Relief for Saints as they prove their league position is completely false

JAMES TRAYNOR

29 Oct 1990

THIS time they got it right, even if there were moments when they seemed intent on undermining their own sterling work.

St Mirren finally did back up their manager, Tony Fitzpatrick, who had been saying all along that they were a better team than their utterly depressing league position would suggest.

They had lost five games in succession before going in against Hearts, but they played with a refreshing gusto and skill which merited their 2-1 victory, despite Joe Jordan's belief that his team deserved something more than nothing.

Hearts played for only a brief spell at the beginning of the second half.

Although Jordan is in desperate need of points there cannot be many people around who would grudge Fitzpatrick the relief two points brought him.

The Love Street club's young manager wears his heart on his sleeve, and when things are going badly he cannot hide the pain.

Recently there had been many long and dark Saturday nights when he must have felt the entire world was ganging up on him.

The other day, however, he flashed a smile or two and admitted he had felt the pressures and self-doubts that come with managing the bottom club in the premier division.

"It wasn't just because of anything unusual here at St Mirren," he said, "but I'm only human and I did feel as though I was under pressure.

A manager's job depends on results."

He is absolutely correct, of course, and he is also right when he says his team are too good to be stuck in the premier-division basement.

St Mirren do have a number of talented players, which they proved against Hearts, and if having found the way to goal they are able to remember it results will come.

They were smooth and nice to watch at times on Saturday and again one player, Paul Lambert, stood out.

This smallish, slightly built, and fresh-faced midfield player produced the neatest touches and seemed much more alert than anyone else, apart, perhaps, from Hearts' seasoned campaigner Eamonn Bannon, who was still able to show the young bucks in his team a thing or two before being taken off in the second half when Hearts required fresh legs.

Lambert, though, caught the eye, and for someone who looks so insignificant he had a big say and not simply because he scored the opening goal after only nine minutes.

"I thought his general play was tremendous," said the manager, who also took pleasure in recalling the goal which won the match 20 minutes from the end.

It was a delightful consequence of two foreign minds operating on the same wavelength.

Tomas Stickroth took possession on the right, and while lesser players would have hurried a cross he looked up and delayed his delivery until Gudmundur Torfason had positioned himself properly in the midfield.

Stickroth put a foot under the ball and lifted it gently over a defence which was alarmingly vulnerable despite the presence of two internationalists, Craig Levein and Dave McPherson.

Torfason had only to skip, nod his head, and the game was won and lost.

Before the end, however, George Shaw hit a post and a Stickroth shot flew only a foot wide of the mark.

Had he enjoyed a shade more luck, the West German would have had a couple of goals, but it has to be said he remains an enigma.

In fact, it might even be justified to suggest someone at Love Street should take him aside and give him a good shake.

His long, stick-like legs make him look gangly, yet he has been blessed with more skill than any one footballer deserves.

If he would use this talent more often in a match he would be a genuine star, but often he seems disinterested, almost detached from the game.

Stickroth tackles like a cissy and is not interested at all in doubling back to help out in defence, but these deficiencies usually are forgiven as soon as he has the ball at his feet.

Then he becomes the real thing, although he should take a look at Lambert, who never stops motoring.

Neither does Brian Martin, a big, honest player, who was equally at home in the midfield and then in the centre of the back division, where he played after David Winnie had gone off nursing a hamstring injury in the second half.

The latter, who is in dispute with the club and signing only on a monthly basis, had been drafted back into the side because St Mirren had lost four players to suspension and injury.

Fitzpatrick would be wise to try to talk the defender back into the fold.

He is too good to be left on the outside.

Jordan obviously felt this way about Iain Ferguson, who was restored to Hearts' front line as soon as the manager arrived from Bristol, but the striker, like Stickroth, continues to be one of those players who always seem to be performing well within their limits.

There has never been any doubt about Ferguson's ability and awareness up front, but he does not give enough of himself and it might be too late to change him now.

However, change is something Jordan must be considering, but since there is no money available at Tynecastle he must soldier on with what he has, and that is not a lot.

Hearts lack quality in midfield, and although Wayne Foster did well enough against Bologna last midweek the attack does not have the same threat without John Robertson, who sat in the stand injured.

Yet they looked capable of emerging as winners when they equalised soon after the interval.

Ferguson knocked the ball against a post and John Colquhoun thumped in the rebound.

They dominated for a period after that, but St Mirren were not going to be denied victory this time.

"It's a great feeling," Fitzpatrick said afterwards, and it was difficult not to feel happy for him.

Taken from the Herald