Dundee 2 United 1

Despite a 16^th minute Blair Spittal free kick putting United in the ascendancy an all too familiar tale was to be told, as first a mistake from the goalkeeper allowed Kane Hemmings to equalise before half time and then a cruel deflection from a Nick Ross shot secured the win for Dundee. By Ally Stewart In the 6^th minute Gavin Gunning was short with his pass back allowing Kane Hemmings to run in on goal. In his first piece of action for his new club Kawashima was sharp off his line to win the challenge at the edge of the box ahead of Hemmings before gathering the follow up safely. Dundee were then forced into an early substitution when James McPake lunged into a challenge with John Rankin as he shaped to shoot. The tackle resulted in a lengthy delay while the Dundee captain received treatment before being taken off eventually for Kostadin Gadzhalov. From the resulting free kick came the crucial breakthrough for United following a delay of 5 minutes. Spittal stepped up to take the set piece and couldn’t have struck it better as his right foot shot curled perfectly into the top corner past Scott Bain. United then twice threatened through Billy Mckay in the space of three minutes as they were really starting to exert the pressure. The Terrors came within inches of doubling their lead when a 35^th minute corner was desperately scrambled off the line by the Dundee defence. Shortly after Bain did well to parry a John Rankin half volley away before Ryan McGowan appealed for a penalty as he went down under the challenge in the box but nothing was given by referee Kevin Clancy. As half time approached disaster then struck for United as Dundee levelled the game. A Nicky Low free kick was floated into the box and Kawashima fumbled the ball out to Hemmings who volleyed home from inside the 6 yard area. There was a flashpoint during the five minutes added time when Nick Ross was booked for a professional foul on Guy Demel but in return the United man also received a card for the way in which he took exception to the challenge. As has been regularly the case this season for United, a slice of bad luck saw them fall behind in 62 minutes. After a Harkins free kick was cleared to the edge of the box Ross sent in a left foot shot which took a cruel deflection off Dillon and spun into the net beyond Kawashima. The Tannadice side were close to falling further behind in the 68^th minute when the break of the ball at the edge of the box fell to Paul McGowan who steered the ball low towards goal only to be thwarted by a superb save from Kawashima. Paatelainen sent on Darko Bodul and Simon Murray late on as he looked to pile bodies forward in an attempt to find a route back into the game however they really struggled to exert any sort of pressure on the Dundee goal. Matters took yet another turn for the worse in 82 minutes when United were reduced to 10 men. Demel was beaten down the left by Low and pulled the midfielder down resulting in a 2^nd yellow card. Behind by both a goal and a player all hope seemed lost for the Tangerines but there was an opportunity after 84 minutes when a free kick was awarded right on the edge of the box. Spittal again took the kick and his shot was deflected out for a corner. From the corner Paul McGinn appeared to manhandle Dillon to the deck but Clancy missed the incident otherwise a penalty may have been the outcome. A last gasp opportunity was presented when Gary Irvine conceded a free kick after pulling down Murray. Fraser swung the ball into the box but as the ball sailed out of played United’s hopes were gone. Full Time Summary – It was a bitterly disappointing end result which given their early supremacy hadn’t looked on the cards for much of the first half. They’ll rue not taking the chance to extend their lead while on top before another individual error and then a cruel slice of luck sealed their fate. Man of the Match – Becoming one of the top performers in the derbies Blair Spittal on this occasion stood out for his team. His enthusiasm going forward was significant early on and he was also willing to help out in defence when required. His 16^th minute free kick proved to be his and United’s high point of the match. Dundee – Bain, Holt, Konrad, McPake (Gadzhalov 15), Low, Hemmings, Ross, McGowan, McGinn, Harkins (Thomson 71), Kerr (Irvine 77). Subs not used – Mitchell, Loy, Calder, Skelly. United – Kawashima, Dixon, Gunning (Murray 76) McGowan, Demel, Rankin, Spittal, Fraser, Erskine (Bodul 67), McKay. Subs not used – Zwick, Souttar, Spark, Telfer, Donaldson. Referee – Kevin Clancy Attendance - 11025