Saints are heading for Hampden

Feb 3 2010

A BILLY Mehmet wonder strike was enough last night to fire Gus MacPherson’s Buddies into the Hampden final of the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

Mehmet’s fabulous goal six minutes after the break proved just enough to send Saints into their first league cup final appearance for 55 long years.

There were two changes to the St Mirren starting 11 from the weekend.

Chris Innes was handed a start, so too was Andy Dorman, while Gary Brady and Steven Robb, who both ran out at Easter Road, were on the substitutes bench.

But there was no place in the squad for Old Firm duo Rory Loy and Graham Carey, who signed loan deals with the Buddies until the end of the season.

After a minute played Hugh Murray intercepted a Lee Wallace throw-in and piled forward.

Murray knocked the possession up for Billy Mehmet to chase but Hearts goalkeeper Marian Kello was out quickly to clear.

After seven minutes, good work from Steven Thomson and Michael Higdon saw possession switched to Mehmet.

While Kello collected his low drive, the flag was up for offside.

Moments later, Jack Ross kicked a good ball into the danger zone but Higdon’s header was too tame to trouble Kello.

Ross forced a St Mirren corner off Wallace after 10 minutes, but when the cross came in Lee Mair sent his header agonisingly wide of the right hand post.

Striker Higdon blew a gilt-edged opportunity after 13 minutes when a deflected ball landed kindly at his feet in a dangerous shooting position.

But he tamely stroked a shot off a backtracking defender.

Four minutes later Marius Zaliukas was penalised for a foul on Mehmet.

But the resultant free kick from Ross cannoned off Gordon Smith in the Jambos wall.

Ross again was at the centre of the action when his testing left foot shot at the edge of the box deflected off Zaliukas and zipped fractionally wide for a corner.

A Mehmet angled shot from 16 yards hit the side netting after brilliant play from Dorman.

Hearts forced a couple of corners in succession but the Saints goalmouth remained intact.

Just past the half hour mark David Barron was penalised for a foul on Ian Black and the Jambos had a free kick 30 yards out.

But Paul Gallacher held Michael Stewart’s effort with ease.

Before the break Stewart saw a low chipped effort safely gathered by Gallacher, before Higdon was handed a lecture from referee Charlie Richmond for a clumsy foul on Black.

Early in the second half Murray drove a shot wide from distance after Mehmet played him in, before Thomson and Dorman combined to find Mehmet wide left, but he sent a  right foot effort inches wide of goal.

At the other end, strong defending from Zaliukas prevented Dorman from having a chance to bear down on goalie Kello.

Saints grew in stature and they finally made the breakthrough after 51 minutes.

A lovely cross-field ball from Ross saw Higdon unselfishly dummy it for Mehmet and the Saints striker ran on to smash a sensational right foot shot into the postage stamp corner of the net.

Three minutes later, Saints could have doubled their lead after Mehmet squeezed possession to Dorman and he paced in on goal.

But Kello stood up well to make a fantastic block.

Hearts were rocking on their heels at this point, although Suso Santana and Christian Nade both saw half chances blocked by a brilliant Saints rearguard.

Hearts best chance to equalise arrived with 12 minutes to go when Andrew Driver sent an angled shot heading for the back of the net, but John Potter was there with a crucial goal-line clearance.

Into time added on and Mehmet and Nade were both yellow carded after going head-to-head as tempers frayed.

In the end, this was a comfortable victory for a brilliant St Mirren side who can now look forward to a Hampden final against either St Johnstone or Rangers next month.