St Johnstone goalkeeper, Andy Fisher, has admitted that the sun got the better of him in the second half of the Perth side’s crucial basement battle at Dens Park.
But more importantly, he managed to make sure the Dundee players didn’t do the same.
With a low setting sun in his eyes around the hour mark, Fisher picked up a Barry Douglas back-pass.
Referee, Steven McLean, correctly awarded the home side an indirect free-kick in the box.
The Saints players were forced to defend it from their goal-line and Fisher redeemed himself by charging down Simon Murray’s low effort.
With a cap put on, and then taken off again, the on-loan Swansea City man continued to keep Dundee at bay – a spectacular injury-time save to tip a dipping Lyall Cameron 25-yarder over the bar the highlight of a commanding last 15 minutes performance.
And, as was the case in the dying minutes against Ross County in midweek, Fisher had helped increase his team’s points total and continue their Premiership survival momentum.
“I couldn’t see a thing,” he said.
“It looked like the player nicked in and toed it through to me, but obviously he didn’t.
“So yes, the cap went on and the cap didn’t help one bit!
“It’s a long time ago that I last picked up a back pass.
“The lads were asking what we were going to do, and I was like: ‘I’m not sure to be honest!’
“Luckily, I made the save.”
Good result?
Straight after the match, Fisher hadn’t made up his mind whether Saints had gained a point at Dens or dropped two.
“It was a scruffy game,” he said. “We didn’t play as much as we wanted to play.
“I don’t think we performed the best.
“We were disappointed with the result, but then again it could have gone the other way, and we could have been six points behind them.
“I think if we had held on to our lead (earned by a Makenzie Kirk header on 40 minutes) and got into half-time winning, the result could well have been different, and we would have come away with three points.
“But it’s football, it didn’t happen (Dundee equalised through Simon Murray) and we’ve just got to keep our head up now and go again.
“I don’ think we defended the second ball well enough. It’s just one of them.”
Fisher added: “It’s a chance missed but it’s not the end of the world because we are still in touching distance.
“All we need is one win, results go our way, and we’re back in there.
“The pressure is on both Dundee and us to do well and see who comes out on top.
“We’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Fisher is loving life at McDiarmid Park, having become Saints’ first January signing of eight.
“I think my last league game before coming here was something like 17 months ago,” said the former Blackburn Rovers and MK Dons man.
“It’s just nice to get a run of games now.
“Obviously, three games in a week takes a toll on the body.
“But yeah, it’s something I wanted to come and do, play games and try and help the team out.
“I’m really enjoying it.”
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