St Johnstone extended their unbeaten run to five games with a narrow, if well-deserved, victory over Motherwell at McDiarmid Park.
The win was sweet revenge for a 4-0 thrashing the last time the sides met in the league at Fir Park in November and increases Saints’ chances of securing their coveted top-six finish.
The Perth side grabbed three points thanks to a second-half Liam Craig penalty, a spot-kick that Well hotly disputed.
Saints boss Derek McInnes said, “I thought the players worked extremely hard from start to finish and I think everyone played their part. I did not think there was a lot in the game but we edged it and got our break with the penalty kick.
“It was a welcome three points and I think we just about deserved it. I was not sure about the penalty at the time but, having seen it again, I can understand why the referee awarded it.”
McInnes made two changes from the team which drew 0-0 with St Mirren at the weekend, bringing in Craig for Peter MacDonald and handing 18-year-old striker Stevie May his first start in the side at the expense of Sam Parkin.
“Dour” was the word most often used to describe Saturday’s encounter and the same adjective could be employed to sum up the opening stages of this game as both sides struggled to settle on the now notorious McDiarmid Park playing surface.
In the 14th minute, May was the centre of attention in the first moment of note unfortunately for him, for all the wrong reasons. He cut into the Motherwell box and tumbled spectacularly under a challenge from Stephen Craigan, a fall that referee Calum Murray deemed a dive, and the official issued an swift yellow card.
Stuart McCall’s side stormed back up the park and the lightning-quick Chris Humphrey, who had given Danny Grainger a torrid time in the last game between the sides in November, again skinned the left-back before hitting the byeline and pulling a ball back towards John Sutton. The striker’s close-range effort was cleared off the line by Michael Duberry and then Dave Mackay got in the way of Jamie Murphy’s follow-up attempt.
Just before the half-hour mark Saints fashioned a chance out of nothing when Grainger sent a speculative cross towards May in the Motherwell box. The teenager looked to have little chance of doing much with it but he spun acrobatically in mid-air to control the ball before sending a cross to the back post where Chris Millar making his 100th appearance for the club could not deliver enough power with his header to trouble keeper Darren Randolph.
Power was not a problem when the next opportunity arose in the 38th minute as Murphy hit a fierce 22-yarder just past Peter Enckelman’s post after capitalising on a Craig error just outside his own box.
Saints finished the half strongly with May and Collin Samuel causing the Motherwell defence a lot of headaches. It was Samuel who set up Craig for the last chance of the first 45 on the edge of the Steelmen’s area but he blasted his shot wildly over.
The second period began with May again looking the most likely to break the deadlock and he came mighty close to doing so in the 55th minute. Samuel played him in down the left and the youngster cut inside Shaun Hutchinson before attempting to carefully place the ball past Randolph from just inside the penalty area. However, the keeper dived to his left to pull off an outstanding save.
Shortly after, Millar’s century of appearances was blighted by a soft yellow card for handball. However, he and the rest of the Saints players were celebrating in the 61st minute. Grainger swung a corner to the far post where Craigan was adjudged to have barged into the back of Duberry by referee Murray, who had no hesitation in pointing to the spot despite vehement Well protests. Craig stepped up to take the penalty and calmly stroked the ball into the back of the net, sending Randolph the wrong way.
To add insult to injury, Craigan was booked for his protests.
May, who had put in a power of running, was withdrawn for Cleveland Taylor in the 72nd minute and the youngster received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Saints fans.
Seven minutes later, those supporters had a big scare when the dangerous Humphrey again cut inside from the Motherwell right and skipped past a couple of challenges before hitting a shot which fizzed inches past Enckelman’s far post.
Motherwell were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position a couple of yards outside Saints’ penalty area after Steven Anderson pulled back Sutton in the 86th minute. Steven Hammell took the free-kick but could only hit it off the St Johnstone wall.
Then, deep in stoppage time, Motherwell were awarded a corner and threw everyone including keeper Randolph forward but it was cleared by Duberry who hit the ball towards Taylor. He looked favourite to win the loose ball and hit it into the empty net but Humphrey came racing back to nick it off him.
McInnes paid tribute to May’s contribution saying, “To be fair, we have thought about putting him in from the start for a while because he is a player we have high hopes for. We were really pleased with his work. It is important that he enjoyed that and wants more of it. I am sure we will see more of him before the end of the season.”
Motherwell boss McCall was far from happy about the penalty award and said, “It is hugely disappointing. There was a half-hearted appeal at the penalty from Duberry but everyone else was stunned when the referee gave it. The fourth official said it was because he was not looking at the ball, he was looking at the man. If that was a penalty, then there’s going to be an awful lot more in the SPL.”
Attendance 2268.
St Johnstone Enckelman, Mackay, Grainger, Anderson, Duberry, Morris, Davidson, Millar, Craig (Maybury 88), May (Taylor 72), Samuel (MacDonald 77). Subs not used-Smith, Parkin, MacDonald, Caddis, Reynolds.
Motherwell Randolph, Saunders, Hammell, Craigan, Hateley (Pollok 77), Humphrey, Jennings, Murphy (Casagolda 71), Sutton, Jones, Hutchinson. Subs not used-Hollis, Forbes, Page, Meechan, Charalambous.
Referee Calum Murray.