Ah yes the magic of the Scottish Cup. As I had previously written in the match preview the ‘magic’ of the cup has all but vanished from Tannadice so today’s game against Alloa has not exactly caused a huge amount of excitement amongst the fans. With about 1000 tickets sold for today’s game there is still a decent travelling support but it is safe to say that all the fans want to see at the moment is league football given how important it is. The United media team have also been showing footage all week from our previous Scottish Cup triumphs which is a handy reminder of the fact that we used to be quite good!
Perhaps maybe not as many changes as we were expecting from Laszlo. From the team that started the game against Dunfermline it was a case of only two changes. Paul Quinn came in for Tam Scobbie who is injured and Thomas Mikkelsen started ahead Paul McMullan. On the bench Brandon Mason and young Frenchman Idris Kadded did make the match day squad.
A really slow and stuttering start to the game from United. The home side seemed to have a huge number of half chances in the opening spell and United didn’t manage to get a hold of the game. A Jamie Robson sclaff that came off the woodwork and a smattering of Craig Slater shots were the only real attacking moments in the opening minutes but after the 20 minute mark United did start to get more of a grip on things with Sam Stanton coming really close to opening the scoring. After that you would expect United to press ahead but despite having lots of possession it was a really flat performance in the first 45 without much to shout about. Despite all of this we did actually score! Mark Durnan continues his impressive season and managed to grab a goal just before the half-time whistle.
The second half was a bit more positive without ever really being too exciting. Again United had a great deal of the ball but it always seems a bit too patient at the moment and all a bit safe. It was great that Emil Lyng got off the mark for the club and it looks like new French youngster Idris Kadded has a decent technique and could be a good addition to the squad. With games like this it is always the case that the win is the most important thing. At the end of the day Dundee United are in the draw for the next round.
Dundee United Player Ratings –
25. Harry Lewis – 6 – Steady enough game with not a huge amount to do apart from a couple of decent stops in the first half.
4. Mark Durnan – 7 – His goal gets him a bonus point and he was probably more willing to be more positive with the ball than the other defenders.
5. Paul Quinn – 5 – Decent enough performance but his passing and distribution remains a big issue.
16. Willo Flood – 5 – He is okay at right-back but he is not particularly comfortable there and he needs to be back in the middle.
17. Jamie Robson – 6 – Got into a few decent positions but his final ball let him down.
15. Craig Slater – 5 – Quiet game in the middle and three games in he is maybe not making enough of an impact on play.
12. Sam Stanton – 5 – A fairly uneventful game for him. Quieter than usual.
9. Thomas Mikkelsen – 6 – A decent return from the Dane. He links play well but he needs better service.
11. Billy King – 5 – Looked lively in the first half but was pretty anonymous in the second half.
58. Emil Lyng – 5 – Yes he scored but he did not have much of an impact on the game and didn’t look particularly comfortable. Hopefully more to come once he is fit.
8. Scott McDonald – 4 – Really not suited to the role he is playing right now. Does not influence the game enough from his current position behind the striker.
Subs – 2.Stewart Murdoch (4) – Good to get him on to build on his fitness. Team looks more balanced when he is playing fullback. 22.Idris Kadded (5) – Looked lively when he came on and showed some good touches. Unlucky not to score. 32. Brandon Mason (3) – On for fitness reasons probably. No real impact.
Man of the Match – Mark Durnan. Simply for being slightly more comfortable than the others around him plus he got his goal.
Next Fixture – Greenock Morton at home next Saturday. It is back to league business and another massive fixture for the team. Morton got a good win today at Dunfermline so will be high in confidence. It is vital we pick up three points.