 0 down, and later losing Dave Mackay to a harsh second yellow card. Cillian Sheridan scored Saints leveller late in the game to give Saints a second chance to progress.

When the replay came around Manager Steve Lomas decided that Alan Mannus would make his Saints debut replacing Peter Enckelman in goal. A somewhat disappointing attendance of 3,430 saw Murray Davidson put Saints into a 1 – 0 lead with just 6 minutes of the match remaining and it looked odds on that Saints would progress to the next round. However, in the final minute of the match, much to the consternation of the home players and supporters alike, the referee awarded Hearts what was regarded as a somewhat dubious penalty. Hamill netted the resultant spot kick to take the match into extra time and just 3 minutes from the end, after some pinball in the Saints 6 yard box, Zaliukas scored to take the “Jambos” into the next round.

Saints team was: – Mannus: Anderson, Maybury; Morris, Wright, McCracken; Millar, Davidson, Sheridan, Sandaza, Craig. Subs; Enckelman, Croft (for Millar), Haber (for Maybury), Oyenuga (for Anderson), Keatings.

Whilst the foregoing, charts the various milestones, no review of McDiarmid Park’s history would be complete without, what I believe, to be some of the best ever matches at the stadium. I shall cover these in the second part of this review.

St Johnstone’s 700th Premiership Match Coming Up

Sunday’s televised match at McDiarmid Park, where St Johnstone meet local rivals Dundee, will be Saints 700^th match in the Premiership dating back to the inaugural Premier Division season of 1975/76

In the previous 699 games over 19 separate seasons Saints have

Won 211, Drawn 190, Lost 298, whilst scoring 741 goals and conceding 980.

In reviewing these headline stats it is interesting to note that Saints have played more matches against Aberdeen and Motherwell than any other of their Premiership opponents. In fact, of the 70 matches played against each of these opponents, our encounters with the Steelmen have yielded most wins, 28, and most goals scored, 94, than against any other top flight team.

Our “Premier” record over Dundee is much tighter with

14 Won, 13 Drawn, 14 Lost, and 43 goals scored with 48 conceded.

Looking back over particular milestones the very first Premier Division match was played at Muirton Park in front of 3,300 fans on 30 August 1975 and resulted in a 1 – 0 win over Dundee United. In what can best be described as a dour match it was finally settled by a John Muir goal in the 86^th minute. However, Saints can also thank Derek Robertson for keeping both points at home as the big goalkeeper had earlier saved a 6^th minute Billy Steele penalty kick. The United man fired his shot straight down the middle but the keeper had dived to his right. Fortunately, his trailing leg kept the ball out before being cleared by one of his team mates.

Saints team was: – Robertson; G.Smith, S.Smith; Ritchie, Macdonald, Kinnell; Muir, O’Rourke, Thomson, Cramond, Lambie. Subs: McGregor and MacLeod.

This match proved to be something of a false dawn as Saints managed only 2 further wins and 5 draws during the rest of that miserable season, collecting a record low points total of a mere 11 from the 36 matches played. Unsurprisingly, Manager Jackie Stewart resigned his position in early February 1976 when the writing was already well and truly on the wall.

It would be almost 16 years before the 100^th match, which took place on 9 March 1991, this time at Saints new home of McDiarmid Park. A crowd of 5,079 turned up to see a Davie Cooper inspired Motherwell triumph 4 – 1 over Alex Totten’s team. Mark Treanor scored Saints goal from a penalty thus maintaining his 100% record from the spot.

Saints team was: – Hamilton; Treanor, Baltacha; McGinnis, Nicolson, Sweeney; Moore, Turner, Maskrey, Grant, Curran. Subs: Davies (for Nicolson) and Ward (for Grant).

Although Saints had started the 1990/91 season well ( including a memorable 5 – 0 success over Aberdeen at McDiarmid Park ) after the New Year the league results were poor. A run to the Scottish Cup semi-final always maintains interest in a season in which there would be no relegation as another league reconstruction was on its way. Saints finally finished in a comfortable 7^th position in their first season back in the top division.

12,000 fans at Pittodrie stadium Aberdeen on 28 August 1993 would witness a 0 – 0 draw in the 200^th Premier Division match. As the scoreline suggests, no goals and few thrills, meant John McClelland’s team produced an eighth successive away draw stretching back to the end of the previous season.

Saints team was: – Rhodes; McGowne, Deas; McGinnis, Inglis, Turner; Davies, McAuley, Wright, Ramsey, Curran. Subs: Donegan and Scott, Morgan (for McGowne).

Paul Sturrock replaced McClelland in November 1993 but with three teams going down at the end of the season too many draws would eventually cost Saints their place in the top flight.

By the time the 300^th “Premier” game came along on 6 February 1999, the Premier Division had been re-branded as the Scottish Premier League (SPL), with 3 points for a win. Our opponents that day were Dundee United, and just as with that very first match back in 1975, Saints won 1 – 0. A Gary Bollan penalty kept Saints on track for a 3^rd place finish and subsequent qualification for the following season’s UEFA Cup.

Saints team was: – Main; McQuillan, Bollan; Griffin, Dods, Kernaghan; Scott, O’Neil, Kane, Grant, Simao. Subs: Robertson, McMahon (for Grant), Lowndes (for Simao), McBride, McAnespie.

Sandy Clark was now Manager and we saw some really exciting and enjoyable matches including a 5 – 0 thrashing of Motherwell in the SPL. Furthermore, there was the added extra of a run to the final of the League Cup. Unfortunately, Rangers would lift the trophy with a 2 – 1 win.

It is perhaps fitting that Dundee should be our visitors today for this landmark game, as the final match of that 1998/99 season also saw our near neighbours visit Perth for what was a thrilling finale. A record crowd of 10,575 rolled up to McDiarmid Park on the last day of the season. Saints had to win and a close match had two unforgettable moments. The first was an Alan Main save from a James Grady header which really was from the “top drawer”. Then minutes later Paul Kane’s header found the corner of the Dark Blues’ net and the stadium exploded in a cacophony of noise as Saints fans celebrated a 1 – 0 win.

Game 400 involved a trip to Rugby Park, Kilmarnock on 10 November 2001 before 6,008 spectators. Billy Stark had replaced Sandy Clark in the Manager’s seat and this match will best be remembered as the one that brought to an end a run of 17 games without a win. Willie Falconer headed home a Paul Hartley cross to bring the 3 points back to Perth but relegation was once more the final outcome.

Saints team was: – Miller; Murray, Lovenkrands; Dasovic, Dods, Kemble; Lynch, Hartley, MacDonald, Connolly, Falconer. Subs: Cuthbert, Russell (for Connolly), Jones (for MacDonald ), McBride (for Jones), McClune.

It would be nearly 10 years before the 500^th milestone was reached on 14 May 2011. This was a 0 – 0 draw on the final day of the 2010/11 season at Paisley against St Mirren. For the second season running Derek McInnes had seen his team outperform expectations to consolidate themselves in a mid table place in the top division. The only feature in a typical goalless draw at that time of the season was that it marked the final match for two of Saints favourites – Peter MacDonald and Michael Duberry.

Saints team was: – Enckelman: Mackay, Anderson, Adams, Duberry, Davidson, Millar, Craig, Jackson, MacDonald, May. Subs: Smith, Grainger (for May), Reynolds (for MacDonald), Samuel (for Adams),Durnan, Caddis, McIntosh.

The 16 February 2014 at Celtic Park was the date and venue for the 600^th (now) Premiership match in front of 45,239 spectators.

Saints team was: – Mannus: Mackay, B.Easton; Millar, Scobbie, Anderson; Croft, McDonald, Wotherspoon, May, Dunne. Subs Banks, Iwelumo, Cregg (for Dunne), Brown, Miller, Hasselbaink (for Millar), O’Halloran (for Croft).

Our hosts ran out comfortable 3 – 0 winners but our return to that venue on 17 May 2014 will forever go down as the greatest day in Saints history with the Scottish Cup coming to Perth for the first time ever.

In reviewing the player stats in the top division, given the consistency shown over the past 8 seasons, then it comes as no real surprise that Dave Mackay has made the most “Premier” appearances with a total of 223 matches (no subs). Chris Millar is next with 208 (193+15) and Murray Davidson is just one behind on 207 (190+17). Should Steven Anderson appear today, then it will be his 200^th (189+10) “Premier” game and his 381^st Saints appearance in all competitions.

With 39 goals Paul Wright has scored more “Premier” goals than any other Saints player but Liam Craig with 34 and Steven MacLean on 32 are both closing in on that record.

Let’s hope that Sunday’s match is more memorable than some of the 600 that have gone before.

 

 

 

 

 

21 August 1982 – John Brogan Scores 5 goals in St Johnstone’s 6 – 1 win at Falkirk

As it says in the headline, on this day in 1982 John Brogan scored FIVE goals as Saints demolished Falkirk 6 – 1 in a League Cup match at Brockville.

After finishing the previous League campaign in 5th position, during the summer of 1982, Manager Alex Rennie used some of the £400,000 transfer fee Saints had received from Sunderland for Ally McCoist to bolster the squad with a view to gaining promotion to the Premier League. A record £55,000 was paid to Hearts for Derek Addison with a further £15,000 being spent bringing central defender John Kennedy to Muirton Park from Stirling Albion.

The League Cup campaign had started the previous Saturday at Tannadice where Premier League side Dundee United registered a relatively comfortable 3 – 0 win over their First Division opponents.

In midweek Raith Rovers were the visitors to Muirton and were blown away as Saints fired in 5 without reply. A second minute Derek Addison goal paved the way with “Brogie” scoring a hat trick and Jim Morton completing the rout with a late goal.

There was a sizeable Perth support in the 1,372 crowd on a wet day at Brockville and they did not have long to wait for the first excitement. With just over a minute on the clock Brogan latched on to a poor passback, drew the keeper ( George Watson ), went round him and slid the ball into the empty net for 1 – 0 .

The midfield of Beedie, Addison and Morton, had taken control of the game and it was no surprise when Saints went two ahead on 17 minutes. Addison took a quick free kick and the quicksilver Brogan raced down the wing before giving Watson no chance with a fierce shot.

Six minutes later and Brogan was the provider for Jim Morton to make it 3 – 0. This time John crossed from the right wing and Derek Addison dummied the ball allowing Jimmy to crash the ball home.

Saints continued to control the game and 4 minutes after the interval Brogan completed his hat trick. This time he out-paced Hoggan and cutting in from the right wing beat the keeper all ends up.

“The Bairns” cause was not helped around the hour mark when referee Andrew Waddell showed Perry a second yellow card followed by red.

The Beedie-Brogan combination worked again for his fourth goal and Saints 5th. Beedie again fed him the ball on the right wing and similar to his first goal he went round the ‘keeper. However, this time it was a much tighter angle, but such was his confidence, he again slid the ball into the net making it look easy. It was not.

With the game well and truly won Falkirk got something of a consolation goal with Wilson converting from the penalty spot.

This riled Saints a bit and two minutes from time they stormed downfield with Brogan making it 6 – 1 with a trademark finish.

After the match he was presented with the match ball as a momento of a very special occasion.

The Saints team that day was – George Tulloch, Alex Caldwell, Tom McNeil, Stuart Beedie, John Kennedy, Drew Rutherford, Derek Addison, John Brogan, John Pelosi, Jim Morton, George Fleming. Subs, Andy Brannigan and John Mackay

At the end of the 1982/83 Season Saints achieved their ambition when they were promoted to the Premier League as Champions. The 55 points gained was one more than runners up Hearts.

During his St Johnstone career, John Brogan made 276 starts plus 9 sub appearances and scored a record 140 goals.

 

St Johnstone – European Goalscorers

Following Steven MacLean’s goal in Luzern last week Saints have now scored 19 goals in the 17 matches played in both the UEFA Cup and Europa League competitions.

European nights have always been special occasions and with a few exceptions ( eg John Lambie / Jimmy Donaldson in Budapest and Alan Main in Monaco ) goalscorers always grab the headlines in the morning papers. In this article I shall retrace each of the 14 different players who have helped to make St Johnstone’s European nights such memorable occasions.

Top of the list is Jim Pearson who scored Saints first ever European goal. All 3 of his goals were scored during the 1971 campaign under the management of the great Willie Ormond.

In the first round Saints had been drawn against SV Hamburg with the first leg in Germany. At that time Hamburg were a top European club, reaching the 1968 European Cup Winners Cup Final before losing 2 – 0 to Italian giants AC Milan. They had two genuine World class players in their ranks in Willie Schulz and Uwe Seeler. Both men had played for West Germany in the 1962, 1966 and 1970 World Cup Finals.

Prior to the first leg the German coach had watched Saints and identified “Pearie” as the danger man. His concern would prove to be well founded as Jim scored in both matches. In the first game a highly contentious offside decision had given Hamburg an early lead before Jim equalised with 53 minutes on the clock. Hamburg finally won 2 – 1 but Saints had a precious away goal to provide optimism for the return match two weeks later.

The young Jim had come in for a lot of rough treatment in the away leg and had not fully recovered from a bad knee injury for the second leg at Muirton Park, so could only made the substitutes bench. However, early in the second half he came on to replace the injured Henry Hall and scored Saints second goal to effectively kill off the tie. A pulsating match finally ended 3 – 0 providing the 12,000 crowd with an unforgettable night.

Saints 2^nd round opponents were Vasas Budapest with the first leg at Muirton. Jim Pearson’s aerial ability had caused the visitors problems all night and 5 minutes from time he rose to head a Kenny Aird corner into the net and give Saints a hard earned 2 – 0 victory.

John Connolly is next up with 2 goals. John was a special talent who combined his unquestionable ability with pace – a combination that scared opposing defenders. His first European goal was a 12^th minute penalty in the 2 – 0 home win over Vasas Budapest. His second, also at Muirton, was a late winner in a 1 – 0 win over an extremely physical Zeljeznicar Sarajevo side which defended resolutely throughout.

Also with 2 goals is Miguel Simao who came off the bench with just 10 minutes remaining in the first European match to be staged at McDiarmid Park in 1999. “Super sub” Miguel replaced Nathan Lowndes to score two late late goals as Sandy Clark’s team finally overcame the stubborn resistance of Finnish side VPS Vaasa.

As mentioned earlier Steven MacLean’s strike in Luzern last week was his second in the Europa League. “Macca” is re-writing the history books as he has now scored in two successive away Europa League ties. His first goal was the only goal of the game when Saints overcame FC Minsk last year in the 3^rd Qualifying Round first leg tie played at Grodno, Belarus. He followed this up with his great strike from a tight angle in Luzern in the 1 – 1 draw a week ago.

The following have each scored once.

Henry Hall who in 2013 was fittingly inducted into the St Johnstone Hall of Fame also scored in the 3 – 0 win over SV Hamburg in 1971. After 15 minutes and from around 10 yards out the little maestro slid home the opening goal converting a defence splitting pass from Ian McPhee.

Later in the Hamburg match that great clubman Gordon Whitelaw scored with a stunning shot from just inside the penalty area to put the proverbial icing on the cake that evening.

Benny Rooney was Saints inspirational captain in that legendry 1971 side. Previous Manager Bobby Brown had signed him from Dundee United as a centre forward but then converted him to a centre half. Benny went from strength to strength and was an integral part of Willie Ormond’s team. Despite featuring in midfield he hadn’t lost the art of scoring goals and his sole European goal came in Sarajevo after just 6 minutes. Unfortunately, Saints were already 2 – 0 down by that time and went on to lose 5 – 1 to exit the competition.

Saints first tie in the 1999 UEFA Cup was a trip to Finland to meet VPS Vaasa. Manager Sandy Clark’s team had made a poor start to the domestic season and were struggling against their less fashionable opponents. 1 – 0 down with only 20 minutes remaining after squandering half a dozen or so chances Nathan Lowndes replaced Miguel Simao. Six minutes later he had levelled the tie when he side footed a John McQuillan cross into the net from six yards for 1 – 1.

Although Nick Dasovic scored only 6 goals during his Saints career he seemed to have the knack of scoring in big matches. His goal in the 3 – 3 draw with the millionaires of AS Monaco was one these and earned him a “Man of the Match” award. Nick scored the second goal that night when, with the aid of a slight deflection, he fired his shot past French World Cup winning goalkeeper Fabian Barthez to make it 2 – 2 at half time.

John O’Neil registered Saints 3^rd goal that night at McDiarmid when he was in the right place to thrash the ball home from close range after Danny Griffin’s shot from Kieran McAnespie’s corner kick had ricocheted to him off a defender.

As well as Barthez, the Monaco team also included Marquez, Legwinski, Riise, Prso, and Simone with Trezeguet and Giuly coming on as subs. A Philippe Leonard own goal opened the scoring for Saints in 5 minutes.

It would be a further 13 years before Saints would qualify for Europe again. Although finishing in 6^th place in the SPL, by virtue of a catalogue of bizarre circumstances, Manager Steve Lomas’ team had qualified for the 2012/13 Europa League. The 2^nd Qualifying Round had paired Saints with Eskisehirspor and the first leg, away, had seen a deflected goal and an own goal give the Turkish side a 2 – 0 advantage. However, hopes remained that the team could overcome this set back in the home leg. This belief was re-inforced when Gregory Tade put “the blues” ahead with a spectacular shot in 35 minutes. Unfortunately, it was not to be as the visitors equalised in the second half and the away goal effectively made the task too great for the courageous Perth team.

The following season saw Saints finish in 3^rd position in the SPL and the Europa League 2^nd Qualifying round draw produced a trip to Norway to meet Rosenborg BK. This was regarded as a tough draw as our opponents had a long European history including in 1998 beating the mighty Real Madrid 2 – 0 in the Champions League. So when Frazer Wright scored from a David Wotherspoon corner in the Lerkendal stadium to give Saints a 1 – 0 win, he was writing his name in the history books as a member of the first St Johnstone team to win an away match in Europe.

The final goalscorer on our list is Stevie May. The youngster had been an unused substitute in Trondheim but started the 2^nd leg match at McDiarmid. After Rosenborg had taken a 4^th minute lead the youngster vindicated Manager Tommy Wright’s confidence in him as he equalised midway through the first half with a superb lob over the goalkeeper. Saints probably should have won that evening but the 1 – 1 draw was enough to progress 2 – 1 on aggregate to the next round where they met FC Minsk.

So lets hope that Steven MacLean or Stevie May can join ( or go ahead of ) Jim Pearson to top the scorers list with a goal or more tonight.

“Jock” Lamond and St Johnstone 1921/22

I recently received a request for information regarding the St Johnstone career of John ( “Jock” ) Lamond who played in the early 1920’s so I’ve put together a bit of a combination of his career coupled with St Johnstone in Season 1921/22.

Following the end of World War 1 in 1918 St Johnstone slowly resumed playing football with a handful of friendly matches in the Spring of 1919. In common with many other teams who had lost men during that bloody conflict, a period of rebuilding was required both on and off the pitch.

The 1919/20 Season had seen the Saints play in the Eastern League which involved teams from Perth, Angus and Fife, and whilst they had been only moderately successful, finishing in mid table, the following Season ( 1920/21 ) the Directors decided to join the more competitive Central League.

In 1921 “Jock” Lamond ( as he is referred to in newspaper reports ) was a centre forward with local junior club Huntingtower and in the Spring of that year he was invited to play a trial match for St Johnstone.

This trial match on 20^th April 1921 was in fact a “Benefit” for Johnnie Gilligan, a full back who had given fine service to both Forfar Athletic and Clyde before joining Saints in 1920. Rangers Reserves provided the opposition for the match played on the Recreation Ground, Perth, in front of some 5,000 spectators.

Saints team that Wednesday evening was: Wiltshire, Taylor, McKenzie, McCulloch, Forbes, Tracey, Wylie, McPherson, Lamond, Duff, Cobban.

Cobban and Taylor ( pen ) were the Saints scorers as the visitors won 3 – 2.

A newspaper report of the match states that Lamond had a goal disallowed and was prominent for St Johnstone.

He must have impressed as he made his “proper” debut in the final Central League match of that 1920/21 Season. League Champions, Bo’ness were the visitors to Perth and were trounced 4 – 0 by Saints with Lamond scoring 2 goals. Johnny Hart and Wylie added the others.

Finances were of course an issue in those days, just as much as they are today, and at the start of 1921/22 season reconstruction saw the Central League teams admitted into the Scottish League. The Central League was then “re-branded” as League Division 2 with promotion and relegation being introduced in an attempt to generate more competition and interest.

Saints opened their 1921/22 season with a Friendly encounter against Dundee Hibs ( now Dundee United ) at Tannadice and the young centre forward scored in a 1 – 1 draw. However, despite this promising start to his senior career, when the League campaign commenced the following weekend, he was left out of the team, the Manager/Committee preferring another local player, Jimmy Duff.

Oddly enough when “Jock Lamond” next featured it was in a League fixture against Dundee Hibs, again at Tannadice, where he scored Saints goal in a 3 – 1 defeat. He then dropped back out of the starting line up for the next seven League matches and during his omission Saints struggled to score goals with only 7 goals and 1 win being recorded in this period.

The Club’s Directors were trying hard to rectify the team’s shortcomings with quite a number of players being tried. These included some more senior players such as Stanley lad, Gordon Cowie from Clydebank, Davis from Millwall and Fowler from Rangers as well as Juniors from all over Central Scotland.

One notable signing was the experienced Jock Wyllie from Aberdeen who appears to have been a commanding, inspirational type of old fashioned centre-half.

On 5th November John Lamond returned to the team on the left wing for a match with Arbroath at Gayfield and scored Saints only goal in a 3 – 1 loss.

The fact that a newspaper reporter thought “ Lamond was the mainstay of the St Johnstone attack“ was probably little consolation as defeat meant that Saints were now propping up the League table with only 6 points from their 12 games played.

The following Saturday saw a remarkable transformation when high flying Cowdenbeath visited Perth. A Jock Wyllie penalty was enough to give Saints both points for the first time since September. Interestingly, one of the match reports at the time comments that “ Lamond, at centre forward, was the life of the attack.”

The following week at East End Park, Dunfermline, the Saints came back from a goal down to win 2 – 1. Scorers were Lamond and Wyllie from the penalty spot.

At the end of the match the local fans didn’t seem best pleased with the referee’s decisions and several hundred invaded the pitch to confront the official. Mr Brackenbridge required protection from two of the Dunfermline players, assisted by club officials and the few police officers present. Eventually he succeeded in getting his way into the safety of the grandstand. Undaunted some of the protagonists decided to wait outside the ground for the referee to come out. However, under the cover of darkness, and unknown to the would-be aggressors, the official made his way to town by the railway embankment which ran along the opposite side of the Athletic enclosure.

These successive victories had moved Saints off the bottom of the table.

Next up it was Vale of Leven, away, but despite Lamond scoring yet again, Saints went down by 2 goals to 1.

Some 4,000 fans turned up for the next match at the Recreation Grounds against Forfar Athletic, who were just one point and two places above Saints in the League table.

After “The Loons” had taken an early lead Saints equalised in controversial fashion. Newspaper reports record that Scott, the visiting goalkeeper, had done extremely well to save a fierce close range drive from Bennett, but before he could release the ball, both the winger and Lamond had bundled him towards the goal. This resulted in the ball dropping from his grasp and Lamond swiftly applied the finishing touch. Unfortunately, the goalie suffered a cut head in the incident and had to be taken to Perth Infirmary where he had five stitches inserted into a head wound. Accordingly, Forfar played the whole of the second half with only 10 men. Lamond scored again to ensure that both points stayed at home.

“Jock” continued his good scoring form with two goals in a 3 – 0 win over Armadale followed by a further brace in a 3 – 1 home win over Dundee Hibs meaning that Saints were now slowly climbing up the league table.

Although he failed to score and missed a couple of good chances in a 1 – 1 draw with Lochgelly United on 3 January it seems somewhat harsh that he was then left out of the team while more Juniors and Trialists were being played. In a Scottish Cup Replay with King’s Park he again appeared on the left wing, but it was clear that playing wide was not his best position.

After a further period of almost 2 months out the team he was brought back into the starting eleven in April for a match at Station Park, Forfar but failed to score as Saints went down 1 – 0.

The following week he played in a Friendly against First Division team Falkirk and scored the only goal of the match. His final St Johnstone appearance appearance came two days later in another friendly match against a Junior Select.

Saints finished the season in 13th position in the 20 team league, some seven points ahead of Dundee Hibs who were relegated alongwith Clackmannan on 26 points..

Saints managed to score only 41 goals in their 38 League matches with only Clackmannan scoring fewer (40).

During the course of the Season nearly 50 players were used.

John Lamond ended up as top scorer with an impressive record of 10 goals scored from 14 starts. Next was McEvoy with 5 from 23, Jimmy Duff with 4 from 36 and Jock Wyllie 4 from 31.

I cannot find any trace of where Jock Lamond went following his release at the end of the season.

On the financial side the AGM report shows that St Johnstone incurred a loss of £303 that year. Income was £3,160 and expenditure £3,463.