St Johnstone 1-1 St Mirren

Mar 9 2008 Mark Guidi At Mcdiarmid Park

Dour Struggle Served Up To Uefa Bigwig

MICHEL PLATINI must have regretted leaving the five-star surroundings of Gleneagles to come and suffer this one-star Cup battle.

The UEFA chief usually takes his seat for epic Champions League clashes, top internationals and World Cup Finals.

So the scrap between Scotland's Saints would have been a culture shock for the legendary Frenchman who was in the country for a FIFA summit.

A draw was just about right as Buddies midfielder Andy Dorman added to his winner in the last round against Dundee United to keep St Mirren's dream alive.

The Perth side took the lead through a first-half Liam Craig penalty but couldn't hang on as Dorman lined up a replay on March 18 with the leveller in 73 minutes.

And with a potential semi-final against Rangers up for grabs the stakes couldn't be higher for that Love Street clash.

With a howling wind and a surface more suited to rugby, this was never going to be a classic.

However, it was never expected to be instantly forgettable either.

I've never been to a game where so many passes have gone wildly out of play. There was hardly any composure on display.

The football in the first half was poor although First Division St Johnstone were more attractive to watch.

Derek McInnes' men had more attempts on goal and Kevin Rutkiewicz came close with a header after 14 minutes.

Former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris stood out and was the only player who never wasted a pass.

He harassed St Mirren's players throughout and looks as though he should be playing at a higher level.

Beside him, Craig had plenty of the ball and kept things neat and tidy.

St Johnstone looked the likelier to score and got their noses in front after 23 minutes - although it was a goal the Buddies should have avoided.

Stevie Milne's ball across the box should have been cleared by Hugh Murray. However, the midfielder hesitated and didn't see Goran Stanic on his shoulder.

The Perth full-back nipped in to take the ball and was fouled by Murray for a clear penalty.

Craig stepped up and slotted his penalty low to Chris Smith's left with the keeper diving in the opposite direction.

Saints almost increased their lead three minutes later when Peter MacDonald's excellent first touch killed a high ball.

He cracked in a 20-yard effort but Smith smothered well.

St Mirren just weren't in the game at this stage and too many of their players were anonymous.

Marc Corcoran is usually a threat but he couldn't get on the ball. The only comforting thing for the Buddies was that keeper Smith dominated his box.

The SPL side's only first-half effort came from David van Zanten after he played a one-two with Gary Mason.

But the defender's shot from the edge of the box was a yard past Alan Main's left-hand post.

Gus MacPherson was gutted with his side's display and made a change during the interval as midfielder Stephen McGinn came on for Murray.

St Johnstone still had more of the ball however and almost hit a second after the break.

On-loan Falkirk star Craig sent in a corner and Andy Jackson's header was cleared off the line by van Zanten. MacPherson changed the shape of his side a few times as he went in search of of a leveller.

Striker Stewart Kean came on for defender Ian Maxwell in 72 minutes and the move had an immediate impact.

Kean won a ball in the air and found Craig Dargo who knocked on for Dorman to chase.

The midfielder ran past the sleeping defence and coolly lobbed over Perth keeper Main from 17 yards.

Dorman is becoming a cup talisman after his winner against United at Tannadice and boss MacPherson certainly enjoyed the Englishman's goal.

He was more than happy to let the opposition fans see him celebrating as they had been been giving him pelters earlier in the match. Both sides were keen to avoid a replay and had a go at snatching a winner.

Saints gaffer McInnes brought on big man Kevin James and put him up front as they opted to launch high balls.

He caused the Buddies problems and almost scored with a header. But Smith held his effort at the second attempt after Jackson came close to pouncing as the ball bobbled around.

There wasn't to be a winner and let's hope for an improvement in the replay. Not that Platini will be there for that one.

REF WATCH

DOUGIE McDONALD got just about everything right in this cup tie. Can be pleased with his performance although the players never presented him with too many problems. Quarter-finals can be fiery showdowns but this game was played in a decent spirit throughout. Rating: 6/10.