European hopes Saints and Dundee United battled out a dour derby draw to leave both sides in the wrong frame of mind for next weekend's Scottish Cup quarter-finals.

Neither side showed the urgency required to snatch victory and it was, in the main, a disappointing contest for the 5,637 crowd.

Saints manger Paul Sturrock introduced recent signing Gerry McMahon and welcomed back midfielder Attila Sekerlioglu and replaced the suspended Alan Kernaghan with younger Stuart McCluskey.

United top scorers Kjell Olafsson and Gary McSwegan missed out through injury and boss Tommy McLean brought back 19-year-old Craig Easton and on-loan signing from West Ham Emmanuel Omoyinimi.

Saints survived a couple of early scares when keeper Alan Main misjudged an Andy McLaren cross and United defender Mark Perry later failed to connect with a vicious Steven Pressley free kick.

Some neat link-up play between Northern Ireland team-mates McMahon and striker George O'Boyle set up winger Leigh Jenkinson but his header was cleared.

United took the lead in 22 minutes when winger McLaren crossed for Robbie Winters to nod past a static Saints defence.

Top scorer O'Boyle almost equalised for Saints two minutes later but Sieb Dykstra got down to save his neat shot.

United defender Siggi Jonsson limped off shortly before the interval after a late lunge by Paul Kane and was replaced by Neil Duffy.

World Cup hopeful Main rushed off his line to head clear from danger man Winters as the Saints defence was caught napping at the start of the second half

Right-back John McQuillan - making his 100th appearance for Saints - almost grabbed an equaliser when his 20-yard drive deflected off Lars Zetterlund and drifted inches wide with Dykstra beaten.

McLaren was then inches away from extending his side's lead when his curling 20-yard free-kick beat the wall but went narrowly wide.

Saints manager Sturrock introduced super sub Roddie Grant on the hour mark for Austrian Sekerliogou, to liven up the attack.

He made an immediate impact and headed the home side back into it when he glanced home a Jenkinson free-kick.

United boss McLean decided to shut up shop as attackers McLaren and Winters were withdrawn with Jamie Dolan and Steven Thompson replacing them.

O'Boyle missed a gilt-edged opportunity to earn his side all three points when Jenkinson's cross fell kindly for the striker but he somehow contrived to miss the target from point blank range.

Teams

St Johnstone: Main, McQuillan, Preston, Dasovic, Weir, McCluskey, McMahon (O'Neil 80), Sekerlioglu (Grant 60), Kane (Scott 66), O'Boyle, Jenkinson.

Goals: Grant 75.

Dundee Utd: Dykstra, Jonsson (Duffy 45), Malpas, Pressley, Perry, Pedersen, Omoyinimi, Zetterlund, Winters (Thompson 90), Easton, McLaren (Dolan 81).

Goals: Winters 22.

Att: 5,637

Ref: S Roy (Westhill).