St Mirren 0 Kilmarnock 0 – 28 shots but NO GOALS as heroic Trevor Carson display earns Buddies a point
TREVOR CARSON kept Kilmarnock at bay with a trio of top notch second half stops.
This should never have been a stalemate as both teams enjoyed multiple chances to claim all three points. In all, there were 28 attempts at goal.
The visitors had the best of them after the break, though, but Carson was in cracking form and equal to all efforts.
He denied Kyle Lafferty, Rory McKenzie and Jordan Jones while Derek McInnes’s men were in the ascendancy.
And although St Mirren then finished stronger when Declan Gallagher could’ve won it, a share of the spoils was probably fair.
Not that it greatly helps momentum for either side as Stephen Robinson’s side stay fourth and Killie’s second draw in a row kept them 10th.
THE VERDICT
ST MIRREN
Trevor Carson 8, Marcus Fraser 6, Declan Gallagher 6, Charles Dunne 6, Scott Tanser 6, Ryan Strain 7, Keanu Baccus 7, Ethan Erhahon 6, Mark O’Hara 7, Jonah Ayunga 6, Curtis Main 6
SUBS: Alex Grieve (Ayunga 69) 3, Alex Gogic (Erhahon 69) 4, Eamonn Brophy (Main 78) 2, Richard Tait (Tanser 85) 2, Greg Kiltie (Baccus 85) 2.
KILMARNOCK
Zach Hemming 7, Ryan Alebiosu 6, Ash Taylor 6, Joe Wright 7, Chris Stokes 6 Alan Power 7, Blair Alston 7, Danny Armstrong 6, Rory McKenzie 7, Jordan Jones 6, Kyle Lafferty 6
SUBS: Brad Lyons (Alston 62) 4, Ben Chrisene (Alebiosu 62) 3, Christian Doidge (Lafferty 69) 3, Innes Cameron (McKenzie 77) 2, Lewis Mayo (Taylor 77) 2.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Trevor Carson was the reason the home side escaped with a point. Kilmarnock could’ve won the game early in the second period but the Northern Irishman was equal to two fellow countrymen, Kyle Lafferty and Jordan Jones, and also kept out Rory McKenzie. That the Lafferty chance came within 10 seconds of the restart gave Carson a huge shot of confidence to ride the Killie storm out.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Chris Graham was always in control but got busy in the second half and had a few tasty challenges to sort out. Stephen Robinson complained a yellow for Joe Wright for tripping Ayunga as he burst into the penalty box was lenient. Alex Gogic's lunge on Rory McKenzie was borderline, too, but Graham settled for a caution. Danny Armstrong's tangle on the turf with Richard Tait threatened to boil over. But after the winger mouthed off at Saints boss Robinson, he was also booked.
MEN IN THE DUGOUT
Stephen Robinson revealed before the match that Derek McInnes had handed him great advice in the most difficult moments in his managerial career. But the Killie boss and his defence was giving nothing away yesterday. Robinson cut the more frustrated figure as his players couldn't trouble Zach Hemming to a huge degree. Like his visiting pal, he went for it and threw on sub strikers to try and claim victory late on to no avail.
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Ryan Strain returned from injury for Saints as they welcomed Jonah Ayunga back from a one-match ban.
The pair teamed up as the home side crafted a big chance in seven minutes.
Strain’s cute ball over the top played Ayunga in behind on the right but the angle was tight and Zach Hemming blocked with his legs at the near post.
McInnes’s defence underwent a reshuffle after taking four points from two home games last week.
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He played three centre halves - Ash Taylor, Joe Wright and Chris Stokes - as Ryan Alebiosu came in for Lewis Mayo on the right.
Arsenal loan kid Alebiosu’s powerful runs down the right proved a problem for Saints.
He went close after cutting in to fire a shot from the edge of the penalty box. Taylor sent a free header over from a whipped Jones delivery.
Saints got their passing act together midway through the half and a smart move gave Aussie World Cup hopeful Strain a chance to let fly on 34 minutes.
Hemming was unsighted so did well to force away that swerving shot from 20 yards.
Curtis Main said on Friday that not many defences would relish handling his power-packed partnership with Ayunga this season.
They linked up as Main knocked down a Strain set piece into Ayunga’s path. The scuffed left-foot shot certainly was a chance spurned.
As well as the provider of chances for his men, Strain was the destroyer of opportunities at the other end.
He nipped in to prevent Blair Alston testing Carson right in front of goal with a perfectly-timed challenge.
The best chance of the first half fell to St Mirren’s Main man in stoppage time.
The striker hurled himself at Scott Tanser’s cross and fired a diving header inches wide of Hemming’s right-hand post.
But he may feel he should’ve done better with such a good sight of the delivery.
Within seconds of the restart, it was Lafferty with that regretful forward’s feeling.
The Northern Irishman flew out the traps straight from kick-off and charged down defender Charles Dunne’s attempted ball upfield.
That sent him and Danny Armstrong haring in on goal and the veteran opted to go it alone.
Carson got out to close the angles and saved with his right boot.
But striker of Lafferty’s clash and experience should’ve done better to steer a finish beyond the reach in a one v one.
That marked only the start of Carson keeping Kilmarnock out with his shot-stopping excellence.
He spread himself superbly to deny McKenzie at point blank range. The danger didn’t go away but Jones fared no better on the follow-up as Carson recovered in terrific fashion to smother.
Saints boss Robinson argued for red when Wright tripped Ethan Erhahon and received only a caution from ref Chris Graham.
It would probably have taken a mistake or a sending off to give one of the side’s an obvious advantage in an evenly-matched affair.
McInnes gave strikers Christian Doidge then Innes Cameron licence late on to find a killer touch but the service dried up to Killie’s front men.
And Robinson threw on Alex Grieve and Eamonn Brophy as both sides tried to pinch the win.
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Saints finished the contest the more threatening. Mark O’Hara’s free kick dipped into the clutches of Hemming.
And centre half Gallagher’s frustrations at flashing a near post header inches wide from Strain’s corner suggested he thought he should’ve nailed the points.
WHAT THEY SAID
STEPHEN ROBINSON claimed Kilmarnock should’ve beaten his Buddies and thanked Trevor Carson for securing the stalemate.
The St Mirren boss was pleased to come through the hard-fought 90 minutes with a point.
Robbo said: “It certainly wasn’t a classic and, I have to be honest, we didn’t perform to our best levels for whatever reason.
“They know they can be better than that. Worrying, I thought we were brilliant all week and that was the best we’ve trained!
“We had a 15-minute spell at the end of the first half where we looked like ourselves, with good energy and we passed the ball better.
“We created chances, but they did as well. Killie probably deserved to win the game. Trevor gets us a point, we owe him for that.
“His saves were fantastic. He’s an international goalkeeper so we expected that from him.
“That’s why we brought him to the club. That’s vital when you’re not at the top of your game.
“But we still had the character and know-how and defended set pieces well when Killie seemed to get bigger and bigger.
“My boys still ran themselves into the ground and gave me 100 per cent. It’s important you take a point when you don’t play well.”
Robinson insisted there would be no major inquest into the below par display after such a pleasing recent run. Saints stay fourth and have lost only twice in eight league outings.
He said: “The crowd maybe deserved to see a better spectacle but they appreciate where we are, the fact we’re trying to build something and move forward.
“I’ll back these boys to the hilt. We tried to change it, made five changes off the bench but nothing seemed to work. We probably got away with one but that’s that.”
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