First Team
Match Report | Rangers 1-1 Dundee United
23rd November 2024
A scrambled goal credited subsequently to Darren Dods, three minutes into injury time, rescued a point for United against a tough Hamilton side which finished the match with 10 men. The visitors had led for almost the whole match following Richard Offiong's eighth minute strike and nearly held out despite the 82nd minute dismissal of Simon Mensing.
Both teams made only one change from their defeated sides last week with Jon Daly replacing Roy O'Donovan for United and David Elebert replacing Martin Canning who saw red against Celtic last week.
Hamilton started the match brightly and took the lead after eight minutes when striker Richard Offiong finished off a well-worked move. James McCarthy found Simon Mensing with a slide-rule pass and he cut the ball back across goal where Offiong was waiting to sidefoot the ball home. United complained that Mensing had been offside when he received the ball but the match officials waved the protests away.
It took United nearly 20 minutes to threaten the Accies goal and it came from their first corner. Craig Conway's ball in was cleared off the line by Mark McLaughlin only for the ball to come back into the danger area but Jon Daly's resultant header went wide of the 'keeper's left hand post.
Daly also saw the ball fly wide ten minutes later when his shot from another Conway corner was deflected wide.
Hamilton remained dangerous and Mensing came close after 36 minutes when his long-range shot with the outside of his foot flew just wide of Zaluska's goal.
United's best chance of the half fell at the feet of central defender Darren Dods. A neat Lee Wilkie backheel found Scott Robertson inside the box. The Scotland international then laid the ball into the path of Dods but his low, controlled shot from 12 yards was pushed wide by Hamilton 'keeper Cerny.
The final chance of the half again fell to the visitors. Conway ran into trouble just outside the area which allowed James McArthur to unleash a powerful shot at goal but this was initially parried and then gathered safely by Zaluska.
The first half ended in fiery fashion with United boss Craig Levein given a lengthy talking to by referee Crawford Allan after he queried a number of questionable decisions. Midfielder Willo Flood also saw yellow for dissent after claims for a handball were waved away by Mr Allan. The match officials were to endure a chorus of boos from the home fans as they left the pitch for the interval.
Half-time failed to calm things down and within 15 minutes of the restart, another four players had entered Mr Allan's book. First, James McCarthy was booked for dissent after a tussle by the dugouts; Lee Wilkie then saw yellow for bringing down young McCarthy and then a minute later Accies' McLaughlin and United's Scott Robertson were booked for yet another off-the-ball tussle.
On the hour mark, Francisco Sandaza got his first real sight of goal as he ran through one-on-one with Cerny but the goalkeeper was able to get a vital touch on the ball and direct it out of the Spaniard's reach.
Two minutes later, Accies could have been 2-0 up. Scott Robertson was dispossessed in the middle of the pitch by James McArthur and he sprinted forward before playing it out to Mensing on the right. He cut the ball back across goal to goalscorer Offiong but this time he dragged his shot wide, despite having time and space in the United box.
The final 20 minutes saw United camped in the Accies half as they desperately sought an equaliser. After 72 minutes, a quickly taken free kick on the edge of the box saw Flood racing towards goal but his toe poke found the side netting.
Craig Levein then made his first change with Danny Swanson replacing Morgaro Gomis. Swanson was immediately involved down the right when a lovely Daly pass allowed him to send a ball across the face of goal but there was no one there to direct it towards the target.
In what had become a niggly game, the card count continued to mount with Mensing shown yellow for throwing the ball away. Sandaza was also cautioned for what the referee saw as a deliberate dive on the edge of the box. Then, eight minutes from time, Conway and Mensing got involved in a tussle leading to yellow cards for both, and in Mensing's case a red for his second booking.
With five minutes to go, Levein made his final roll of the dice by bringing on David Goodwillie and David Robertson for Sandaza and Scott Robertson in a desperate attempt to get the equaliser. It nearly came when Lee Wilkie volleyed a Daly knock-down but James McArthur was in the way to deflect it behind for a corner. Conway then swung the ball in but it was cleared off the line.
The referee was forced to add on five minutes of injury time, mainly due to some blatant time-wasting by Hamilton throughout the half and it was in the third minute of this that United finally made the breakthrough. Another dangerous Conway corner wasn't dealt with by Hamilton and Jon Daly was able to bundle it in at the near post.
Man of the match:
Not a vintage United performance but Lee Wilkie was solid as usual, putting in a captain's performance at the back and also in backing up the strikers.
Teams
United: Zaluska, Dillon, Wilkie ©, Dods, Flood, S Robertson (D Robertson 85), Daly, Sandaza (Goodwillie 85), Conway, Gomis (Swanson 75), Dixon
Unused subs: McGovern, Feeney, Kovacevic, Buaben
Away: Cerny, Easton, McCarthy, Elebert, McLaughlin, McArthur, Offiong (Akins 88 (Thomas 90)), Neil ©, Swailes, McClenahan, Mensing
Unused subs: Murdoch, Graham, Gibson, Lyle, Ettien
Referee: Crawford Allan
Attendance: 6,108
Both teams made only one change from their defeated sides last week with Jon Daly replacing Roy O'Donovan for United and David Elebert replacing Martin Canning who saw red against Celtic last week.
Hamilton started the match brightly and took the lead after eight minutes when striker Richard Offiong finished off a well-worked move. James McCarthy found Simon Mensing with a slide-rule pass and he cut the ball back across goal where Offiong was waiting to sidefoot the ball home. United complained that Mensing had been offside when he received the ball but the match officials waved the protests away.
It took United nearly 20 minutes to threaten the Accies goal and it came from their first corner. Craig Conway's ball in was cleared off the line by Mark McLaughlin only for the ball to come back into the danger area but Jon Daly's resultant header went wide of the 'keeper's left hand post.
Daly also saw the ball fly wide ten minutes later when his shot from another Conway corner was deflected wide.
Hamilton remained dangerous and Mensing came close after 36 minutes when his long-range shot with the outside of his foot flew just wide of Zaluska's goal.
United's best chance of the half fell at the feet of central defender Darren Dods. A neat Lee Wilkie backheel found Scott Robertson inside the box. The Scotland international then laid the ball into the path of Dods but his low, controlled shot from 12 yards was pushed wide by Hamilton 'keeper Cerny.
The final chance of the half again fell to the visitors. Conway ran into trouble just outside the area which allowed James McArthur to unleash a powerful shot at goal but this was initially parried and then gathered safely by Zaluska.
The first half ended in fiery fashion with United boss Craig Levein given a lengthy talking to by referee Crawford Allan after he queried a number of questionable decisions. Midfielder Willo Flood also saw yellow for dissent after claims for a handball were waved away by Mr Allan. The match officials were to endure a chorus of boos from the home fans as they left the pitch for the interval.
Half-time failed to calm things down and within 15 minutes of the restart, another four players had entered Mr Allan's book. First, James McCarthy was booked for dissent after a tussle by the dugouts; Lee Wilkie then saw yellow for bringing down young McCarthy and then a minute later Accies' McLaughlin and United's Scott Robertson were booked for yet another off-the-ball tussle.
On the hour mark, Francisco Sandaza got his first real sight of goal as he ran through one-on-one with Cerny but the goalkeeper was able to get a vital touch on the ball and direct it out of the Spaniard's reach.
Two minutes later, Accies could have been 2-0 up. Scott Robertson was dispossessed in the middle of the pitch by James McArthur and he sprinted forward before playing it out to Mensing on the right. He cut the ball back across goal to goalscorer Offiong but this time he dragged his shot wide, despite having time and space in the United box.
The final 20 minutes saw United camped in the Accies half as they desperately sought an equaliser. After 72 minutes, a quickly taken free kick on the edge of the box saw Flood racing towards goal but his toe poke found the side netting.
Craig Levein then made his first change with Danny Swanson replacing Morgaro Gomis. Swanson was immediately involved down the right when a lovely Daly pass allowed him to send a ball across the face of goal but there was no one there to direct it towards the target.
In what had become a niggly game, the card count continued to mount with Mensing shown yellow for throwing the ball away. Sandaza was also cautioned for what the referee saw as a deliberate dive on the edge of the box. Then, eight minutes from time, Conway and Mensing got involved in a tussle leading to yellow cards for both, and in Mensing's case a red for his second booking.
With five minutes to go, Levein made his final roll of the dice by bringing on David Goodwillie and David Robertson for Sandaza and Scott Robertson in a desperate attempt to get the equaliser. It nearly came when Lee Wilkie volleyed a Daly knock-down but James McArthur was in the way to deflect it behind for a corner. Conway then swung the ball in but it was cleared off the line.
The referee was forced to add on five minutes of injury time, mainly due to some blatant time-wasting by Hamilton throughout the half and it was in the third minute of this that United finally made the breakthrough. Another dangerous Conway corner wasn't dealt with by Hamilton and Jon Daly was able to bundle it in at the near post.
Man of the match:
Not a vintage United performance but Lee Wilkie was solid as usual, putting in a captain's performance at the back and also in backing up the strikers.
Teams
United: Zaluska, Dillon, Wilkie ©, Dods, Flood, S Robertson (D Robertson 85), Daly, Sandaza (Goodwillie 85), Conway, Gomis (Swanson 75), Dixon
Unused subs: McGovern, Feeney, Kovacevic, Buaben
Away: Cerny, Easton, McCarthy, Elebert, McLaughlin, McArthur, Offiong (Akins 88 (Thomas 90)), Neil ©, Swailes, McClenahan, Mensing
Unused subs: Murdoch, Graham, Gibson, Lyle, Ettien
Referee: Crawford Allan
Attendance: 6,108
