Heartbreak as Saints fail to punish 10 men

Nov 10 2008 Paisley Daily Express

ST MIRREN 0 HEARTS 1

SAINTS suffered a kick in the teeth after they failed to kill off 10-man Hearts and succumbed to a late goal at Love Street.

Gus MacPherson’s side played all the football and enjoyed a one-man advantage for 48 minutes after Michael Stewart was handed a red card for a kick at Hugh Murray.

However, the Buddies were guilty of passing up on several good chances to score and, as it goes sometimes, they were punished – but they have no-one to blame but themselves.

Eggert Jonsson grabbed the only goal of the game after 79 minutes to wrap up the three points.

Buddies boss MacPherson made just the one change to his starting 11 with the return of Will Haining after the big centre-back recovered from the shoulder injury that kept him out of action last week.

Haining took over defensive duties at the expense of Scott Cuthbert.

After the first few seconds of the match Christian Nade got away from Murray 25 yards out but his shot at goal was too tame to trouble Mark Howard in the Saints goal.

Then the Buddies keeper had to collect a Christophe Berra header in the box when he connected with Jason Thomson’s cross from the right.

At the other end Steven Robb showed good composure to spread the ball wide to Garry Brady before the former Dundee United midfielder picked up the return pass, but his first touch let him down and a decent chance went begging.

Franco Miranda saw a left foot drive blocked by the feet of Jonsson after six minutes when Gary Mason found him lurking near the penalty box, before good work from Billy Mehmet forced a Saints corner on the left, but Haining headed the cross high and wide.

After 17 minutes Robb tried his luck with a left foot shot from distance in a spell of pressure from the home side but it drifted harmlessly wide of target.

Then Howard failed to get both hands to Bruno Aguiar’s testing free-kick on the right and instead palmed it to his right but thankfully, there was no-one in a maroon jersey to capitalise.

Aguiar tried the same ploy moments later and this time Miranda was forced to head it behind for a corner but the visitors couldn’t press home the advantage.

At the midway point both John Potter and Saulius Mikoliunas required treatment after they collided while chasing down possession but the Saints skipper was back in the thick of it moments later.

Mikoliunas, though, succumbed to his injury after 29 minutes and Robbie Neilson replaced him.

Dennis Wyness prodded a right foot angled shot well wide of goalkeeper Janos Balogh’s left hand post as Saints played all the football, then Miranda came even closer when his right foot shot from 25 yards flashed inches wide.

The game blew up in the 42nd minute when Hearts star Michael Stewart kicked out at Murray in an off-the-ball incident as Hearts pressed down the left and before the corner kick was taken, Nade got involved in some repercussions on the goalmouth with Howard and a couple of others.

Bobby Madden, the fourth official, stepped in, and, after consultation, referee Mike McCurry handed Stewart a straight red card.

In addition, the corner kick was scrapped and Saints were awarded a free-kick.

Robb headed a Jack Ross cross from the right agonisingly over target after good build-up play from Mehmet and Murray, before Wyness sent another effort off target as we approached the break.

Andy Dorman appeared for Saints at the start of the second 45 for Brady.

A minute after the restart Saints should have buried the first goal when Dorman picked up possession on the right, found Wyness and the striker played it through for Mehmet seven yards out – but somehow he contrived to put it wide when it looked far easier to score.

Then Wyness sclaffed a shot well wide of the mark after Mehmet guided the ball to him at the edge of the penalty box.

But Hearts midfielder Aguiar gave them a timely reminder that the visitors were far from out of this match when he sent a fizzing right foot drive from 22 yards just wide of the left hand post.

Jim Hamilton replaced Wyness up front with an hour gone, before Ross won a free-kick after he went to ground under Aguiar’s challenge. But Dorman’s cross into the area was headed up into the air by Berra, then Balogh punched it clear.

Mehmet made way for the introduction of Craig Dargo after 69 minutes as Saints stepped up their search for an opening goal.

Dorman’s claim for a penalty was turned down when he went to ground under Berra’s challenge in the 73rd minute after he picked up a threaded pass from Ross.

After 79 minutes Neilson won a free-kick on the right 22 yards out at the expense of Miranda and Hearts defender Jonsson outjumped his marker to send a powerful header into the bottom left hand corner.

Dargo had a great chance to equalise a minute later when a Miranda cross on the left was swept across the face of goal but the nearside linesman raised the offside flag.

Murray placed two good headers across the face of goal as Saints searched for a leveller but there wasn’t a black and white jersey to take advantage of them.

Aguiar, theatrically, slumped to the ground in a ploy to waste some time late on but the Jam Tarts clung on.

It left Saints to wonder how this result got away from them.