Dundee United took a massive stride towards the Championship title with a 2-0 victory over Raith Rovers.
Nothing was decided at Tannadice on Saturday – but the Tangerines picked the perfect afternoon to produce their finest performance of 2024, with goals from Tony Watt and a Louis Moult penalty securing a precious triumph.
United are now four points ahead of the Fifers as the finish line looms into sight, albeit Rovers boast a game in hand.
Courier Sport was there to analyse the action.
Sam McClelland: Patience and professionalism
Any United supporter who claims their heart did not skip a beat upon learning Declan Gallagher would be absent for the club’s biggest game of the season is either lying or boasts nerves of steel.
Yet, they needn’t have worried.
Sam McClelland was waiting in the wings and, as we found out over the course of 94 minutes at Tannadice, more than capable of deputising.
The Northern Ireland U/21 internationalist should be commended for his professionalism and patience; quietly grafting in training to ensure he would be ready to grasp his big opportunity.
This was McClelland’s first full 90 minutes since SEPTEMBER 23, yet he was faultless alongside the similarly outstanding Ross Graham.
The big defender lapped up the aerial battle with Zak Rudden and, latterly, Jack Hamilton, he was aggressive in tackles, kept it simple in possession and generally exuded calm. Strolled it, as they say.
If Gallagher needs rest as he recovers from a minor groin tweak, that prospect suddenly doesn’t seem so worrisome.
Engine room dominance
Craig Sibbald and Ross Docherty, as has tended to be the case when Jim Goodwin has been able to pair them together, were terrific on Saturday.
The duo dominated the engine room.
With the benefit of hindsight, Rovers boss Ian Murray may question his part in that. Kyle Turner was a passenger and Sam Stanton – while no slouch – is not a defensive midfielder.
All the while, combative duo Shaun Byrne and Ross Matthews were on the bench.
Nevertheless, Docherty plugged gaps, zipped passes between the lines and whipped a couple of dangerous deliveries into the box – including the one which preceded Moult hitting the deck to win United’s crucial penalty kick.
Sibbald was a buzzbomb of energy, snapping into tackles and tirelessly surging box-to-box. For the second successive season, he may just be the Terrors’ player of the year.
Setting the standard
Tempo, aggression and direct, attacking football; this was a template for how to approach fixtures at Tannadice.
Goal-scorers Tony Watt and Louis Moult set the tone. They barely stopped running all afternoon, pressed from the front and didn’t allow the Rovers centre-backs a single uncontested header.
Scott McMann, Glenn Middleton, Miller Thomson and Kai Fotheringham brought pace and width, while surrendering nothing defensively.
And we’ve already touched upon the centre-halves and engine room.
A complete performance.
That’s the standard, now.
If United showcase the same drive, intensity and work ethic for the remainder of the season, they will win this league.
10,000-plus hoodoo broken
United fans can enjoy the catharsis this morning.
For too long, the prospect of a bumper crowd or showpiece occasion has been enough to spark trepidation.
Prior to Saturday, the Tangerines had failed to win any of their previous seven fixtures in front of 10,000-plus crowds at Tannadice.
Six of those – Raith Rovers, Kilmarnock, Ross County, Aberdeen, Celtic and Rangers – had ended in defeat, while they played out a 2-2 draw with Hearts in front of 10,224 last December.
So, the United fans will relish a huge victory at the weekend; it was a long time coming.
Points total perspective
United are now just one point behind Dundee’s title-winning tally of 63 for last season, with five games still to play.
They are just five adrift of the 67 points that saw Kilmarnock crowned champions the prior year.
Discounting the two campaigns either curtailed or shortened by Covid, Ross County (71), St Mirren (74) and Hibernian (71) were the previous winners of the second tier.
While inconsistencies have been ripe with United in 2024, if they find their groove in the final weeks – and Saturday was a fine start – then United could still post the highest points tally in the Championship since Rangers (81) in 2016.
United fans have sat through plenty of frustrating afternoons this term, particularly at Tannadice; innumerable blunt attacks impotently crashing against massed defensive ranks.
And these pages have outlined several of the Tangerines’ failings in recent weeks.
But for all the legitimate criticism, recency bias should not wipe away a wonderful start to the season and – analysing the campaign as a whole – United remain on course to get the job done in very passable fashion.
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