IT could be said the choice of music by the stadium DJ was a premonition for what was to come.
As the rain relentlessly fell on McDiarmid Park, Bob Marley reassured the handful of punters who turned up that everything would be all right.
It would prove to be a fine choice as St Johnstone's win over Queen's Park failed to warm the hearts, or anything else for that matter, of the 1304 souls huddled in the ground for this scrappy affair. The Clydesdale Bank Premier League side failed to kill off the threat of their third division visitors early on, with a first-half brace from Steven MacLean and two late strikes from Murray Davidson and Liam Craig eventually killing off their challenge.
"We were well-beaten," said Gardner Speirs, the Queen's Park coach. "We got back into the game but we failed to take a grip of it. We made mistakes and were punished and you'd expect that. St Johnstone deserved their win."
In truth, both sides deserve credit for their approach and commitment to play the ball on the slippery turf, but it failed to stick. However, only the profligacy of the hosts' play could be blamed for not making their evening's work a little more comfortable. MacLean managed to miss two open goals in the first half, while Nigel Hasselbaink and Steven Anderson both failed to convert glaring chances.
MacLean redeemed himself by bundling the ball home through a ruck of defenders from David Robertson's corner after 17 minutes to give the Clydesdale Bank Premier League side the lead but it did not take the amateurs long to rattle their hosts. First, Jamie Longworth drew a save from stand-in goalkeeper Jonny Tuffey, before Michael Keenan's speculative 35-yard shot skidded off the turf and into the net to bring the third division side level.
Queen's Park, however, failed to build on that foothold and found themselves trailing again five minutes before the break, this time MacLean controlling a Davidson pass before firing home from just inside the box.
In the second half the valiant efforts of the Glasgow side proved fruitless as they gradually were forced further back into their own half as St Johnstone pressed to kill the game off. However, it took the intervention of referee Kevin Clancy to give Lomas' side the platform to seal their place in the next round. Any hope the visitors had of mounting a late assault was ended on 73 minutes when Andrew Robertson was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge on Gary Miller.
The victory and St Johnstone's safe passage through to the quarter-finals was sealed just 90 seconds later, Gregory Tade's lay-off to Davidson allowing him to pick his spot beyond Neil Parry.
There was still time, though, for the home side to round off a disappointing night for the Queen's fans, substitute Liam Craig volleying home to ensure everything did, indeed, turn out all right. Well, for St Johnstone, at least.
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