Dundee United are facing a derby doomsday scenario after a woeful home defeat to Hamilton Accies.
The Tangerines could have closed the gap on second-bottom Kilmarnock to five points with a win – a result that also would have meant they could not be relegated by city rivals Dundee next Monday night.
Sadly for their long-suffering fans, going down at Dens Park now looks certain rather than merely likely after this disastrous display.
Let’s face it, if they are played off the park by Accies like this then the Dark Blues will be putting out the welcome mat for the neighbours.
Accies opened the scoring on 12 minutes with a cracker of a strike from Grant Gillespie.
They made it 2-0 on 51 minutes when Carlton Morris nodded in a rebound after Greg Docherty’s header had struck the bar.
Protests outside Tannadice from disgruntled @dundeeunitedfc fans. Looks like a couple of hundred but peaceful demo
— Ian Roache (@C_IRoache) April 24, 2016
Morris then grabbed Hamilton’s third with a volley from close range on 73 minutes.
United sub Simon Murray grabbed a late consolation for the home team but it barely raised a cheer among the supporters.
The outcome was the least Hamilton deserved and the least the toiling Tangerines deserved.
Protests outside Tannadice pic.twitter.com/7kkt4qo98L
— Arabyze This ? (@ArabyzeThis) April 24, 2016
Once again, United had chances but they would be kidding themselves if they thought they deserved anything from this match.
They just weren’t good enough and in a season of troubles how about this set of statistics to bring a tear to a United eye – they have played Accies four times this season, lost three times, drawn once, won none, scored one goal and conceded nine.
They had even received a pre-match boost when Killie lost 3-1 to Inverness Caley Thistle in the lunchtime kick-off.
Protests outside Tannadice right now. pic.twitter.com/F8PSWPaITc
— Ceres Arabs (@CeresArabs) April 24, 2016
That result handed United an opportunity to close the gap to five if they could “just” beat the Accies.
Manager Mixu Paatelainen made four changes to the team that started the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Hibs.
There wasn’t even a place on the bench for central defender Callum Morris, who played left-back at Hampden before getting hooked after half-an-hour.
Coll Donaldson, who suffered a now infamous injury against Hibs, was fit enough to be on the bench.
Chris Erskine, who cramped up after making his first start in three months in the semi, was also a sub, along with Blair Spittal, who missed one of the penalties in the shootout.
Into the team came Paul Dixon, who had replaced Morris in last weekend.
Guy Demel, such a standout at the heart of the defence once Donaldson went off, was played in midfield.
Mark Durnan partnered Sean Dillon there instead of Demel, while midfielder Scott Fraser came back in.
Hamilton had their own agenda, with a win putting them seven points clear of Killie in the play-off spot.
They started quite brightly and they had the first decent chance of the game on nine minutes, with United keeper Eiji Kawashima blocking Dougie Imrie’s shot at the near post.
On 12 minutes, though, Kawashima was beaten and the home team were behind.
It was a great strike from Gillespie from outside the box that beat the Japanese international, with the Accies midfielder lashing the ball in off the post after being found by a cutback from Morris.
On 19 minutes, Accies had a shout for a penalty when Morris went down in the box but referee Steven McLean was having none of it.
Just a few minutes later in a separate incident, McLean booked Morris for simulation.
Fraser fired over for United then, on 24 minutes, strike Billy Mckay was a few inches short with his boot when Demel fired a low ball across the face of goal.
Gillespie was pulling the strings for the visitors and, on 34 minutes, he split the United defence with a pass that found Ali Crawford, who shot wide.
Ryan Dow was booked for a tackle on Morris on 43 minutes and from the resultant freekick Accies nearly made it 2-0.
Hamilton defender Michael Devlin found himself unmarked inside the United area and his header was going in until Kawashima dived to his right to make the save.
McKay had a shot on the turn from just outside the Hamilton box just seconds before the break but Accies goalie Michael McGovern wasn’t troubled.
The Tangerines brought on Edward Ofere for Dow at half-time as they tried to do something to upset the Accies.
Just two minutes after the restart Durnan was booked for a challenge on Docherty.
On 49 minutes, United finally woke up and had two great chances to level in quick succession.
Both were from Mckay as he first nodded the ball against the base post then saw McGovern somehow save his shot after he pounced on the rebound.
However, the game quickly swung to the other end and Accies made it 2-0.
Imrie’s cross from the right was nodded on to the bar by Docherty and Morris was there to head the rebound past Kawashima.
United tried to fight back and McGovern did brilliantly to push a Fraser shot past the post for a corner.
The midfielder took the setpiece and sub Ofere’s flick hit a combination of bar and keeper as the hosts were frustrated again.
United tried to get themselves up the park but they were down and out of this match on 73 minutes when Hamilton went 3-0 up.
Crawford’s shot was saved by Kawashima but man-of-the-match Morris was left unhindered by any defending to volley the rebound home.
With just a minute to go, sub Simon Murray, who had come for Mckay, grabbed a consolation goal for United when he flicked the ball up and over McGovern.
However, it wa stoo little, too late to say the least and the United players traipsed off the park at full-time.
The only surprising thing was that there were so many fans left in the stands to boo them off the park.
Dundee United: Kawashima, Dillon, Dixon, Paton, Mckay (Murray 79), Rankin, Knoyle, Dow (Ofere 46), Durnan, Fraser (Spittal 79), Demel. Subs not used: Zwick, Erskine, Anier, Donaldson.
Hamilton Accies: McGovern, Gordon, Kurakins, Devlin, Gillespie, Imrie (Kurtaj 78), Crawford (Redmond 76), Morris (Diaby 81), Mackinnon, Docherty, Tagliapietra. Subs not used: Martin, Canning, Boyd, Hughes.
Referee: Steven McLean.
