Callum Davidson believed his side did everything but score at McDiarmid Park after they failed to make the most of a multitude of chances.
Saints could justifiably feel aggrieved to only take one point instead of maximum against Dundee United after dominating the large majority of the clash. The story was a similar one for visitors, who survived an onslaught on their goal, and relied on a stunning last minute save from Benjamin Siegrist, to earn themselves a point.
Davidson said, when asked if he believed his side should have won: “When you dominate the game for 80 minutes, I’m really frustrated for the lads that we didn’t take three points.
“I thought he (Siegrist) produced two or three really top class saves today, and kept them in the game, that’s what he’s paid for and on another day we might have scored two or three and won the game comfortably. But I’d rather take that performance and that type of energy for the full 90 minutes.
“{We’re} undefeated in four, you look at that {and} stay positive, a clean sheet in a game we might have lost at the start of the season 1-0, so we will take the positives.”
The hosts sat two points behind their Tayside rivals pre-match, but there was arguably more optimism surrounding the fortunes of Davidson’s men following 12 goals in their previous two matches. And despite struggling to get a foothold in the match early on, as the half grew on so did Saints control of exchanges, demonstrated by their glut of chances. Stevie May, buoyed by his recent upturn in form, forced Siegrist into a save after ten minutes when he sprang into action with the game’s first chance, but after taking the ball well in his stride he couldn’t find a way past the ‘keeper from a tight angle.
Jason Kerr should have opened his season account midway through the half when he met a Craig Conway corner, but the skipper was let down by the precision of his firm header which was sent narrowly wide of the target. Soon after David Wotherspoon, who United struggled to cope with throughout, broke into the box and flashed a ball across the face of goal but there were no takers in blue. Scott Tanser then showed composure to pick up the resulting loose ball and whipped a shot narrowly wide on his weaker right foot from distance.
United did remain somewhat of a threat, with Lawrence Shankland providing the link between defence and attack, but any chances were few and far between. After lacking an offensive outlet in their previous games Micky Mellon opted to field Nicky Clark, Marc McNulty and Shankland together in a front three. While they lacked natural width they were at times able to find space in between the lines, but chances were at a minimum with an early McNulty effort the only real opportunity worth noting.
Davidson’s side continued on the front foot after the restart, while United did have a little more invention they rarely had any spells of control. The impressive Danny McNamara created a chance form nothing early in the second when he picked out Wotherspoon, who was close to finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box. The midfielder would come closest to an elusive goal when his fierce drive from distance forced a good stop from Siegrist low to his right moments after.
The game started to open up as United tried to fashion an opening which presented both sides with more space to try and exploit. Mellon brought Liam Smith on for McNulty in an effort to quash the home sides superiority but despite their continued lack of an outlet, their defence continued to hold strong as Saints grew frustrated. It did look as though the deserved goal may come moments before the game’s conclusion, but Siegrist made a world class save from Murray Davidson when his bullet header seemed goal bound following a corner.
Following last weekend’s draw with Aberdeen, Mellon said his side needed time to adjust to the demands of the Premiership. And despite their lack of offensive threat, he was again pleased with their defensive display.
He said: “We need to get better at that first pass or find the runs of that front three or they have to retain it {the ball} a little bit better, but in order to do that you have to get the platform right and the platform comes from defending properly, getting those clean sheets and that allows us to go and try and grow something.
“We want to be better at the other end of the pitch, but coming to St Johnstone at any time, you offer me a clean sheet and a point and I would hazard a guess that I would probably accept that.”
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