St Johnstone 0 - 1 St Mirren: Battle of Saints is hell in Perth until Kenny McLean’s divine intervention

A SUPERB late winner by teenager Kenny McLean gave St Mirren three points which will now make the Paisley club perhaps think more of a top-six finish than merely avoiding relegation, especially if they can find more talent like the young scorer.

With 81 minutes of a fairly dull match gone, David van Zanten sent in a free kick which Steven Thompson nodded down into the path of McLean. The under-21 international hit the ball first time high past the helpless Peter Enckelman for a cracking first goal for his club.

The 19-year-old gave a man-of-the-match performance playing behind Thompson and prompting those around him with some neat touches, though his own forcing runs and willingness to shoot deserved to earn him greater rewards. His display lit up a dreich McDiarmid Park, and manager Danny Lennon said: “The only thing that will stop that boy going to the top is himself. He has such a bright future and that goal has been coming for weeks.”

McLean himself is refreshingly level-headed. The former Rangers youth player has “kicked on,” according to his former coach Alex Cleland, now caretaker manager of St Johnstone, but McLean is content to learn his trade in Paisley.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said McLean of his goal, “as I have had a few chances in previous weeks, and for it to be a winner makes it even better. I am just taking things game by game and just concentrating on the present. Hopefully if I concentrate on the present, the future will take care of itself.”

The first half was as vapid as has been seen in the SPL. Both sets of Saints were sinful as they sank into a torpor. The visitors had the better of the opening exchanges, but could not create any clear chances, and St Johnstone were seemingly reluctant to push upfield. Cleland said afterwards they “lacked self-belief,” and admitted the performance had not done much for his chances of getting the full-time manager job.

A flurry of chances did come either side of the half-hour mark as Francisco Sandaza let fly from ten yards only to see the ball go wide, while at the other end Graeme Carey’s free kick went across goal and behind before Kenny McLean’s effort was well held by Enckelman.

St Johnstone’s best chance of the half fell to Sandaza, whose close-range shot was blocked by Craig Samson before Sheridan’s low shot almost confused the goalkeeper after 38 minutes, though Samson held the ball at the second attempt.

The second half had a much brighter start. McLean burst forward to the edge of the St Johnstone penalty area where he attempted a delicate chip shot that Enckelman superbly clawed over the bar.

Alan Maybury, who had come on for the injured Frazer Wright at half-time, then almost had an immediate impact with an accurate long pass that set up Sandaza for a shot which just scraped the outside of Samson’s right post.

Callum Davidson did well to clear as McLean looked set to score in the box before Davidson turned the provider of danger at the other end, Lee Mair conceding the corner as Cilian Sheridan and Sandaza lurked.

The corner kick came to nothing, but a later corner needlessly conceded by Van Zanten almost gave St Johnstone the opener, the ball falling to Sheridan whose snapshot was instinctively and brilliantly saved by Samson.

Nigel Hasselbaink came on and briefly enlivened proceedings by getting himself booked for a swipe at Steven Anderson.

In the 78th minute, Sandaza rose above a static defence to connect well with Liam Craig’s free kick, only for the ball to flash past the post.

Hasselbaink was troubling the home guard, but it was McLean who had caught the eye earlier with some fine runs and he took his goal like a veteran. He then almost made it two with a long-range shot which Enckelman parried away, Hasselbaink unable to follow up.

At the end, St Mirren deserved the win thanks in large part to their tyro goalscorer. We’ll hear more of him.