Pardon my French but oui, I did lose the ball, admits Stephane

DOUGLAS CAMPBELL
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15 Sep 1997

St Johnstone 1 Hearts 2

IT seldom ceases to amaze when introduced to an individual not of these shores how firmly they have invariably grasped the English language.

Of course, when a European cousin has been tutored in his new tongue by someone with a somewhat limited and colourful vocabulary, anything can happen.

For instance, at McDiarmid Park on Saturday, Stephane Adam stood outside the trim Perth stadium chatting to a media throng while several youngsters waited for the Frenchman to jot down his name on various pieces of paper.

Earlier, Adam had performed in a thoroughly satisfactory manner in the colours of Hearts during their success against St Johnstone.

Well, almost thoroughly, because there was one disagreeable moment when he surrendered the ball rather tamely, leading to Steven Tosh scoring for St Johnstone.

As Adam spoke, the conversation trundled around to his boob, which was explain thus: ''Ah, yes, I remember.

I had just run a strong course and was a little tired and then the ball came to me again.

Yes, yes, I lost the f****** ball,'' he concluded with a shrug.

Well, to some members of the press, such language is by no means a novelty and was greeted with rumbustuous laughter, but some of the autograph hunters, in St Johnstone favours, were then seen to drift away muttering what sounded like: ''Who is he anyway?'' Any in the audience a little sketchy about Adam's identity were left in little doubt that the Frenchman can play a bit.

It was Adam who popped the ball on to the forehead of Jim Hamilton for the youngster to score one of his two goals, and throughout the afternoon, Adam was a pest to St Johnstone defenders.

Not that it was all one-way traffic, because if the home lot had a striker worthy of the name, then perhaps Hearts would not have returned to the capital with all three points.

Roddy Grant and George O'Boyle had decent opportunities to inflict grievous wounds to Hearts' cause, but managed to miss the target when, at times, scoring appeared the easier option.

Still, Hearts manager Jim Jefferies was of the opinion that his men deserved their success.

He claimed: ''We dominated the first half and could have been two or three up.

We were coasting until St Johnstone scored.'' Strange, because the word, dominated, also was used by Paul Sturrock, the St Johnstone manager, although he was referring more to situations of play after his men had awakened from the lethargy which had engulfed them at the start.

''We must start games better,'' said Sturrock.

''At this level you just cannot give teams a start and expect to do well.'' What St Johnstone need is a striker like, well, Sturrock used to be, but then there is not a club in the kingdom who would not go into hock for such an individual.

Perhaps Geoff Brown, the St Johnstone chairman, soon will be forced to blow the dust from his cheque book to aid the cause.

Next league games: St Johnstone - Rangers (h); Hearts - Dundee United (h).

Taken from the Herald