St Mirren 2
Dundee 1
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

Newspaper extract from The Sunday Post.

It's a hard life being a goalkeeper....and it's even tougher when your own fans are after your blood, writes a Sunday Post Reporter.

St Mirren's first-choice 'keeper, Campbell Money, has been sidelined for the past month after an appendix operation. I'll bet he's swamped by get-well cards this week from dis- gruntled Saints fans.

Certainly, Jim Stewart's blunder right on half-time gave Dundee a totally undeserved equaliser. And it let them back into a game in which up to then they had played little part.

But I don't think there was any need for the cat-calls that echoed round the stand every time Stewart collected a passback in the second half.

And the Love Street fans had plenty to be grateful for from the ex- Rangers 'keeper when he kept them in the game in 69 minutes. Walker McCall was through all on his own, but Stewart's dive saved the day. However, to the goal that upset Saints' fans. McCall's cross from the left dipped under the bar, the ball squirmed through Jim's hands, bounced agonisingly on the line, and Ray Stephen popped up to prod it into the net.

To say it was against the run of play is the understatement of the year. Saints had gone ahead three minutes earlier when Scanlon sent Carson the wrong way from the penalty spot after McKinlay had brought down McDowall.

Up to then Dundee 'keeper Tom Carson had kept his team in the game. In 14 minutes he instinctively touched Abercrombie's drive on to the post. Next he dived at McAvennie's feet to turn the striker's effort over the bar.

Then he had an incredible double save to deny Saints. Again at full stretch he stopped McAvennie's drive, and as the ball bobbed on the line, he got a fingertip to it to thwart the onrushing McDowall.

But he could do nothing to prevent Saints' winner. McAvennie latched on to a return pass from Rooney and from 12 yards firmly planted the ball out of Carson's reach for his ninth goal of the season.

Best for the home side were Clarke, Fitzpatrick, McAvennie and Scanlon. For Dundee, Forsyth, ex-Saint McCormack and Rafferty did well along with Carson.

There were four bookings-Tosh McKinlay for disputing the penalty decision; Frank McAvennie for a high tackle on Carson; Glennie for trying to administer his idea of justice at this incident; McCormack for dissent.