First Team

United 1 Hamilton 2

28th November 2015

In another performance with many positives, United yet again failed to capitalise on their lead. Summary by Gordon Aitchison The game kicked off in dreadful conditions, United with an unchanged starting eleven. Guy Demel and Adam Taggart join the subs bench in place of Kuhl and Robson. The weather was the only  the winner in the first twenty minutes at Tanndice, players from both sides struggled to keep their footing and control the ball in the slippery and blustery conditions. It took seven minutes to see the first attempt at goal, Hamilton’s Dougie Imrie, with a shot high over the bar. In twenty minutes a Dixon shot was deflected to safety by Gillespie, the following play saw the ball switched to the right, where Telfer was felled at the edge of the box. It took an age for the kick to be taken due to the wrestling in the box, when it was delivered Rankin's cross came to little for United. Carlton Morris then strode into the United area and fired a dangerous ball across the face of the United goal, but none of his teammates were following in. Imrie was then booked for a high and late challenge on Dixon. United took the lead in the twenty-ninth minute,  John Souttar doing well just inside the penalty area to play in Mckay who made no mistake from seven yards. With the confidence from the goal United then put real pressure on Hamilton in the remainder of the half.  Mckay showed quick feet to turn the Hamilton defence and fire in from twenty yards drawing a fine save from McGovern. It could and should have been two-nil United on forty one minutes when Billy Mckay had an age to slide in Spittal to leave him one on one with the keeper from eight yards, but instead he chose a more difficult pass to McGowan and the attack was cleared. If anything, the rain worsened at the beginning of the half, but United started the second as they ended the first, controlling the game and taking the play to Hamilton. Billy Mckay had a weak appeal for a penalty turned down on 51 minutes. If a goal was to come in the second half it only looked like it would come from one team. Souttar was unlucky when playing in Spittal, next Spittal just failed to find a way to get the ball to the onrushing McGowan. McGovern then had to race from his box to clear from the onrushing Mckay. Great footwork by Mckay then made space in the box but there were no takers from his centre. After three consecutive corners United broke clear and but for a fantastic challenge by Sendles-White, Spittal would only have had the keeper to beat from sixteen yards. The game turned on its head in the sixty ninth minute after Ali Crawford’s corner was knocked into the net by Tagliapietra. Ten minutes later it was two-one Hamilton, again without any real threat. Crawford's shot from the edge of the box was saved by Szromnik, but the rebound fell to Ziggy Gordon who fired in off the keeper from fourteen yards out. United had little to offer in the last ten minutes. The only meaningful incidents were bookings for Nade and Gunning after an altercation at the final whistle. Full report and teams to follow.