First Team
All The Info | Rangers (A)
22nd November 2024
The Bairns came out on top in the opening match of our League Cup campaign.
Falkirk 2 Tait 63', MacIver 71'
Dundee United 0
3pm Saturday 13 July 2024
Falkirk Stadium
Premier Sports Cup Group Stage
Attendance: 3,305
Team News
There were debuts for Ryan Strain, Vicko Ševelj, Kristijan Trapanovski and Will Ferry, with Jack Walton also starting after re-joining on loan from Luton Town.
In the absence of Ross Docherty and with Tony Watt on the bench, Craig Sibbald skippered the side against his boyhood club.
Seven DUFC Academy Graduates are involved in our matchday squad.
First Sightings
There was an early warning sign as Calvin Miller latched on to a long ball 90 seconds from kick-off, rattling the bar with his left-footed effort.
We had an early chance ourselves as Strain clipped a ball forward for Trapanovski inside the Falkirk box. Cutting inside, he forced Nicky Hogarth into a smart save before Strain picked up the pieces and fired wide on his weaker foot.
It took until the 30-minute mark to fashion our next clear-cut opening. The ball was worked along the box courtesy of Trapanovski, Louis Moult and Miller Thomson before Middleton curled a first-time effort high and wide.
It was our best move of a relatively tame first 45 minutes.
Walton was forced into a strong save as Callumn Morrison let fly with a fierce effort, the men in tangerine dealt comfortably with the resultant corner.
Five minutes from time, a wicked free-kick from Trapanovski was headed onto the top of the crossbar by Holt before Iain Sneddon drew close to the first half.
Ten minutes into the second half, Trapanovski made way for Kai Fotheringham.
Just after the hourmark, John McGlynn's side hit the front as a corner broke to Dylan Tait who fired home from the centre of the box.
Goodwin responded with two quick changes: Liam Grimshaw and Watt replacing Middleton and Thomson.
Morrison twice almost doubled the hosts' advantage. A neat touch inside the box opened up space for a shot which crashed off the junction before forcing Walton into a smart one-handed stop with a close-range header.
The second eventually did come as Ross MacIver rose highest to nod beyond Walton on 71 minutes.
There was little else to write home about as Falkirk took all three points on Matchday One.
TEAMLINES
FALKIRK FC
Starting XI: Hogarth, Yeats, Henderson, Morrison, Spencer (c), MacIver, Nesbitt, Adams, Tait, Mackie, Miller
Subs: Sneddon, Agyeman, McKenna, Oliver, Shanley, Ross, Sinclair, McCafferty, McCrone
DUNDEE UNITED FC
Starting XI: Walton, Strain, Holt, Sevelj, Graham, Trapanovski, Moult, Ferry, Sibbald (c), Middleton, Thomson
Subs: Richards, Grimshaw, Fotheringham, Macleod, O’Donnell, Gallagher, Watt, Cleall-Harding, Forbes
POST-MATCH THOUGHTS
?? Second best throughout
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) July 13, 2024
?? Identifying areas for improvement
?? A chance to bounce back quickly#DUFC Manager Jim Goodwin analyses our @PremSportsTV Cup defeat at The Falkirk Stadium ???? pic.twitter.com/FCpBJZkOPp
NEXT UP
It's a quick turnaround as we face Stenhousemuir at home on Tuesday night.
