HAMILTON ACADEMICAL 2, ST JOHNSTONE 4.
THE strangest things happen on Hallowe’en.
Ghosts and ghouls go a-haunting, restless spirits make their malevolent presence known and football teams who find themselves being played off the park for a good half-an-hour somehow manage to end up dishing out a hammering.
Those of us who witnessed this resounding St Johnstone victory can still barely believe it. They were really quite awful against a Hamilton side that looked very much in the mood until Graham Cummins scored against the run of play with five minutes of the first half remaining.
From that point onwards, the complexion of the entire encounter changed very much in the way Jekyll turns to Hyde.
Cummins doubled Saints’ advantage just after the interval with David Wotherspoon and Michael O’Halloran completing the rout and recording a fifth consecutive away win for Saints for the first time since 1996 as poor Accies crumbled.
Jesus Garcia Tena did reduce the deficit with a late set-piece and an even later penalty-kick, but it was no consolation.
Asked if he had any idea what lay in store prior to his opening goal, Cummins replied: “Jesus, no. Is that an actual question?
“They were obviously the better team and our defenders just dug in. The goal just before half-time helped a lot and we knew going out for the second half that we couldn’t be worse than we were in the first.
“No-one in the stadium would have predicted that score after the first 35 minutes.”
Martin Canning, the player-manager of the home side, must dread the very sight of St Johnstone. His last start in central defence came against them in April of this year at New Douglas Park and ended with him being sent off the park.
His return to the side proved to be even more unpleasant with perhaps the most difficult thing to comprehend being the fact that it all started so promisingly.
Gramoz Kurtaj flashed a low shot just wide after six minutes with Christian Nade being denied from close-range by an excellent reflex save from Alan Mannus.
Michael O’Neill, the Northern Ireland manager, was present to keep a close eye on Mannus and Hamilton’s Michael McGovern, currently his number one goalkeeper, and the St Johnstone man certainly gave him food for thought when producing some real acrobatics to tip a cross-cum-shot from Nade over the crossbar midway through the opening period.
McGovern had been a spectator at the other end until Cummins turned the match on its head on 40 minutes by giving the visitors a wholly undeserved lead.
Brian Easton delivered an inviting cross into the heart of the danger area from the left and Cummins timed his run perfectly to beat McGovern to his left with a glancing header.
Four minutes after the break, the visitors doubled their advantage. O’Halloran showed quick feet to make space outside the area and released a fine effort that McGovern did extremely well to save low to his left. Cummins, however, was on hand to rifle an angled effort into the net from the rebound.
Number three duly arrived after the hour. Liam Craig swung a high, looping cross into the area after taking a pass from Cummins, McGovern failed to deal with the danger by palming the ball straight to Wotherspoon and he showed commendable coolness to produce a clinical finish from 12 yards or so.
Within four minutes, it was 4-0. O’Halloran collected the ball midway inside the Hamilton half and advanced to the edge of the box before releasing a quite magnificent right-footed shot that whizzed past the despairing dive of McGovern and into the corner of the net.
“We had total control of the first 40 minutes or so,” said Canning. “However, we didn’t start the second half well and conceded sloppy goals. My legs felt fine during the game, but it was just disappointing to be part of a side that has conceded four goals.”
Garcia Tena did finally get the better of Mannus by bending a terrific free-kick into the net with nine minutes remaining and then converted a penalty in the final minute after Davidson had fouled him, but it was immaterial. Sometimes, not even Jesus can save you.
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