St Johnston 4, Bradford City 2 - Ally McCoist may not have been there to see it but he would have enjoyed Bradford City's version of What Happened Next.

In a scene that could have come straight off the script of A Question of Sport, City were plunged into a goalkeeping crisis on the team bus heading for Scotland.

Gary Walsh was due to face St Johnstone and turned up at his pick-up point -- only to reveal he was feeling the pain of a tooth operation and was unable to play with a mouth full of stitches.

With Aidan Davison and Jon Worsnop injured and transfer rebel Matt Clarke shipped out to Bolton, the City management team had some quick-thinking to do as they headed up the M6.

They decided to summon teenage trialist Jamie Attwell from Valley Parade and put him on the train to meet them north of the border.

Unfortunately the youngster couldn't get to York in time to get the connecting journey to Edinburgh. Cue another conflab - and a call for goalkeeping coach Neville Southall.

The 42-year-old made one memorable emergency appearance in the Premiership last season in the televised derby with Leeds but had not played since.

But with City's travelling party diminishing by the minute - they had also lost Gareth Whalley with sinusitis - Southall had to step into the breach.

With a Welsh record 92 caps under his belt, he is well used to international contests although a testimonial at St Johnstone in a three-quarters empty Scottish ground doesn't quite match up with a World Cup encounter.

But Southall came through with reputation intact against a home side that seemed surprisingly keen to impress on an occasion that was primarily aimed at drumming up cash for former stalwart Allan Preston.

McCoist's absence because of an injury was a big disappointment for the 1,500 McDiarmid Park faithful but they will have enjoyed seeing their team take the victory.

The Bantams may have forgotten how to win but by St Johnstone's standards, their recent run is prolific. Saints last tasted success on December 9!

Even without McCoist and leading scorer Keigan Parker - playing just down the road for Scotland under-21s at Dunfermline - they possessed the hottest player on the pitch in Momo Sylla.

The exotically-named striker is a Guinea international and good pal of Titi Camara. The way he took his two goals certainly impressed City's assistant boss Billy Brown who might tip off Jim Jefferies, away scouting in Norway and not at the game.

Sylla opened the scoring in the seventh minute and from that point his speed off the mark undid the visiting defence at regular intervals.

Gareth Grant, playing wide on the left, had chances to equalise before half-time and thought he had done so when he finished a one-two with Ashley Ward by lifting a shot over keeper Kevin Cuthbert - only to see the ball bounce back off the bar.

Southall belied his years to race out at the feet of Tommy Lovenkrands and then turned back the clock by flinging out his left hand to beat away a shot from Paul Hartley that was creeping in the corner.

Robbie Blake was denied in similar fashion in the opening minute of the second half but St Johnstone marched up the other end to make it two as Lovenkrands stepped in front of David Wetherall to turn in Hartley's low centre.

As the game began to open up, Blake responded with a cool finish from Ward'' through ball and City were back in it.

They should have been level on the hour but Grant, sent racing away by Stuart McCall, dithered as Cuthbert advanced and the keeper ushered him away.

Sylla promptly showed how it should be done with a delicate header inside the near post from another Hartley cross. But with his hat-trick beckoning, the livewire hitman rounded Southall and fired against the woodwork.

Wayne Jacobs twice went close before Lovenkrands made it 4-1 with a minute remaining. And there was still time for City to have the final say with the best goal of the match as Blake used his skills to slither past two defenders before driving low into the bottom corner.

St Johnstone: Cuthbert (Findlay 80), McClune, Forsyth, McCulloch, Weir (Bollan 55mins), McCluskey (Kernaghan 46mins), Hartley (Crozier 72mins), McBride, Kane (Dasovic 46min), Lovenkrands, Sylla (Preston 89mins).

City: Southall, Locke, Jacobs, McCall (Fishlock 75mins), Wetherall, Halle, Kerr (Jones 72mins), Blake, Ward, McKinlay (Emanuel 79mins), Grant.