STRIKERS seek solace in the strangest places when things aren't going their way – glances to the heavens, a perceived divot in the turf, or even the inside of their own shirt.
Nigel Hasselbaink spent yesterday's visit of Kilmarnock checking in all the usual spots before finally unearthing some comfort at the bottom of a pile of his team-mates.
The exuberant celebration which greeted the St Johnstone forward's late goal served as a poignant illustration of his side's collective efforts in securing a sixth successive win to lift the club into second spot in the SPL, yet it was also a sign that all was forgiven after 90 minutes spent spurning their best chances.
The most glaring had been the hardest to watch. It came after 62 minutes, Gregory Tade running in behind the Kilmarnock defence before teeing up his diminutive team-mate to nudge a shot in to an open goal. Instead, the Dutchman bundled an effort wide from all of eight yards, causing him to stare despondently at the pitch. Tade looked as though he wanted to bury him under it.
They can laugh about it now, of course. Winning can put a gloss on most incidents, and the points were secured when the pair combined in the final minute; Hasselbaink mercifully recovering his composure to round Cammy Bell and tuck a shot into the corner of the net to add to Murray Davidson's earlier strike.
"I've told Nigel that I don't care how many he misses as long as he keeps getting in there," said St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas. "I will give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe it was a bobble."
Hasselbaink had hardly ingratiated himself to his team-mates in the first half when he conceded an unnecessary free-kick not far outside the penalty area by grabbing Rory McKeown. Goalkeeper Alan Mannus was left grasping at air as Cillian Sheridan skelped the ball off a post.
The former St Johnstone striker had been tipped as the most likely nuisance – scoring four goals in as many games will make you a person of interest, at least – and his movement helped to engineer space for James Fowler, only for the midfielder's ill-judged first touch to allow the hosts to get away scot-free. Fowler gained a small measure of redemption when he turned in a shot in stoppage time but his goal meant little else by that stage.
It was somewhat unexpected that it arrived at all. St Johnstone are playing with a sense of confidence inspired by their form and the grasp in which they held this match suggested they are unlikely to relinquish it any time soon. Hasselbaink blazed past McKeown after 17 minutes, only for his cut-back to prove too heavy for Davidson, but the move sparked a series of enterprising forays from the home side.
Steven Anderson and Tade had both failed to profit from opportunities before Davidson put St Johnstone ahead after 29 minutes. A corner brought another header from Anderson which Bell could only parry and Davidson hooked the ball into the net. "We are probably getting a little bit of fortune," said Lomas.
What Kilmarnock would do to be able to say something similar. Sheridan's volley was parried by Mannus early in the second half, but there was a suspicion that only an act of larceny was going to be enough to pilfer any points. Even then it wasn't enough.
Kilmarnock's frustration culminated in a booking for Liam Kelly after Tade went down under the faintest touch from the midfielder. Kelly was cautioned for his protestations but there was little argument that St Johnstone had earned their win, Hasselbaink scoring before the consolation from Fowler.
"The better team won on the day," said Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article