An uninspiring Tayside derby got the result it deserved a goalless draw.
This was a match best forgotten, with neither team putting up a convincing case for taking all three points. There was barely a near miss, let alone a goal. Both managers felt the heavy and uneven McDiarmid Park surface was the main reason for what was played out.
Saints boss Derek McInnes said, “There was a lot of effort and endeavour out there but the pitch makes it difficult to take a touch and play. It just doesn’t allow it. I never felt we were in danger of losing a goal, and that’s now six clean sheets in a row at home which is a great achievement.
“Unfortunately there’s going to be a lot more of those type of games in the remainder of the season, and not just at McDiarmid.”
United’s Peter Houston said, “It wasn’t a classic but the pitch was never going to allow that. The ball was bobbling about all over the place and if there was going to be a goal it would probably have come from a mistake.
“It’s not St Johnstone’s fault. The severe winter has killed a lot of Scotland’s pitches. You feel sorry for the fans but you can’t blame the players.”
McInnes made three changes to the team which went down at Inverness on Saturday, with Jamie Adams, Collin Samuel and Cleveland Taylor all starting. Sam Parkin broke his ankle in training on Monday and is out for the season, while Chris Millar has a hamstring strain, and Stevie May was on the bench.
For United Craig Conway and Timothy van der Meulen replaced Barry Douglas and Garry Kenneth. Conway was involved on four minutes when he sent over a teasing cross from the left which flashed across goal. David Robertson nearly connected at the back post but it flew out for a goal-kick.
Saints’ first effort of note came on eight minutes when lone striker Samuel turned his marker in the box and got a shot away. It failed to trouble keeper Dusan Pernis, however. A pinpoint Paul Dixon cross field pass picked out David Robertson at the edge of the box. The midfielder headed the ball into the danger area where Johnny Russell had two attempts to steer the ball past Peter Enckelman, but the Finnish internationalist won the battle on both occasions.
Midway through the half there was the rare sight of Michael Duberry out on the right touchline. The centre-back found Murray Davidson around eight yards out with his cross but the midfielder couldn’t keep his header down.
United then won a free-kick some 35 yards from goal. Prince Buaben shot directly but never looked like working Enckelman from that range and his weak effort trundled past. Just after the half-hour mark Goodwillie darted through the Saints backline, but a clumsy touch took the ball out of his control when he was in a promising position.
Two minutes before the break Davidson crossed low from the left to Dave Mackay. The full-back had a swing with his left foot from just inside the area but Sean Dillon cleared from the six-yard line.
There was hope that there might have been a improvement on a drab first half when Keith Watson let fly from around 25 yards out. The shot grazed off a home defender on its way and United were awarded a corner. It was taken by Conway and Dillon rose highest but the Irishman couldn’t find the target.
On 50 minutes a Taylor cross was unconvincingly cleared by United and the ball fell to Davidson whose fierce shot was brilliantly saved by Pernis. The action was hotting up now and on 54 minutes Pernis got a hand to a Mackay cross but the Slovakian only helped the ball on to Liam Craig beyond the back post. He fired the ball back in first time and Scott Robertson got a timely touch to divert it away.
The away side were next to threaten and Enckelman was called upon to turn a Goodwillie 25 yarder round his right-hand post. McInnes made a substitution on 55 minutes, replacing the ineffective Taylor with May. Saints were getting joy down the right flank, from where full-back Mackay picked out Davidson on 62 minutes. The former Livingston man shaved the far post with his first- time volley.
On 73 minutes Conway made way for Danny Swanson. The match was back in one of its lengthy periods of slumber. Speculative shots from far out were the only attempts on goal by this stage, with Russell unsuccessfully having a go from 30 yards. On 87 minutes May was picked out on the run by Davidson but he got the ball tangled up in his feet and mishit his shot.
United’s evening was summed up when Goodwillie stumbled after David Robertson tried to find him in the box when they had numbers forward in stoppage time. The last effort of the match came from Swanson-a well-hit 20 yarder that Enckelman gathered into his body. Goodwillie, Watson, Adam and Duberry were all booked in the second half.
Attendance: 3507.