St Johnstone Women returned to McDiarmid on Sunday for the first time in four weeks, but it would not be a winning return, losing 3-1 to Spartans.
Coming into the match the Edinburgh side had an impressive record of four wins and a draw, conceeding once, from a penalty. It was no surprise then the story of the first half was that Saints had to absorb a lot of pressure from the visitors.
Spartans took the lead after six minutes, when Natalie Bandura, on loan from Rangers, latched onto a through ball from Emma McMurdo and was able to get in behind the Saints defence, taking the ball to the right of Bobby Cochran and slot home.
Cochran was made a number of fine saves which kept Saints in the match, and was also helped out by the frame of the goal denying Spartans more than once.
A powerful Eilidh Davies was strike saved over the bar by Cochran after twelve minutes, and Cochran was also equal to a Davies effort later in the match parrying her shot over the bar.
Bandura thought she had a second after twenty five minutes when she nipped in to tap home the rebound from a Cochran save, but was flagged offside. Her second came just six minutes after that when she was played in at the edge of the box, coming off stronger in a battle of the ball with Hannah Clark and firing low inside of the post.
Lucy Mundy had a strike come off the post while Emma McMurdo hit the junction of post and crossbar with a curling effort from twenty yards out.
Saints had a few half chances, Niamh Irvine going wide after being played in by Eirinn McCafferty at a free kick. Jodie Malcolm went on a good run from midfield out to the right with an excellent ball into the box. Steffi Simson just missed getting a clean connection that would have forced Liamara Hensel-Burg into a save, and Leni Parrish and Elvie McLean saw their efforts on the left hand side of the box blocked before the ball was cleared. Malcolm also struck inches wide of goal as the half drew to a close.
The second half looked to be starting the same way as the first, with Lily Park hitting the post only two minutes after the restart. Former Saint Olivia Hurrell also shot over from close range. However, as the half went on, despite a set back Saints would have more of the game and more chances than in the first forty-five.
The first of these chances was when Irvine played a short corner to McCafferty, her effort from twenty yards out on the left well saved by Hensel-Burg.
With a little over an hour played, Spartans had a third. A free kick was played forward and Bandura strode down the left and cut in to slot home past Cochran completing her hat-trick.
In the final twenty minutes of the game, most of the play was in the Spartans half. Brogan Anderson had a shot blocked and then found Hensel-Burg equal to another effort forcing a corner.
McCafferty and Irvine also had shots go wide for Saints, before a goal came with four minutes of the ninety remaining. A clearance was brought down in midfield by Ellie Jones who passed the ball to Anderson, she ran towards goal before passing to her right where Simson took the ball to the right handside of the area striking and looking up saw her shot hit off the inside of the post into the net.
Saints: Cochran, Jones, MacIver, McLean (Anderson), Simson, Clark (Brady), Malcolm, Irvine, McCafferty (Taplin), McMillan, Parrish (Howie).
Unused subs: Grattan, Shepherd, Smith, Cruickshank, Aitchison.
