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More than a month after their last league outing, Jim Goodwin’s men have stopped a miserable streak of six consecutive Premiership losses
Some of the booty in Paisley’s gloom was still good enough to lift them a point in Hamilton at the bottom of the table
St Mirren: Jak Alnwick 6, Richard Tait 7, Conor McCarthy 6, Joe Shaughnessy 7, Brandon Mason 7, Marcus Fraser 6, Cammy MacPherson 6, Jamie McGrath 7, Jake Doyle-Hayes 6, Ethan Erhahon 7, Kristian Dennis 6
Subs: Lee Erwin (Dennis 57) 4, John Obika (MacPherson 69) 4, Junior Morias (McGrath 80) 3, Sam Foley (Mason 80) 3
Dundee United: Benjamin Siegrist 6, Liam Smith 6, Mark Reynolds 7, Ryan Edwards 6, Jamie Robson 7, Luke Bolton 6, Peter Pawlett 5, Calum Butcher 6, Ian Harkes 6, Nicky Clark 6, Lawrence Shankland 6
Submarines: Dillon Powers (Harkes 57) 4, Marc McNulty (Pawlett 57) 4, Paul McMullan (Bolton 68) 4
New boys Brandon Mason and Jake Doyle-Hayes got off to a good start with the Saints with the promise of many more to come Richard Tait and Jamie also had a terrible brawl on the right flank, with the two emerging with credit But Jamie McGrath shaded them all with a stunning display in the middle of the park The Irishman covered every blade of grass and dug into the ground before being replaced late
Referee David Munro’s most difficult job was keeping track of the ball as the haze set in early in the second half Visibility was extremely poor and it remains questionable whether he saw the foul on Obika by McMullan in the penalty area two minutes from time Booked Mason for a quivering tackle on Bolton while Clark chose a yellow for a seemingly sweet challenge on Erhahon
Jim Goodwin was reportedly gutted for not taking the three points, but delighted with his team’s performance given their enforced absence from league duty St Mirren has proven himself in poor health as he only claimed a draw United boss Micky Mellon was said to have been happy with one point His squad were compact, well-trained and purposeful
However, it should have been so much more for the Buddies, whose entire team was forced to quarantine for a fortnight
A number of positive coronavirus tests have seen them banned from the training ground and asked to self-isolate
Yet despite their time apart, the saints made a real show of solidarity in the darkest conditions
They showed no ill effects from their forced layoff ending the only negative point of a positive posting
But, they were defeated by a combination of tenacious defense from Dundee United and a lack of composure in front of goal
For rubbing salt on their wounds, they were also denied what looked like a stone sentence to death when Paul McMullan tripped John Obika
After seeing their games with Motherwell, Hamilton and Celtic postponed, it was always going to be difficult for the home side
St Mirren debuted new signing Brandon Mason and Jake Doyle-Hayes as they tried to stop their long losing streak in the league
Goodwin revealed his options were severely limited, with a number of his team still not fully recovered after testing positive for the coronavirus
But, despite their limited preparations, the Buddies started off brilliantly and quickly took the lead
Cammy MacPherson should have done better with a free kick on the edge of the box which he smashed into the defensive wall
United defender Mark Reynolds was also forced to make a last-minute clearance as the hosts pressed for an opener
On the other end, Ian Harkes forged a decent opening despite his 25-yard sweep comfortably in a hangout with Jak Alnwick
At 20 minutes United had another close breakout when Reynolds lowered an effort from McGrath, then Jamie Robson made an even better block as the rebound fell inviting for Richard Tait
United have spent the vast majority of the first 45 written in their own box and have been fortunate enough to enter at the break level
St Mirren dominated, but the closest to the goal was a header from Kristian Dennis that was only inches above the post
As the fog rolled in the second half started out much the same way the first ended
The hosts continued to move forward with Mason closing in with a long tilted reach that just swung wide off the post
The impressive McGrath was next to try his hand at a distance to see his weak drive also pass the woodwork
MacPherson was next to take a chance, but again he couldn’t force Benjamin Siegrist to make a save
The missed opportunities started to pile up and Marcus Fraser was next to shoot wide with the goal at his mercy
With visibility rapidly deteriorating as the match progressed, referee David Munro could easily have ended the proceedings
He let the game continue, but it is unlikely that he could have seen the foul on McMullan’s Obika upon death
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St Mirren FC, Dundee United FC, Scottish Premiership
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