Flare Pause Halts Saints Attack; Fans Insist It Was the Only Thing That Ever Could
An unbroken St Johnstone attack is 'a rare and fragile thing, like a Perth summer'.
McDiarmid Park, where a promising move was put on hold by smoke. Photo: en:User:Xizor75, “McDiarmid Park”, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
PERTH — St Johnstone fans are dismayed that pyrotechnics in the stands stopped play just as Saints were threatening in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Dundee United, interrupting what one supporter called “our best attacking spell since roughly 2014.”
“We were building. Three passes in a row, in their half,” said a season ticket holder. “Then — smoke. Pause. And the moment was gone, like a bus in Perth on a Sunday.”
Clubs and police have reminded supporters that flares are dangerous and banned. Saints fans agree, adding they are “doubly unwelcome when we’re on the attack, which doesn’t happen often enough to waste.”
The club is said to be considering a policy under which any pause during a Saints attack is followed by a free kick “on compassionate grounds.”
The real story: What St Johnstone were told about the pyro pause in the 1-1 draw with Dundee United (The Courier, 19 Oct 2026)
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