Arbroath brought St Johnstone’s unbeaten start to the Championship season crashing to a halt, after coming from behind to stun the Perth side with three quick fire second half goals.
Josh McPake had slotted the visitors into an early lead as they looked to extend their run to 11 games without defeat, but a Findlay Marshall double either side of Gavin Reilly’s tap in earned the Gayfield side an impressive 3-1 win.
Colin Hamilton and David Gold made just one change to the side that defeated Queen’s Park last weekend, with Gold himself taking the place of Taylor Steven, who was ineligible against his parent club.
The league leaders though took less than five minutes to open the scoring, Reece McAlear intercepting Tam O’Brien’s wayward pass in midfield before setting McPake away, with the league’s top scorer showing great composure to roll the ball past Aidan McAdams.
It could have been two soon after as, despite claims for offside by the Arbroath defence, Jamie Gullan managed to play on and get a strike at goal, with McAdams able to trap the ball under his body.
Despite that early setback, the Lichties were well in the game and giving Saints little time on the ball with their high press. Jack Wilkie went closest in the opening half with a strike from distance that flew over the bar.
Just as in the first half, the second began with a goal, only this time it was Arbroath who netted it. Marshall received the ball midway inside the Saints half before driving goalwards and firing a brilliant low effort into the bottom corner of the net.
That goal had the Perth side stunned, and they were left startled again minutes later as Marshall turned Diabate inside out before firing goalwards, and although Toby Steward kept his shot out, Reilly was there to knock the Lichties into the lead.
Arbroath were rampant at this stage and added a third goal in just 12 minutes with Marshall involved as ever, providing another clinical finish as he slotted the ball home from the edge of the area following Dow’s pass.
St Johnstone had to push for a way back into the game and did have lots of the ball as the match ticked towards the final whistle, but in truth, they didn’t really create enough to cause Arbroath any trouble. Adama Sidibeh had a chance to pull one back but could only slice his effort high and wide.
That result keeps the Lichties in third place, albeit Ayr United in fourth do have a game in hand, ahead of next weekend’s trip to North Lanarkshire, to face bottom side Airdrieonians.
Arbroath: McAdams; Stewart, Muirhead (Kabongolo, 74), O’Brien, Wilkie; Gold (Cochrane, 50), Flynn; MacIntyre (Watson, 90), Marshall (Pettifer, 90), Dow; Reilly (Todorov, 74)
St Johnstone: Steward; Smith (Franczak, 79), Diabate, Boyes, Foulds (Tumilty, 63); Sprangler (Wanner, 63), McAlear, Holt; Fotheringham (Ikpeazu, 46), Gullan (Sidibeh, 63), McPake
Attendance: 2788
