Perhaps Saints problems started with the team selection. Stewart Kean returned instead of Billy Mehmet. Surprisingly, Andy Millen played in midfield instead of Craig Molloy, who was relegated to the stand. A strange choice, and some Saints fans are beginning to wonder why Richard Brittain was signed. Ian Maxwell, Alex Burke and Alan Reid all disappeared from the team as well.
Things looked good early on when Kirk Broadfoot headed Simon Lappin's corner on, only for Kean to miss it at the back post. However, things went downhill from then on.
United's first goal came after eleven minutes, when Chris Smith dived over a tame curling shot from Barry Robson. OK, it was a good hit but there was very little pace on it and he should have kept it out.
John Sutton should then have equalised for Saints when Kevin McGowne punted a long ball upfield, only for him to screw his shot past the far post. David van Zanten and John Potter also had chances, but put them well wide. In amongst this, Saints had a few penalty shouts, but nothing major.
Midway through the half, Broadfoot was aduged to have barged Stuart Duff to the ground. It was never a foul, but Iain Brines decided he'd seen it was and gave a free kick. Robson curled a shot again, but this time Smith tipped it onto the post, despite it being harder to save than the post.
Ten minutes later, some Keystone Cops defending gave United their second. God only knows what happened, with the likes of Mark Kerr, David Proctor, Collin Samuel and Simon Lappin all being involved before Samuel's shot was parried by Smith and Duff tapped home the rebound. Farcical. There were chances for someone to step in and clear it, but they weren't taken.
Brines continued his bad afternoon five minutes before the break when he didn't give anything for a Broadfoot challenge on Samuel. It seems Broadfoot didn't touch the ball and was last man, so it was either a red card for Kirk or a booking for Samuel for diving. Referee's decision? Nothing. Well done Mr. Brines.
van Zanten and Kean combined to give the former a chance just before the break that he put wide, but two minutes after the restart it seemed Gus MacPherson's words, as well as whatever he'd put in the tea, had worked. Kean clipped the ball out to Brady, and he curled it brilliantly past Derek Stillie and into the net.
It looked like a case of when, not if, the equaliser would arrived. Kean fired just wide and then headed well over, before disaster once again returned, and once again he was wearing a Saints shirt.
van Zanten's passback to Smith shouldn't have caused any problems, but Smith's foot hit the turf and his kick out was poor. It went straight to Duff, but Broadfoot won it back. However, he hadn't learned his lesson from last week's game against Aberdeen and tried to play the ball out of defence. Moron. Robson won it back and then curled it into the net off the bar. It was a good finish, but it was another gifted goal, and game over.
Saints made changes as they went for an equaliser, but nothing was happening. Brines messed up again when he failed to give anything for the most blatant penalty you'll see all season after Kean was shoved to the ground by Alan Archibald.
After Samuel had hit a shot that a two year old could save, Brines decided he hadn't incensed the away fans enough and decided to do so. First, he booked Robson for kicking the ball away after it had gone out. It was probably the correct decision. Then, four minutes later, he booked Robson again after he accidentally kicked van Zanten when trying to kick the ball. it was probably a bit harsh, especially when most referees are often too willing to be lenient on someone already on a booking.
Dundee United might have got their first win of the season, but to me it's only papering over the cracks. They weren't that great and were gifted their goals by Saints, who looked better up front.
It's time for Gus MacPherson to act on some pretty sloppy defending. Smith, Broadfoot and probably Lappin and Millen all need to be dropped for a few weeks. Time to give the likes of Bullock, Maxwell, Reid and Brittain their chance. Failing that, some new signings will do me.
Two weeks to sort it out, let's hope for better against Hearts.