Saints march on to cup triumph 

By James Delaney (OR)

 

St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright has piled praise on fans of the club after leading his side to their first Scottish Cup win in their 130 year history.

 

15,000 Saints fans packed into Celtic Park on Saturday to see their side claim a famous 2-0 win over Tayside rivals Dundee United.

 

And Wright was quick to praise supporters who had made the journey to Glasgow:

 

"We sent out a rallying call and they answered it," said an elated Wright.

 

"I read that people were coming that had never been to a St Johnstone match but their dad or a relative had been a fan and had passed away, and they were making a pilgrimage to the final.

 

"So it's special to me but I'm sure there's a lot more people out there that it's a lot more special to."

 

In a match where the focus was firmly on striker Stevie May, it was the other two Steves, defender Anderson and striker MacLean, who claimed the glory for the Perth side.

 

While the Saints controlled the possession in the first half, it was United who had the better chances, with winger Ryan Dow reacting quickest to an Andrew Robertson cross, only to see his flick rebound against the post.

 

United keeper Radoslaw Cierzniak also had to be quick on his feet to deny a stunning James Dunne strike, however the Polish stopper was soon left flapping as a David Wotherspoon corner found Steven Anderson who outjumped Gavin Gunning at the back post to head the Perth side in front just before half time.

 

The Terrors came back stronger after the restart. Nadir Ciftci went closest when his free-kick cracked against the bar, before St Johnstone keeper Alan Mannus managed to stop the ball squirming over the line.

 

Saints thought they had gone two up just a few minutes later , however Stevie May’s header was judged not to have crossed the line by the referee’s assistant behind the goal.

 

Half an hour later though, Saints fans could celebrate a second, as Steven MacLean was able to beat Cierzniak to a loose ball before slotting home to the delight of the travelling support behind the goal.

 

Perth’s cup heroes returned home yesterday for an open top bus parade through the streets of the city, where a crowd of over 5,000 welcomed the squad.

 

St Johnstone chairman Steve Brown said he was "elated and emotional" after the cup success and the city parade.

 

He said: "It means everything to me that people of the city come out because the club should be about the city. It is a community club."