Monte Carlo provided many a St Johnstone fan with their most cherished memory from years spent following their team.
It was a wonderful experience for the Perth club when they rubbed shoulders with the millionaires of Monaco back in 1999, coming up against the likes of World Cup winners Fabien Barthez and David Trezeguet. Supporters of an older vintage will perhaps argue that the 3-0 humbling of Hamburg at Muirton Park in 1971 beats that, with the German giants no match for Willie Ormond’s battling side.
Whatever the highlight, there can be no argument that European football is a little bit special. Well, whisper it but many more displays like the one Saints produced at Easter Road on Saturday and more continental competition may be just around the corner.
In a thrilling game that defied the howling gale that swept around the stadium, the visitors were disciplined when they didn’t have the ball and lethal when they did. A stunning late strike from class act Fran Sandaza secured a dramatic victory that took them level on points with Hearts, with a better goal difference just keeping the Tynecastle team in third spot.
It is not just their place in the league that makes you think they can challenge for Europe, though. You can also add to the mix the disciplined and intelligent way they picked off their opponents, the character shown when pegged back and the lethal form of Sandaza. It was impressive stuff.
On-loan debutant Lee Croft opened the scoring on 31 minutes with a low shot that just nicked a post on its way in. St Johnstone subsequently had chances to add to their advantage but instead the hosts levelled through a Leigh Griffiths penalty on 69 minutes.
Just seconds later, terrible defending from Hibs let Liam Craig in to restore the lead.
Hibs made it 2-2 thanks to Callum Booth’s well-struck shot but that only set the stage for man-of-the-match Sandaza to blast home to secure all three points.
He collected the ball on the edge of the box, controlled it expertly, turned brilliantly then finish superbly.
Saints boss Steve Lomas revealed that he had not been happy with Sandaza’s first-half showing and had a word in his ear at half-time.
”We were a little bit disappointed by Fran in the first half,” said Lomas. ”We asked for more from him and he certainly gave us that in the second half. He is quality and he has goals like that in him.”
While all is well with the Perth men, the same can’t be said of Hibernian. They appeared to have turned a corner when they beat Dunfermline the previous weekend but, thanks to the Pars’ amazing victory at Kilmarnock, are now only a point better off than the Fifers.
That all left goalkeeper Mark Brown admitting that it looks like one from two for the drop.
”Inverness won, so it looks as if it will be us and Dunfermline,” he said. ”There is now only a point between us and Dunfermline and they have a game in hand (away to Motherwell tomorrow).
”We have to get back in, roll up sleeves and work hard. There is no other way. We aren’t going to get out of this situation by playing pretty football.
”We have to stand up and be counted as a squad. It’s not just 11 on the park there are times everyone will be needed.
”There is a lot of quality in the squad but when things aren’t going well confidence does go low and it’s not just at our level.”
The last word goes to Lomas, who rightly highlighted just how good a match this was.
”I think it was what the SPL is all about high tempo, honesty and commitment to attack,” he said. ”I thought both teams were a credit to the Premier League.
”It was very blustery out there and hard to gauge what the ball was going to do.
”The game could have been over before it was because we had a few chances at 1-0 and had we scored then it would have been a bit easier for us. But that would have detracted from it as a spectacle, I suppose.”
Saints’ other new recruit Jack Compton looked lively after he came on as a sub to replace Croft with 15 minutes to go.