Saints slip to opening day defeat at Barnetts Park

The visitors started the better and attacked up both wings with McLean and Tansey creating a lot of work for Saints backs.

In the eigth minute a short corner from the left was met by Waugh who cut inside to release a fierce shot just wide of Saints goal.

It was Saints, however, who scored first in 12 minutes.

After a fast break down the left saw a low cross met by Sibanda who made space to fire it past Combe.

Two minutes later the Saints keeper, Hunter, did really well to block a Tansey goal attempt on the line and saw it cleared away.

Another good shot, in 24 minutes, from long range by Dalkeith went just over the bar.

An equaliser for Dalkeith came when McLean got clear on the right and hit a great diagonal shot past the home keeper.

The second half started with Saints taking the game to Dalkeith and were rewarded in 49 minutes when an unmarked Sibanda took the opportunity to score from a header.

Dalkeith looked unsettled and when Sibanda broke through their defence, two minutes later, the hat-trick looked on.

But Combe did well to block it away for a corner.

Dalkeith began to settle and in 57 minutes - disaster for Saints – when Hunter was adjudged by the referee to have brought down Waugh in the area.

Tansey stepped up to take the penalty and converted.

The game remained fairly even for a period of 25/30 minutes and it looked as if both teams would start off their new season with a point.

But the experienced Tansey had other ideas and broke through on the right and chipped one over Hunter and Dalkeith went in front for the first time in the game.

A great goal but a very disappointing finish for the Saints players who were unable to respond with an equaliser during the final minutes of the game.