First Team

MATCH PREVIEW | ST JOHNSTONE (A)

3rd May 2023

ST JOHNSTONE V DUNDEE UNITED
CINCH PREMIERSHIP
3PM SATURDAY 6TH MAY
MCDIARMID PARK

We kick off our post-split schedule with a trip to McDiarmid Park to clash with St Johnstone.

Saints' Story of the Season

St Johnstone are a team in turmoil, finding themselves without a permanent manager heading into the final five games after dismissing club legend Calum Davidson, who steered his side to an unprecedented double during the 2020/21 campaign.

The Perth outfit endured a miserable conclusion to the first round of Premiership fixtures, with just two wins in 16 matches. The most recent came at Tannadice on Matchday 25. 

When the whistle blew on a sodden afternoon in the City of Discovery, Saints boasted a ten-point lead over the Terrors, However, victory on Saturday for the visitors would see United leapfrog St Johnstone into ninth place.

Saints' lack of potency up top and laissez-faire attitude towards their defensive duties has finally caught up on them as they begin to look over their shoulder rather than towards Livingston and Motherwell ahead.

Since Christmas Eve, they have rippled the back of the net just 11 times. At the other end, they have conceded a whopping 29 goals, there-in underlining the mammoth task interim manager and 2014 Scottish Cup Winner Steven MacLean has on his hands to arrest the slump before the conclusion of the campaign.

Tale of the Tape

Both sides have struggled to find home comforts when clashing, with this fixture producing a win for the visitors on all three occasions this season.

The first meeting saw St Johnstone run out 2-1 victors at Tannadice despite a late resurgence from the Terrors, with first-half strikes from Melker Hallberg and Stevie May enough to take the three points back down the A90.

In the return leg at McDiarmid Park, United secured the perfect start to 2023 as Tony Watt's 80th-minute strike was the difference in a tightly-contested affair.

Watch the highlights from that match below!

Finally, the aforementioned match in February left a bumper home support disappointed when Saints claimed their third consecutive win at Tannadice.

Facts and Figures

United have not tasted defeat in Perth in almost eight years, with three draws and three wins in our subsequent visits.

St Johnstone have won a mere three home matches this season - 61% of their points have been garnered away from McDiarmid.

In the last six cinch Premiership games, no team has picked up fewer points than St Johnstone's two.

St Johnstone are one of three teams (outside of the Old Firm themselves) to have beaten either Rangers or Celtic during 2022/23, as strikes from James Brown and ex-Rangers and United striker Nicky Clark sent the blue half of Glasgow back home empty-handed in November. 

Ryan Gauld found the back of the net on his full debut for United at McDiarmid Park.

Talking Tactics

In his one match in the hot seat, MacLean employed a 4-4-1-1 rather than the 5-3-2 utilised by his predecessor. This could, however, merely have been chosen to mirror the shape of their opponents, Hibernian, who used the same formation.

The 40-year-old made the call to drop experienced midfielders Melker Hallberg and Jamie Murphy to the bench for the clash with the Hibees.

This left David Wotherspoon drifting in and around lone frontman Stevie May, with the Canadian international supported in the middle by the conservative duo of Daniel Phillips and Cameron MacPherson.

A visibly energetic and motivated Saints side managed to stop the run of successive defeats by battling to a 1-1 draw.

A high line of engagement forced David Marshall into an early mistake which Wright almost capitalised on, and they displayed an evident desire to whip crosses into the box at the earliest opportunity, executing three times more than Hibs throughout the 90 minutes. 

Saints may feel slightly disappointed not to have picked up maximum points given the visitors played most of the second period with a man fewer however it is a step in the right direction for a side who have endured a torrid time since the turn of the year.

Predicted XI: Matthews, McGowan, Gordon, Considine, Montgomery, Wright, McPherson, Phillips, Wotherspoon, Murphy, May.

Memorable Matchup

On the penultimate day of the 2000/01 campaign, United headed to Perth second-bottom of the Premiership table, with a three-point buffer between themselves and St Mirren at the foot of the division.

As the Paisley outfit possessed a severely inferior goal difference, the Terrors headed south in the knowledge a victory would secure their top-flight status for the following season.

However, Alex Smith's men deviated from the script, allowing the home side to race into a two-goal lead by the break, with their survival hopes appearing to be hanging by a thread heading into Matchday 38

The turning point came three minutes after the restart when Paul Hartley was given his marching orders for a horrendous, lunging challenge on Charlie Miller.

A man heavier and determined to ensure the relegation uncertainty didn't spill over onto the final day, United staged a sensational fightback.

With 65 minutes on the clock, Miller pounced on a mistake from Alan Main to half the deficit and make amends for his earlier spot-kick error.

Then, Craig Easton nodded home the equaliser inside the final ten minutes to set up a grandstand finish.

With nerves shredding amongst the Tangerine Army as news filtered through of St Mirren's victory over Aberdeen, Derek Lilley stepped forward to write his name into United folklore.

An 88th-minute stramash in the area culminated in the ball sitting up nicely for the frontman and he lashed home on the turn, sparking unforgettable scenes amongst the huge travelling support who spilled onto the pitch in celebration!

Watch the highlights, courtesy of Arab Archive, below! 

One To Watch

The ever-present Drey Wright has been St Johnstone's stand-out performer this season, playing 94% of his side's available minutes. 

Wright is a versatile, predominantly right-sided wide man, who has been utilised in a multitude of positions across the park.

Most of his action has come as an attacking-minded wingback who enjoys bombing forward and whipping crosses into the opposition penalty area, whilst also posing a threat with his long-range shooting ability.

Having hit the back of the net six times, he has contributed almost 20% of Saints' 2022/23 goal haul.

The Englishman was relieved of his defensive duties in his last outing, deployed as an out-and-out winger with veteran Ryan McGowan supporting from the rear, and we can perhaps expect to see Wright given this free role this weekend.

HEAR FROM INSIDE THE CAMP

Both Jim Goodwin and Kieran Freeman answered the broadcast media's questions at the High-Performance Centre. You can watch both press conferences in full below!

Officials

Referee: Alan Muir

Assistant Referee: John McCrossan

Assistant Referee: Colin Drummond

Fourth Official: Chris Graham

VAR: Greg Aitken

Assistant VAR: Graham McNeillie

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