MATCH REPORT

Saints had two new faces in the squad of players for this afternoon’s New Year derby match against Dundee. Loan players - defender Stuart McCaffrey and striker Daniel McBreen - both took up positions on the substitutes bench while Paul Sheerin, Steven Anderson and Steven Milne were all re-introduced to the starting line-up following the 3-1 win at Clyde at the weekend.

Before kick-off Motherwell captain Phil O’Donnell was remembered with a minute of applause.

There was a great atmosphere inside the ground as the game began and Saints set about trying to gain the three points that would make the beginnings of a dent in the Dens Park side’s advantage over us.

However, it was the visitors who created the first clear scoring opportunity when, in 5 minutes, a corner kick from the left wormed its way right across the six yard box and Gary McKenzie’s parting effort was cleared off the line by Gary Irvine.

Dundee continued to ask all the early questions forcing another couple of corners and had a half-shout for a penalty when Derek Lyle was upended in the box but his appeals were waved away by referee Chris Boyle.

With former Manager Owen Coyle watching from the stand Saints struggled to make much of an impact in the opening quarter of an hour and former Saints keeper Craig Samson was untroubled.

In 24 minutes a delightful pass from Paul Sheerin released Peter MacDonald down the left but his deep cross bounced over the head of Andy Jackson at the far post and the opportunity was gone.

Saints best chance of the game came in 29 minutes and it was from a dead ball situation. Steven Milne won a free kick twenty yards from goal and after Sheerin touched the ball sideways, Peter MacDonald blasted the ball goalwards but Samson was equal to the task and pushed the ball away and although the ball broke free Liam Craig could only find the side netting.

As half time came onto the horizon its fair to say that the game had not hit any great heights although both sides were doing their best to pass the ball around the park but Saints had a great chance in 37 minutes when a Goran Stanic cross was met by MacDonald but he could only head the ball down into the ground and Samson was able to grasp the ball just below bar height.

Dundee’s Kevin McDonald was booked for a late challenge on Kevin Rutkiewicz and Paul Sheerin followed him into the book before the interval whistle had sounded.

There was dreadful start to the second half for Saints when Dundee took the lead after just four minutes. An unmarked Kevin McDonald was the scorer when he curled the ball into an empty net from 12 yards after the ball broke to him at the end of a move which has seen Kevin Rutkiewicz go down injured in the build-up. McDonald’s shot was well wide of Alan Main. A very preventable goal fro a Saints point of view.

Steven Anderson was booked for a block as temperatures began to rise and Derek McInnes wasted little time in bringing on Kevin Moon for Steven Anderson and changing the formation to a 4-4-2 from the previous 3-5-2.

Just after the hour mark Saints made another change and it was a debut for loan striker Daniel McBreen who replaced Liam Craig and the move paid dividends within five minutes as Saints grabbed the equaliser and McBreen was involved. A cross from the left came out to the edge of the box and former Falkirk man McBreen fired in an effort which was deflected by a Dundee defender wide to the left hand side of goal where Steven Milne was on hand to drive the ball into the net from a tight angle.

Any thoughts that this goal would spark a frenzy from both sides as they sought a winner were misplaced however and as with the first half the second half was a relatively subdued affair given the nature of the game.

With nine minutes to go Alan Main was called upon to push away a Scott Robertson curler wile at the other end Goran Stanic fired well over the bar after pouncing on a loose ball 2 yards from goal.

Four minutes from the end Andy Jackson fired a shot from a MacDonald cross over the bar when he had more time than he perhaps realised as Saints looked the more likely side to score in the closing minutes much to the displeasure of the travelling support who clearly expected more from their side. That said, it was Dundee who piled the pressure on in the two minutes o injury time and Alan Main was called upon to tip the ball over the bar from a Palenik header.

Another game that Saints could quite easily have won but had to settle for a share of the points. However, Dundee had chances also and the only real happy people after the game were those connected to Hamilton Accies.

Website Man of the Match: Not an easy decision to make today but GARY IRVINE was equally effective in midfield and defence and just gets the nod ahead of Paul Sheerin.

SAINTS: Main, Irvine, Stanic, Anderson (Moon), Rutkiewicz, McManus, MacDonald, Craig (McBreen), Jackson (Daal), Milne, Sheerin.
Subs not used: McCaffrey, Cuthbert

DUNDEE: Samson, Worrell, Malone, McDonald, McKenzie (Dixon), Palenik, Robertson, McHale, Lyle (Zemlik), Sturm (Davidson), Swankie.
Subs not used: Daquin, Roy

Att: 6,072