Saints put damper on Levein's Euro dream

FOOTBALL never fails to deliver the unexpected. Punch-drunk in terms of league beatings this season, St Johnstone destroyed Hearts yesterday afternoon with an away performance befitting either of the Old Firm giants.

There was collective confusion amongst the Gorgie Road supporters as the visitors won this game at a canter in the opening 45 minutes, with some sizzling attacking football.

Bewildered Hearts manager Craig Levein would have been further irked at the failure to gain ground on rivals Aberdeen and Livingston who drew in the race for Europe, but that issue seemed far from his thoughts.

"I don't know the answer to the question. It baffles me, I honestly can't believe the change in my players from last week. It's baffling, the same players, same formation and then that performance," he said.

There was an air of optimism sweeping through Tynecastle prior to kick-off. It didn't last long. With a top-six berth certain, the focus now shifted towards a late charge for a European spot. With Lothian rivals Livingston six points ahead, a win here was a must.

Beleaguered and beaten in their fight for Premier League survival St Johnstone were never expected to steal a result in the West End of Edinburgh.

In contrast, Tynecastle was the place to be. Chief executive Chris Robinson was delighted to announce the go-ahead for the proposed (pounds) 4.5 million Youth Academy at Riccarton after sportscotland's contribution of (pounds) 1.3m.

Also two Hearts players, Steven Pressley and Scott Severin had been included in Berti Vogt's first Scotland squad and a fine victory last weekend at Easter Road - the first in five years - was still being discussed. It looked too good to be true. It was.

With only 14 minutes played Pressley limped off. That was only the beginning of the home support's frustration; within seven minutes of his departure St Johstone had the lead. Tommy Lovenkrands' hopeful shot from distance deflected off Thomas Flogel and beyond a helpless Antti Niemi.

If that first strike was fortunate the visitor's second nine minutes later was fantastic. John Paul McBride, who himself had been denied by two class stops from Niemi, sent a deliciously inviting cross.

Lovenkrands, unmarked at the back post, unleashed a left-footed volley in mid-air that would have beaten three goalkeepers as it venomously rattled off the bar and over the line.

"I really hit it. When it hit my foot I didn't even feel the ball. It was a great strike," he said after the match.

Surely it couldn't get any worse for Hearts, but it did.

Approaching the interval another calamity in the home defence gifted a third. Alan Maybury's wayward diagonal back-pass allowed Lovenkrands a charge for his hat trick.

Severin curtailed his attempt with a precise tackle but referee Allan Freeland wrongly awarded a penalty and then booked the unlucky Hearts defender.

McBride effortlessly slotted past Niemi who later commented: "He made contact with the ball, honestly I saw it."

Such a lopsided half-time score for St Johnstone was difficult to fathom. With no Keigan Parker or Paul Hartley available, arguably their two best players, even manager Billy Stark must have been sporting an expression of surprise.

He had included from the start for the first time a player with perhaps the strangest name ever to grace Scottish football, Emmanuel Panther, who pounced at every opportunity to gather possession in midfield.

One of his opponents in the midfield - Tommi Gronlund - should not have returned to the pitch after the interval.

Clearly despondent at the way the match was going, his shocking tackle on Paddy Connolly approaching the whistle should have received a straight red instead of a yellow.

His rightful dismissal would have wrapped up the victory but instead the hosts quickly stumbled upon some hope despite losing Severin a minute after the restart to an ankle injury.

Now both of Heart's internationalists had limped from the arena with Levein claiming post-match: "I very much doubt either will be available for the game midweek."

Despite that setback, only four minutes had passed when Fulton's corner deflected into the path of Gary Wales and he belted it home.

It provided a perfect tonic for the Edinburgh side and their luck appeared to have turned in the 51st minute when Freeland awarded another soft penalty after Grant Murray barely fouled Ricardo Fuller in the area.

Fuller, so many times a Hearts hero, deputised for the departed Pressley, but this time he opted for the role of villain, striking a lack-lustre penalty a foot wide of Kevin Cuthbert's left-hand post.

Stark later commented: "When they missed the penalty that clinched the game for us."

He was right, for then the game fizzled out as both sides reduced the pace and struggled to create.

St Johnstone will undoubtedly still go down at the end of the season but, at least for once, the bus ride back to Perth will have been a jovial one.

Hearts 1 St Johnstone 3 Wales 50 Lovenkrands 22, 30, McBride 40 pen

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