Dundee United fell to their fourth league defeat in five outings as a controversial Marley Watkins header secured a 1-0 victory for Kilmarnock on Saturday.
A poor contest appeared to be edging towards a share of the spoils when the Killie frontman leapt above United keeper Jack Walton to nod over the line, leaving Tangerines boss Jim Goodwin seething.
United struck the bar through Sam Dalby and saw Allan Campbell poke narrowly wide on his debut, but it was a below-par showing by the Terrors.
Courier Sport made the trip to Ayrshire to analyse the action.
Why was referee Dickinson not referred to VAR monitor for the defining moment of the match?
The defining moment of the contest was a contentious one.
A Fraser Murray shot was looped high into the air in a crowded box and, as Jack Walton and Watkins sought to collect the ball, it was the Kilmarnock striker who headed home. Vociferous claims for a foul against the United No1 went unheeded.
Firstly, let’s be clear; Walton should be stronger and get something on the ball. A rare misstep amid a fine campaign.
As with all goals, it was checked by VAR and Greg Aitken saw nothing wrong with the incident. The Scottish FA’s guidance to the BBC indicated that contact was “inevitable”, and that Watkins “simply outjumped the keeper to score.”
That would seem a generous interpretation, given Watkins’ arm impedes Walton’s attempt to jump.
And Aitken’s decision not to refer Dickinson to the monitor is baffling.
If the whistler had chosen to stick with his original decision, then so be it. But there was enough doubt over a match-defining call that he should have been afforded a second look.
Goodwin drew parallels with Tony Watt’s disallowed goal for Motherwell against Rangers on December 29. That is something of a red herring, as that was acknowledged to be mistake by the Key Match Incident (KMI) panel, rather than a precedent.
A better question may be: did the fact those officials were so publicly declared to have overseen a major error make Dickinson and Aitken more inclined to give the advantage to the attacker on this occasion?
Only they will know.
A lack of quality
The controversy surrounding the winning goal should not absolve United of their faults.
There was a distinct lack of quality on show at Rugby Park despite the visitors enjoying plentiful possession and getting the ball into threatening positions on a host of occasions.
Will Ferry and Ryan Strain produced a combined 16 crosses (for context, the entire Killie team total was only 18) without cutting open the hosts. Almost all of United’s attacking endeavours were focused down the flanks.
There was a lack of variety and imagination.
Ferry’s arrowed long throws were their primary source of danger, with Dalby rattling the bar after meeting one with a towering header.
Luca Stephenson produced a poor pass in a three-on-one break forward and Glenn Middleton skewed wide when presented with a wonderful chance in injury time. No cutting edge.
While they registered 15 shots – eight from inside the Killie box – United only hit the target ONCE, with an xG of 1.21.
The above assessment also applies to Kilmarnock (xG 1.28). They were no better, and the match should have ended in an instantly forgettable draw.
But an ugly game was settled by an even uglier goal.
Excellent squad depth is apparent – but with choice, comes conundrums
It may seem counter-intuitive following an uninspiring defeat, but United can be satisfied with an excellent month’s business.
Campbell walked into the United side and showed signs of the industry and energy he will bring to the midfield – if only more of the game is played in there.
Moreover, the Tangerines’ bench illustrated a strength in depth beyond anything the club have boasted in a long while.
Ross Graham, Kristijan Trapanovski, Lewis Fiorini, Louis Moult, David Babunski, Middleton, Jort van der Sande and Ross Docherty all could comfortably take their place in the starting line-up.
Craig Sibbald will add to those options for the trip to Celtic on February 15.
Richard Odada – a Kenya international, for all his struggles this term – Miller Thomson and Kai Fotheringham didn’t even make the 20-man squad.
United chiefs will rightly baulk at the notion of being favourites to finish third, but owner Mark Ogren has undoubtedly afforded Goodwin and his staff the tools to have a good crack at a memorable end to the campaign.
The biggest challenge – perhaps underlined on Saturday – will be to find the correct combinations and balance from a plethora of options.
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