Gussie Park was the venue for a friendly match against Motherwell today and coach Tony Docherty used the opportunity to field some of the younger players emerging from the Under-17 and Under-16 ranks.
The first half was a little slow to take off and it was fully ten minutes before the first goal scoring opportunity was presented but Joe Andrew fired wide from a Barry Callaghan free kick. The Motherwell youngsters gave as good as they got in the first half but neither side was creating much in front of goal. With seventeen minutes played, McAndie fired well wide from a free kick for the visitors and three minutes later United responded with a Kenny Jarvis thirty yard snap shot but Reid held it. William Easton was causing the Motherwell problems down the left with some dangerous crosses into the box.
At the back for the home side, Ross Gardiner and Gary Kenneth were working well together and making relatively easy work of the Fir Park side's attacks through the middle, aided by the hard working Greg Cameron and Eddie Smith. Just short of the half hour mark the young Tangerines took the lead when Greg Burnett found Frazer Roy who hit a shot from the edge of the box and it took two deflections before looping over the keeper's head. For the last fifteen minutes of the half Motherwell upped the tempo and efforts from Russell, Quinn, Maguire and Coakley all went wide.
Half Time Dundee United 1 Motherwell 0
United made several changes for the second half and there was much more adventure in the United attack and in the first few minutes Nicky McDonald (pictured) had a net-bound shot pushed away for a corner and then Callaghan put one over the bar. Marco Andreoni did well to set up Jarvis but he miscued the goal attempt. For the visitors, Coakley just skimmed a shot past the post from a corner and then with around an hour gone United increased their lead and perhaps fittingly it was McDonald driving home from close range after an excellent cross from the left by Jarvis.
Andrenoi then missed with a close range header and, as they had done in the first half, the 'Well youngster came back strongly in the latter stages. Kenny Band had to make three good saves, first from Russell and then twice from Coakley but with only a couple of minutes left United sealed the win with a third with Andreoni powering home his shot.
Final Score Dundee United 3 Motherwell 0
Overall, it was a good showing from United and after the match Tony Docherty expressed his satisfaction with them outcome. "The objective of today's exercise was achieved in that the regular Youth team players got a game to keep them sharp during their winter break and the younger lads had a chance to show what they can do."
McCann (Band 46), Cameron, Jarvis, Smith (Abbot 46), Kenneth (Smith 85), Gardiner, Callaghan, Burnett (Andreoni 46), Roy (Conway 46) (Andrew 75), Easton (Robertson 60)