Supersub Stephen sinks Gers

Oct 6 2008 by Robert O'Neill, Paisley Daily Express

ST MIRREN............1 RANGERS...............0

ST MIRREN............1   RANGERS...............0

SUB Saint Stephen McGinn fired Gus MacPherson’s Buddies off the foot of the SPL yesterday afternoon at Love Street and secure the club’s first home league victory over Rangers for 22 years.

McGinn produced a finish of sublime quality with 16 minutes remaining to hand MacPherson’s team a slender, but deserved, win, given their gutsy display.

There was just the one change to the St Mirren starting 11 from the one that lost 2-1 to Motherwell the week before.

Defender Will Haining recovered sufficiently from his calf knock and took over from the suspended Franco Miranda.

And the other piece of good news for Saints was the fact that right back Jack Ross was also deemed fit to play after he picked up a hamstring strain last week at Fir Park.

Striker Dennis Wyness retained his place up front with Billy Mehmet, while Scott Cuthbert also kept his place in defence.

For Rangers, one-time Love Street favourites Kirk Broadfoot and Charlie Adam were among the opposition ranks.

Interestingly it was a 3-5-2 formation deployed yesterday by Buddies boss Gus MacPherson with Cuthbert, John Potter and Haining at the back, while Ross played wide right of a midfield five.

After seven minutes Pedro Mendes prematurely ended a good Saints move down the left.

The Rangers midfielder was yellow carded by referee Willie Collum for sending Wyness tumbling to the ground after he picked up a Mehmet flick.

Steven Robb swung the resultant free-kick into the danger zone and when it fell the way of Garry Brady, the Saints midfielder prodded it wide of Allan McGregor’s right-hand post.

At the other end Haining produced a vital tackle to deny Jean-Claude Darcheville an angled shot in the box when the Frenchman picked up Kenny Miller’s pass.

Then Adam swung in a corner on the right that was headed clear by Potter. Mendes picked up the loose ball and fired a low drive from distance towards goal and again, Potter was there with the clearance.

Striker Miller showed how dangerous he was after 14 minutes when he got the better of Robb on the right-hand side and fired in a powerful drive that flashed across the face of goal with no takers on the end of it.

Sasa Papac was forced to head clear a lovely Robb cross into the box that was intended for Mehmet after the midfielder was released down the left flank by Wyness’ crossfield pass.

After 20 minutes Haining connected with a free-kick from Kevin Thomson to clear the threat to St Mirren’s goal, before Miller smashed in a drive that Mark Howard was forced to parry after Garry Mason played a shocking crossfield pass to Dorman that was intercepted.

Eight minutes later Mehmet forced a Saints corner on the right that was swung in by Dorman but Gers skipper David Weir was on hand to head it clear.

Mason was then penalised for a foul on Darcheville but no matter which way the Old Firm giants went Saints were able to match them in every department.

Then Mehmet scampered down the left channel before looking up and sending in a pass for Wyness to chase on the edge of the penalty box but the former Caley man didn’t have the legs to get there in time.

Former Saint Adam was handed a lecture for a foul on Dorman, before Potter was forced to head clear a Darcheville cross on the right away from the goalmouth.

Thomson carved out the best shooting opportunity for the visitors when he waltzed towards goal after 38 minutes and unleashed a left foot shot which flashed just over.

Then Adam combined with Darcheville before the latter squeezed a deflected shot wide for a corner from 16 yards.

Before the break Dorman tried his luck with an ambitious shot from distance but he scooped it high and wide of McGregor’s goal.

Darcheville forced a Rangers corner on the right three minutes after the interval but Bougherra headed the resultant cross rom Charlie Adam over.

Then Miller smashed a deflected shot over from a good shooting postion, before Broadfoot too had a pop at goal, sending a left-foot effort well over.

Rangers started to look much more threatening going forward and Saints were struggling to get out of their own half.

Darcheville cracked a right foot shot straight down the throat of keeper Howards after 52 minutes as he picked up a pass from

Bougherra, then minutes later the Frenchman sent a delicate shot from the right onto the roof of the net as the visitors created a breakaway chance.

Midfielder Thomson was carried from the field with an injury after 57 minutes and on in his place came Kyle Lafferty.

Rangers made a second change and prolific goalscorer Kris Boyd entered the fray after 63 minutes to replace Darcheville.

Adam saw a right-foot shot from 25 yards clear the upright as the visitors were increasingly forced to take efforts from distance.

At the other end a Robb cross-cum-shot just cleared the crossbar as Saints threatened down the left.

Saints gradually worked their way upfield and began to ask some questions of the Rangers defence before Stephen McGinn and Craig Dargo replaced Andy Dorman and Dennis Wyness for MacPherson’s side after 70 minutes.

Boyd’s header was easily taken by Howard after the Rangers striker connected with a Broadfoot cross from the wide area, then Haining felt the force of a Miller elbow to the face.

But Saints took a dramatic lead after 74 minutes when Ross pumped the ball upfield and Mehmet won the header, then the second, to relese McGinn.

Dargo, meanwhile, dragged two back tracking defenders away from the youngster and the midfielder simply drifted in before smashing an excellent left-foot shot into the far corner from 22 yards.

‘Shuggie’ Murray replaced hard-working Brady with six minutes remaining as Saints sought to protect their slender lead before Boyd’s shot from a Papac pass came crashing back off the post.

Robb was on hand with three minutes to go to send Boyd’s header from an Adam corner on the right just off the line and Miller’s second shot was also blocked by some desperate rearguard defending.

Into injury time and Howard stuck out a leg to deny Steven Davis on the right, then a Broadfoot header was cleared just under the crossbar by at least three Saints defenders.

Rangers piled on the pressure but Miller’s header from a corner on the left zipped marginally over.