St. Johnstone Clinch Top 6 in Split DRAMA

Match Preview

This weekend was the last set of SPFL fixtures before the split which meant that the scramble to finish inside the top half was on. Going into the match today between St. Johnstone and Ross County the home side lay 7th in the table, 2 points behind 6th placed Paisley outfit St. Mirren who played Hamilton away at the Fountain of Youth Stadium. For St. Johnstone to finish in the top 6 they had to beat Ross County, anything less would mean they landed in the bottom half of the split. Not only did they need a win but they also required St. Mirren to drop points, if they beat Hamilton then it was all over.

[St. Johnstone players celebrating - Image: @SkySports]

Ross County on the other hand began the weekend in 10th place and were aiming to put distance between themselves and the bottom two, with Hamilton in 11th only 3 points below the Dingwall side, with a superior goal difference. Whereas Motherwell in 9th were 6 points ahead of Ross County. A win for John Hughes' side could have opened up a bit of breathing space from the foot of the table, a loss could see them fall into 11th and within touching distance of the bottom if all results went against them.

[Ross County players celebrate - Image: @SNS]

Head to Head

In the meetings between these two sides so far this season Ross County undoubtedly have enjoyed the best share of results. A 1-0 win at McDiarmid Park all the way back in September in a particularly dire game all round was followed up by a 1-1 draw in Dingwall at the turn of the new year. Ross County have been a bit of a bogey team for 'Saints' since their return to the topflight in 2019 and the Perth outfit actually haven't beaten them since February 2018.

In the last 28 games between St. Johnstone and Ross County there has been little to separate the sides. 39% (11) of these matches were draws, with 'Saints' triumphing 36% (10) of the time, with the 'Staggies' being victorious on 25% (7) of the meetings. Saturdays 3pm kick-off would certainly be close.

[Hughes and Davidson shake hands - Image: @SNS]

The Match

First Half

3 o'clock in sunny Perthshire and referee Craig Napier blew his whistle, the match had kicked off. The opening 5 minutes were cagey and provided fans of an inkling of what was to come. Very little to split the sides in the early stages and plenty of battling all over the pitch ensured this would not be an easy match for either team.

Ross County earned themselves a few early set pieces with a 6th minute free-kick nodded behind by an astute Liam Craig. The following corner was then punched clear by Zander Clark. Shaun Rooney then won a corner for St. Johnstone (on his return to the side), which was defended as far as Booth. The left back's strike was then blocked from range.

22 minutes and St. Johnstone were taking a hold on the game now, with plenty of the ball in their opponents third. Rooney's cross into the danger zone was well cut out, just as a move threatened to materialise the play broke down and 'Saints' had to start again. Northern Ireland midfielder McCann picked the ball up from distance but saw his strike from range well saved by Laidlaw. The top 6 hopefuls were edging closer.

The clock was ticking on and from the 25-45 minute mark the 'Staggies' offered very little in the final third and the hosts had their opponents penned in for large periods. Although the visitors were equal to everything thrown at them, with a vast amount of niggly fouls occurring during this time. There were lots of bodies in and around the box during this period and S. Johnstone just could not break through the sea of Ross County players.

Chris Kane was sent through in the 33rd minute with a good ball into a dangerous area. The 'Saints' number 9 found himself in on goal but his effort from close range was well saved by Laidlaw, who firmly denied the striker to keep the scores level. All of a sudden disaster struck for St. Johnstone. Word coming out of Hamilton was that St. Mirren had been awarded a 33rd minute penalty, which Jamie McGrath had dispatched from 12 yards. Now not only did they themselves still need a goal but also a 'Accies' leveller too.

Right on the verge of half time and a really good St. Johnstone move cultivated in a Rooney cutback which found opposite wing-back Booth whose pop at goal was straight down the throat of the Ross County keeper, who collected it with ease.

Half Time now and the stats did not make for pretty reading if you were a Ross County fan, the team in blue and white enjoying 63% possession and 12 attempts on goal in the opening 45. Whereas the side from the Highlands only mustered 37% possession and not a single shot. They would need to test the opposition keeper in the second half.

[Melamed on the ball - Image: @SNS]

Second Half

45 Minutes is a long time in football but St. Johnstone's destiny was not fully in their own hands. Results elsewhere staying the same would mean that they would finish in the bottom half of the table. A season defining second half was coming up.

Over the course of the next 15 minutes or so won a couple of corners which were thrusted into the box, but to no avail and the game deteriorated into a bit of a stop start affair with plenty of fouls and strong challenges from both sides. With very little action overall. 56 Minutes in the ball broke well to 'Saints' midfielder Liam Craig, his long range effort was saved in the centre of the goal without really testing the goalkeeper. A stalemate seemed inevitable.

In the 63rd minute of the game both managers opted for substitutions. Hughes decided to make a double change with McKay and Lakin having their afternoons ended early, coming off for Vigurs and Gardyne. Davidson took off Kane for May in a like-for-like change up top.

May had an instant impact up top attempting to latch onto a long ball in behind the Ross County defence, appearing to be hauled down on the edge of the box. Craig Napier was unmoved by his appeals, if he had penalised the foul it could well have resulted in a sending off. 10 minutes later St. Johnstone were still continuing to attack the Ross County box and a ball into the box clearly came off of the arm of Alex Iacovitti, but to the astonishment of St. Johnstone no penalty was awarded.

Tanser and Middleton were also subbed on for 'Saints' with Booth and Melamed coming off. Middleton was threaded through 4 minutes after entering the field, his blistering pace playing the Rangers loanee into space before prodding his effort well wide of the bottom corner. Huge chance.

David Wotherspoon was hauled down on the edge of the Ross County box on 80 minutes in a dangerous area. Scott Tanser stepped up and lashed the free-kick into the wall, disappointing not to at least ask questions of Laidlaw. Wotherspoon would then do just that from outside the area, his strike well collected by the goalie.

In the 86th minute St. Johnstone pressed again and May found himself free down the left, the striker combined with fellow substitute Middleton, cutting the ball back to the winger who then turned his marker and slotted his strike into the opposition net past a helpless Laidlaw. A massive goal to put his side 1-0 up as attention switched over to Hamilton. The result remained the same as of yet meaning that a win here would not propel St. Johnstone up the table.

Wait. What's that? Hamilton have SCORED. Substitute Kyle Munro had drawn Hamilton level and more importantly for St. Johnstone fans, have pulled St. Mirren back down to level terms. As it stands St. Johnstone will finish in the top 6.

The job wasn't done yet and the remaining 5 minutes felt like an eternity for fans watching at home. Ross County had no threatened their opponents goal but now they were throwing the ball forward and beginning to threaten late on, a goal now would be a sucker punch. That goal never came.

[Middleton and McCann during the game - Image: @SkySports]

My Man Of The Match - Glenn Middleton

The young winger provided something different for his side and obviously came up with the goal when it mattered that clinched top 6 football for his side. St. Johnstone looked much better with him in the side.

What Does This Mean?

This result coupled with St. Mirren's late slip up means that St. Johnstone have made the top 6 for the second successive season and the 8th time in the last 10 years. Callum Davidson may have had a difficult start to life in Perth but now he has St. Johnstone firing and has been a big success in his debut season, coupling his Scottish League Cup win with a top 6 finish. The recovery his side has had is nothing short of incredible, being touted as relegation candidates along with not entering the top half beyond September have came back fighting.

On the flip side, Saturday's events have denied a first top 6 finish since the split was introduced in 2001, heart breaking for the fans of the Paisley based club. Ross County are still in 10th place but Kilmarnock's emphatic win over Motherwell combined with the point Hamilton picked up means that they are now only 2 points clear of the bottom of the table, the next 5 games will be massive.

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