WITH the First Division's top two spending their Saturday chilling out , St Johnstone took advantage by brushing aside the challenge of Livingston to just about keep alive their hopes of making it a three-pronged title race. However, with the gap sti
ll a whopping 13 points neither Hamilton nor Dundee will be worrying unduly just yet.
With players of unquestionable ability at this level along with reasonable strength in depth Saints should be far closer to the pacesetters than they currently find themselves, yet as was the case last term, a sluggish start to the campaign seems to have given them too much to do. They won this one at a canter, and the hope will be they can maintain this level of form and cash in on any dip in form by those ahead of them.
It was the hosts who posted the game's first genuine threat with Steven Milne powering over the bar following a nice flowing move, but it was the men from Almondvale who opened the scoring. Liam Fox floated over a free kick and, with the home defence gawping hopelessly, on-loan Gretna striker Colin McMenamin found all the space he needed to divert home his free header.
Saints looked to hit back immediately and midway through the first half Andy Jackson took advantage of yet more festive defending to roof his powerful volley from a tight angle.
With both defences in full pantomime mode more goals seemed inevitable and with the Perth men starting to dominate it was not unexpected when they completed the turnaround three minutes before the break. Liam Craig, on-loan from Falkirk, seized on yet more eye-watering defending to send a miscued 12-yard volley bouncing past Colin Stewart, who compounded the folly of those in front of him by going down in instalments to what appeared to be a wholly saveable shot.
Livingston started the second period perkily and started to force the issue in search of an equaliser. Derek McInnes' men sprang the trap and grabbed a killer third goal with another loan star, this time Celtic's Rocco Quinn, rifling home from the edge of the area with the visiting defence posted missing.
By now the home crowd were lapping it up and the party mood increased as Jackson tapped home having been brilliantly fed by Milne, and Peter MacDonald made it five with a sumptuously controlled volley. There was a late dampener as sub Tomas Pesir netted with the last kick of the ball.
The full article contains 445 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
