St Johnstone legend Alan Main has brought his playing career with the Perth club to an emotional end at McDiarmid Park.
A turnout of 4555 far exceeded that anticipated by the player’s testimonial committee and reflected the regard fans have for the club’s record appearance holder.
Main admitted this may have been the final match of his long career, but if Saturday’s game is to be his last hurrah, then it was a fitting sendoff.
The visit of a hugely talented young Manchester United team, coached by European Cup winner Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, had just about everything fans could have wanted with the exception of a win for the departing Main.
By the time they left, they had witnessed five goals, Main playing for both teams, the home side playing albeit briefly with 12 men and the sight of a 17-year-old Rangers star with an awfully familiar surname scoring an equaliser for Saints, 20 minutes before coming off the bench as a second-half substitute.
Main walked out to rapturous applause and an honour guard provided by both teams before pulling on a Manchester United shirt for a brief cameo in the visitors’ goal.
From the off, the visitors looked sharper and quicker, with captain Magnus Eikrem probing from midfield, Northern Ireland under-21 winger Oliver Norwood causing problems with his movement and crossing and Joshua King looking powerful up front.
United took a rather fortuitous early lead in the ninth minute when an attempted clearance by Liam Caddis cannoned off an unwitting Norwood and past the despairing reach of Saints starting keeper Graeme Smith.
Thereafter Saints were repeatedly tested by the busy visitors who were a constant threat to their back four, while the home side looked to the physical presence of new loan signing Marcus Haber and the assured passing and crosses of Liam Craig to get back into the game.
United went further ahead in the 25th minute as Eikrem sprayed the ball wide to Norwood, whose low cross was swept past Smith from the edge of the six-yard box by the on-rushing King as defenders looked on.
The second half brought an improved performance from Saints.
It also brought a first goal in a Saints shirt for Marcus Haber, who looked strong and pacey throughout, though not before United’s Eikrem had struck Smith’s post with a curling shot.
Haber’s goal came in the 63rd minute and was made by Craig, whose excellent diagonal ball in behind United’s defence allowed the 21-year-old Canadian to run through and slide it past the advancing Johnstone.
The home fans had to wait just four minutes for the equaliser, which came courtesy of a Scottish variant on American football’s special teams plays a move that could surely only have been seen in a testimonial match.
Haber was clipped by Oliver Gill as he turned into the United box and the resulting penalty provided Saints boss Derek McInnes with the perfect opportunity to summon Main junior from the bench.
The youngster had been given special dispensation to play in his dad’s big game by Rangers boss Walter Smith and Main senior admitted later that Nicholas had been delighted with the chance to score against Manchester United.
In a blink-and-you-missed-it cameo, he confidently swept the ball into the back of the net and then to warm applause and congratulations from 11 other on-field Saints players headed back to the bench.
He remained there until the 85th minute, when he returned to the pitch, this time as a substitute alongside his dad, who was given a standing ovation for his final appearance in a Saints shirt.
Just two minutes later, however, the visitors proved they’d failed to read the script, with Nicky Ajose atoning for an earlier miss by cutting in from the left to curl the ball past the Saints defence and Main to make it 3-2 to the visitors.
Main later joked that, despite his disappointment at conceding, he’d be trying to claim win and clean-sheet bonuses from United coach Solskjaer.
The final image for the home fans, however, was that of the goalkeeper trotting up into the visitors’ box for a last-minute corner.
Sadly, there was to be no “Jimmy-Glass” goal for Main, while a bundled Saints shot was stopped on the line by United’s third keeper of the afternoon, Chris Blackhouse.
Main said afterwards he’d been delighted with the whole day and thanked fans for their support over the years.
“St Johnstone means a lot to me and the fans here in Perth have played a big part in my career,” he said.
Main said of the penalty, “I’d always wanted Nicholas to play a part in the game and the penalty award really was perfect.
“Fans and players were shouting for me to come on and step up, but I wanted him to take it.
“He’s delighted. He got to score against Manchester United.”
The keeper admitted that while it was certainly his last game for Saints, it could also be the last of his career, with a thumb injury still troubling him.
The veteran had been hoping to find a new club after leaving Perth, but has had his efforts hampered by that injury.
He admitted, “It looks as if everyone has their goalkeepers now.
“I will keep myself fit and see what happens, but with smaller squads and with money tight everywhere it could be difficult.
“I would like to stay in the game, whether as a player or as a coach.”