St Johnstone 0 - 2 Dundee United: Fran Sandaza is for once the sinner

OF the plaudits showered on St Johnstone this season, Fran Sandaza has enjoyed the majority. His strike partnership with Cillian Sheridan has been cited as a major factor in the side’s ability to scale such dizzying heights as fourth in the Scottish Premier League.

Scorers: Dundee Utd - Robertson (32), Rankin (90)

Booked: St Johnstone - Adams, Sandaza; Dundee Utd - Russell

Sent off: Sandaza

Att: 5,826

Yesterday it was his hot-headedness which ensured that they may never enjoy just such an elevated placing again this term. A straight red card with more than half an hour of the match remaining diluted his team-mates’ chances of clawing back Dundee United’s one-goal advantage.

A no-messing challenge from his former Tannadice team-mate Sean Dillon and the Spaniard reacted angrily, having a not-so-sly kick at the defender. It was an automatic sending off in referee Euan Norris’s mind. Sandaza was not so sure but coming less than two minutes after he was yellow-carded for dissent, the passions seem to overwhelm him.

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“Fran has kicked out for whatever reason. He’s let his team-mates down,” said manager Steve Lomas, who had this week expressed surprise that the player was not included in the Player of the Year shortlist. “I’m a big fan of Fran and back him to the hilt but you just cannot do that and he left us with a mountain to climb.”

It was one too steep to scale and United leapfrogged the Perth side, moving into fourth place, just three points behind Motherwell, who host Celtic this afternoon. Given that St Johnstone already have a catalogue of injuries to absorb, a ban of at least one match for their most prolific goalscorer is far from ideal.

No wonder his team-mates had little sympathy, remonstrating with the striker as he railed against his punishment and forcibly ushering him off the pitch.

“It’s an emotional game and everybody gets emotional ,” added Lomas. “In the cold light of day, I’m sure he will be gutted himself but we as a club cannot afford to be playing Dundee United with ten men. I’m sure Fran is disappointed, I’m certainly disappointed with him. He left us in the lurch which he hasn’t done a lot this season. Maybe it was frustration at a lack of service but that isn’t an excuse.”

Sandaza certainly had been starved of a plentiful supply of decent balls, as a promising opening five minutes gave way to sustained United pressure. Already struggling in the midfield, Lomas’s options in that area were hampered even further when Chris Millar pulled up injured in the warm up, forcing a starting line-up which included Jamie Adams, who has just returned from six months out, and Derek Riordan, making his first start since his unlikely excursion to China ended so promptly.

It was a telling weakness, especially when up against an industrious United midfield which not only stifled St Johnstone but also proved a tireless link between their solid defence and the multi-faceted forward line.

The home side started brightly and could have been two up within two minutes. First was a Riordan free-kick curled round the wall from the left. Dusan Pernis managed to parry it but Sheridan came in at the back post and was only denied by the upright. Seconds later Murray Davidson tested the keeper with a low shot from the edge of the box.

United were still trying to get a foothold in the game but managed it bit by bit, as they took the pace and the sting out the play, and began to exert their own pressure. They should have opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Saints keeper Alan Mannus failed to deal with Gary Mackay-Steven’s cross and Willo Flood scooped his close-range effort over the bar. Flood was the provider in the 31st minute, plonking the ball on to Jon Daly’s head but he glanced it just wide.

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Despite all the pressure St Johnstone’s rearguard were getting in the blocks, at least until the 32nd minute. John Rankin and Daly were again making pests of themselves in St Johnstone’s final third and this time, when the ball broke, it was only as far as Scott Robertson and he lashed a shot past Mannus.

By that stage it was a deserved lead and United manager Peter Houston, who had been an agitated figure in the opening stages of the match, must have been delighted. What will have impressed him less was his side’s inability to kill off a match they continued to dominate.

They were dealt their own blow in the 54th minute when Gavin Gunning had to go off with a dislocated shoulder, forcing a reshuffle at the back and even when Sandaza was sent packing, the killer second goal proved hard to come by. In the end Rankin scored in time added on, picking up the ball in midfield before breaking forward and skelping a low shot across the face of Mannus’s goal.

For St Johnstone, though, the frustration was that any plans for a comeback were thwarted before they could really get under way. Lomas said he was primed to throw caution to the wind and send on Marcus Haber to make it a three-man attack. In the end he merely filled the gap vacated by Sandaza up front, Riordan being withdrawn to accommodate his inclusion.

“I know Fran as a former team-mate and I get on well with him,” said Dillon, “so I didn’t want to see him sent off. I hadn’t realised he had kicked me at first so I didn’t react. There was a coming together between us but he shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

But given the advantage it afforded United, in the match and in the race for third place, he wasn’t shedding too many tears for his pal. “It was nice to get the three points. We know this gives us a chance of finishing above Motherwell and if you have a chance then you might as well have a right go at it. We have done what we can to put pressure on them.”

Three points behind Stuart McCall’s men, with a significantly superior goal difference, Houstonsaid: “That was a massive three points but we’ve now got four cup finals.” It could yet come down to the head-to-head with Motherwell on the final day.

MAN OF THE MATCH John Rankin (Dundee United) His dominant performance was the platform for this win.

TALKING POINT The battle for third place is not over on the evidence of this match.

Referee: E Norris. Attendance: 5,826