Radiohead - No Surprises
Saints have no fixture this weekend.
Last Weekend's Fixture
Saints recovered from a 1 - 0 deficit after a lacklustre first half performance to record an ultimately convincing win over the Scottish Amateur Football League Premier Division's bottom club Kings Park Rangers at Glasgow Green last Saturday. The win keeps alive Saints faint hopes for retaining the Premier Division title however those hopes now depend on St Joseph's FP and current leaders Thorn Athletic dropping points. Manager Iain Jackson had Ross Maitland and Myles McAuley available for selection again but resisted the temptation to throw them straight back into the action electing to name exactly the same starting line-up which had knocked Haldane United out of the Jimmy Marshall Trophy the week previous. Remarkably, with just four weeks of the season remaing, this was the first time the same starting eleven had been possible in consecutive fixtures. After a cagey opening ten minutes Saints created the first chance of note when Lewis Cameron made a good run up the right wing and picked out Dean Smith just inside the box with neat cut-back. Dean's low shot beat James McLaughlan in the King's goal but shaved the outside of the keeper's right hand post. Two minutes later Thomas McCulloch, now elevated to first choice Saints goalkeeper, made his first telling contribution of the afternoon when he did well to hold a powerful header from King's striker Dean MacCallum from an inswinging free kick wide on the Saints left. King's were working very hard in midfield to stop Saints getting into their stride and were putting the Saints rearguard of Jamie Graham, Alex Craik and Dougal Graham under pressure from set pieces and long throw-ins at every opportunity. On the half hour mark Saints hit King's on the break when Dean Smith latched onto a ball over the top from Dougal Graham. Dean held off the chasing King's defenders well and slipped the ball to strike partner Allan Mackay on the edge of the D. Allan attempted to try and catch the keeper out with a quick shot but his effort lacked any real power and was saved comfortably. King's demonstrated their aerial threat again in the 33rd minute. From a long throw on the Saints right the ball was flicked on at the near post by Dean McCallum to Chas Mauchin who beat the close attentions of Donald Campbell to send in a header which glanced off Thomas McCulloch's left hand post and behind for a goal kick. Sixty seconds later King's attempted the same move from the opposite touchline but the strong breeze blowing across the park gave the throw extra length and the Saints keeper was able to come out and make a comfortable catch. Saints struggles continued with passes going astray in midfield and the front pairing of Allan Mackay and Dean Smith making little impact on the well marshalled King's defence. King's central defender Robert Smith pounced on another stray pass in the 39th minute to burst forward from his defensive beat. His strong run was finally halted 28 yards from goal by a scything tackle from Jamie Graham which earned the Saints defender a yellow card for his troubles. The free kick was fired in low and hard forcing Thomas McCulloch into a smart save low down to his right. McCulloch cleared upfield where Allan Mackay flicked a header onto Craig MacEwan on the left wing, Craig's left foot cross on the run was met by Dean Smith who did well to head narrowly over from a very difficult chance. Saints at last looked to be getting a foot hold in the game and moments later came close again. Craig MacEwan sent in another cross from the left picking out Allan Mackay whose header under pressure went wide of the keeper's right hand post. Disappointingly, after finally getting themselves into the game, Saints fell behind in the 43rd minute from another King's set piece. A deep free kick from the Saints left was headed powerfully beyond the despairing dive of Thomas McCulloch by Chas Mauchin to nestle in the bottom corner of the Saints net. Immediately after the restart Saints were dealt another blow when Craig MacEwan pulled up with what appeared to be a groin strain and was replaced on the left wing by Ross Maitland. There was little time left before the interval and Referee James Carberry, sporting a bright orange training bib to set his dark coloured referee's kit apart from Saints navy blue colours, brought a disappointing first half from Saints to an end.
Saints kicked off the second half and immediately signalled their intent to up their game with a 22 yard shot from Donald Campbell which keeper McLaughlan did well to hold. Two minutes later Dougal Graham picked out Lewis Cameron on the left who cut inside and curled a shot from the edge of the box towards the top corner which the King's keeper again did well to hold onto. Saints had King's on the ropes now and the breakthrough came in the 49th minute from the unlikeliest of sources. Ross Maitland pressurised the King's defence into conceding a throw-in on the Saints left level with the six yard line. Ross took the throw himself picking out Donald Campbell with his back to goal and tightly marked by the King's defence. With a deft touch Donald gained himself enough space to hit the byeline and chip an exquisite left foot cross to the back post for the waiting David McArthur who headed home from a tight angle to finally open his Saints goal scoring account. The restart offered King's the chance to get out of their own half and a stinging 25 yard right foot shot from Neil Scott forced Thomas McCulloch into a smart save. In the 55th minute Allan Mackay won a free kick 26 yards out when he was crudely bundled over when threatening to burst into the box. Allan took the free kick himself firing it low and hard to the keeper's right. The shot was too hard for the keeper to handle and he spilled the ball at the feet of the on-rushing Lewis Cameron, however full credit to the King's net minder he recovered well to smother the attempt from Lewis from four yards out. Two minutes later Saints won another free kick just outside the box and slightly left of centre. Lewis Cameron curled in the free kick which the keeper tipped over from just under his crossbar. Lewis took the resulting corner kick from the right and picked out Allan Mackay at the near post who lost his marker to volley into the net and give Saints the lead. Manager Iain Jackson decided to ring the changes at this point and replaced David McArthur and Dean Smith with Scott Maitland and Myles McAuley. Lewis Cameron moved forward to join Allan Mackay in attack with Ross Maitland moving to the right wing, Scott Maitland took the left wing and Myles slotted into the centre alongside Paul Kerr and Donald Campbell. Saints continued to dominate and had King's pinned back in their own half with the strong running of Myles McAuley now adding to the problems already being created by the constant probing passes from Donald Campbell. In the 75th minute Saints came close again when a Lewis Cameron in-swinging corner from the Saints left had to be cleared off the King's goal line at the near post. Saints made their final change with ten minutes remaining withdrawing Allan Mackay and replacing him with Martin Bonar. Martin made an instant impact flicking on another Donald Campbell ball out of midfield to Scott Maitland on the left wing. Scott made good progress up the wing and picked out Donald Campbell with a cut-back to the edge of the box. Donald's first time shot wrong footed the goalkeeper but struck the base of the post before being scrambled behind for a corner. Saints extended their lead in the 85th minute when Myles McAuley made a terrific run up the right wing to get on the end of a measured through ball from Ross Maitland. On the corner of the box Myles checked back onto his left foot and curled a delightful cross to Scott Maitland at the back post who glanced a header into the bottom corner for his first goal in Saints colours. Saints rounded off the scoring just one minute later when a perfectly weighted pass from Myles McAuley sent Martin Bonar through the inside right channel and in on goal. With the big striker about to pull the trigger his progress was crudely halted by a trip from behind giving the referee an easy decision to award a penalty kick. Donald Campbell assumed responsibility for the spot kick which he calmly converted sending the keeper the wrong way. There being no further chances of note Referee Carberry, who was given an easy afternoon's work by the players, brought proceedings to a halt to keep Saints in the title race for at least one more week.
KPR hit the post
Thomas McCulloch saves a KPR free kick
Donald Campbell with KPR striker Dean McCallum
KPR repel another Saints attack
No takers for Lewis Cameron's cross along the six yard line
Myles McAuley hurdles a challenge in midfield
Lewis Cameron sprints through with Barry McCallum tracking back
Scott Maitland opens his Saints goal scoring account to make it 3 - 1 to Saints
Donald Campbell rounds off the scoring from the penalty spot
Did anyone just hear the ice-cream van?
Brilliant, there it's over there!
In Other News
Last weeks report that this season's remaining league fixtures had now been set appears to have been somewhat premature following some kind of malfunction causing the Scottish Amateur Football League fixture computer to generate the wrong fixtures. The guy from IT has been round for a look however, despite switching it off and back on again several times, the computer has not fully recovered and at present the full fixture list remains a mystery.
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