Saints are back with a bang

NEVER mind a breath of fresh air, how about an oxygen mask? If every St Johnstone match in the SPL is as exciting as this, paying punters will be gasping for the stuff. Four goals, another disallowed, and a second half as wide open as the River Tay yesterday proved that a change is as good as a rest for Scotland's much-maligned top flight.

The Perth club's return after seven years combined with some bold decisions by the new Motherwell manager, Jim Gannon to provide an unlikely boost for Scottish football at the end of an otherwise miserable week. Up for it from the start, St Johnstone twice took the lead – with goals from Murray Davidson and Graham Gartland – only to meet a young visiting side transformed by a double substitution at the interval.

Gannon, not influenced by reputation at the best of times, was so dismayed by his players' lack of enthusiasm in the first half that he replaced Stephen Craigan and John Sutton with Chris Humphrey and Robert McHugh. "As managers, we get paid to make decisions, and that was the right one," he said after watching Shaun Hutchinson and Ross Forbes find the net, Jim O'Brien strike a post, and Jamie Murphy palm one into the net. When the dust had settled on all that, Gannon was asked about the disallowed goal. "What disallowed goal?" he replied.

St Johnstone, whose First Division championship flag was unfurled beforehand, were more than comfortable with the step up, quick and positive and driven by Davidson, the midfielder who gave them a deserved first-half lead. When John Ruddy punched clear a corner by Filipe Morais, it fell to the former Livingston player 20 yards out. It wasn't the cleanest of strikes, but the ball's spinning trajectory, aided by a deflection, was enough to catch the goalkeeper off his line. One of six new signings by Derek McInnes, he very nearly marked his home debut with a second goal just before half-time, when he could only bundle Dave Mackay's cutback against the goalkeeper. "There was nobody better on the pitch," said the St Johnstone manager. "He was physical, he was a goal threat, and he did his defensive duties; everything you want from a midfielder."

Gannon's plans for his first SPL match had been disrupted before it even kicked off. A calf injury sustained in the warm-up by Paul Slane persuaded the Motherwell manager to give young Tom Hateley his full debut just two days after he had joined the club from Reading. The 19-year-old son of Mark slotted in at full-back, from where he set up the visitors' best – make that only – chance of the first half. O'Brien's hopeful stab at the low cross nearly caught out Alan Main.

Motherwell, though, were an entirely different proposition after the interval. Within seconds of the restart, they should have equalised, McHugh and O'Brien both failing to convert a low ball across the face of goal. And, after another ten minutes, Hutchinson rose to meet a long free-kick by Hateley, looping his header into the top corner.

If St Johnstone were demoralised by the setback, they didn't show it. Four minutes was all it took for them to go back in front, albeit clumsily. A corner by Morais, a knockdown by Kenny Deuchar, and when Mackay's shot was caught up in a crowd of players, Gartland was the first to ram home the loose ball.

By this time, the game was raging back and forth, although mostly in the direction of Main. First came Murphy's impression of Maradona, for which he was booked, then the goal of the match. Forbes, who has taken full advantage of Gannon's faith in youth, found himself under no pressure when he collected possession some 25 yards out and sent a spectacular left-foot shot into the top left-hand corner.

It was a tribute to both sides that neither settled for a draw.

"Not for a minute did we think about trying to take the point, and I think Jimmy's team were the same," said McInnes. "There was a lot of real quality on show, a lot of good football. It was a good advert for the league, and I think we will be a good addition to it on that performance."

MAN OF THE MATCH

Murray Davidson isn't the beefiest of players, but he fairly put himself about here, busily knitting together the midfield with a combination of guts and guile. And, of course, there was the shot which gave Saints their opening goal.

QUICK FACT

This was the first SPL match at McDiarmid Park since 12 May, 2002 when St Johnstone were beaten 1-0 by Hibernian.

TALKING POINT

With St Johnstone 2-1 up, Jamie Murphy rose to meet Chris Humphrey's cross, and diverted it in with his arm. The goal was disallowed, and Murphy was booked for his trouble.