FIXTURE INFORMATION | DUNDEE UNITED B V DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC B
26th November 2024
A solitary second half goal from Ivan Sproule was enough to separate the sides in a scrappy encounter in Dingwall. Having Barry Douglas controversially sent off soon after did little to aid United in their bid to recover the game.
The Global Energy Stadium in Dingwall had been witness to rain, hail, snow and sunshine in the run up to this evening's game. Thankfully the weather had settled by kick off and although cold, the conditions were near perfect for this top 6 encounter. With the season nearing an end and both sides still capable of clinching a Europa League spot, an exciting match was anticipated.
Both managers elected to stick with the same side that had started their previous match. Ross County hadn't won a league game since they defeated Celtic back in March. United were looking to bounce back from a disappointing home defeat to Motherwell.
Having lost early goals in their last two matches, United were lucky not to concede another after only two minutes in this game. Flood gave away possession at the edge of the box but Vigurs was unable to capitalise. His low curling shot was comfortably saved by Cierzniak.
United's first chance arrived after fifteen minutes. A strong, driving run by Mackay-Steven culminated in a corner after his attempted cross was blocked on the right side. From the resultant set piece, Daly headed just wide inside the six yard box.
Ross County looked most likely to score in the first quarter of the game. However, of the handful of shots they were able to engineer few troubled Cierzniak.
Souttar was first to pick up a yellow card. The young defender accidently handled a long through ball as he tracked back to cover.
Jon Daly came closest to breaking the deadlock on the half hour mark. A viscous, in swinging left foot free kick from Douglas was met by the head of the United captain just yards from goal. As the ball flew toward the bottom corner, Fraser pulled off a fantastic one handed save to deny him.
There were precious few talking points in the remainder of the first half as both sides struggled to keep possession on the bumpy pitch.
Half time: Ross County 0 - 0 Dundee United
With both sides unchanged, it was United who were first to threaten in the second half. Daly again, came just inches from connecting with another excellent Douglas corner.
Set plays were looking to be the most likely avenue for a United goal. They went close when Douglas swerved a left foot free kick towards Fraser's bottom right corner but the keeper was able to get across to block.
With the keeper's hands still stinging, County rushed into the United half and grabbed the vital first goal. Great trickery from Vigurs at the by-line afforded him the space to clip in a neat cross. As the ball headed toward the back post, Sproule nipped in to nod home from just a yard out.
United were dealt a double blow on the hour when they were reduced to ten men. A robust challenge by Douglas on Sproule near the far touchline led to referee Clancy showing the left back a straight red card.
Boulding replaced Gauld soon after the goal, in an attempt to bolster United's fire power. With both sides desperate for a victory to maintain their European hopes, the game quickly opened up.
The ten men struggled in the twenty minutes following the opener. Ross County created numerous chances with the closest being a long range Richard Brittain strike that thundered off Cierzniak's cross bar.
The County captain spurned another great chance just as the game edged toward full time. Sproule, who had being causing United problems all evening, broke free on the left and cut back for Brittain. This time his strike lacked the accuracy of his previous effort and the ball soared high over the bar.
As the weather deteriorated, United brought on Gardyne and Johnston in an attempt to change the flow of the game. With nothing to lose, United pushed forward in remainder of the game but never came close to creating a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Full time: Ross County 1 - 0 Dundee United
Man of the match: Willo Flood. Worked hard from start to finish. The midfielder was still sliding into tackles right up until the full time whistle.
Teams:
Ross County: Fraser, Munro, Hainault, Oikonomou, Kovacevic, Lawson, Brittain, Vigurs, Quinn (Ross), Sproule (Scott), Wohlfarth (Kettlewell).
Subs not used - Gallacher, Boyd, Macphee, Cooper.
Dundee United: Cierzniak, Dillon, Douglas, McLean, Souttar, Flood, Rankin (Johnston), Mackay-Steven (Gardyne), Armstrong, Gauld (Boulding), Daly.
Subs not used - Anderson, Millar, Ryan, Dow.
Attendance - 3183
Referee - Kevin Clancy
The Global Energy Stadium in Dingwall had been witness to rain, hail, snow and sunshine in the run up to this evening's game. Thankfully the weather had settled by kick off and although cold, the conditions were near perfect for this top 6 encounter. With the season nearing an end and both sides still capable of clinching a Europa League spot, an exciting match was anticipated.
Both managers elected to stick with the same side that had started their previous match. Ross County hadn't won a league game since they defeated Celtic back in March. United were looking to bounce back from a disappointing home defeat to Motherwell.
Having lost early goals in their last two matches, United were lucky not to concede another after only two minutes in this game. Flood gave away possession at the edge of the box but Vigurs was unable to capitalise. His low curling shot was comfortably saved by Cierzniak.
United's first chance arrived after fifteen minutes. A strong, driving run by Mackay-Steven culminated in a corner after his attempted cross was blocked on the right side. From the resultant set piece, Daly headed just wide inside the six yard box.
Ross County looked most likely to score in the first quarter of the game. However, of the handful of shots they were able to engineer few troubled Cierzniak.
Souttar was first to pick up a yellow card. The young defender accidently handled a long through ball as he tracked back to cover.
Jon Daly came closest to breaking the deadlock on the half hour mark. A viscous, in swinging left foot free kick from Douglas was met by the head of the United captain just yards from goal. As the ball flew toward the bottom corner, Fraser pulled off a fantastic one handed save to deny him.
There were precious few talking points in the remainder of the first half as both sides struggled to keep possession on the bumpy pitch.
Half time: Ross County 0 - 0 Dundee United
With both sides unchanged, it was United who were first to threaten in the second half. Daly again, came just inches from connecting with another excellent Douglas corner.
Set plays were looking to be the most likely avenue for a United goal. They went close when Douglas swerved a left foot free kick towards Fraser's bottom right corner but the keeper was able to get across to block.
With the keeper's hands still stinging, County rushed into the United half and grabbed the vital first goal. Great trickery from Vigurs at the by-line afforded him the space to clip in a neat cross. As the ball headed toward the back post, Sproule nipped in to nod home from just a yard out.
United were dealt a double blow on the hour when they were reduced to ten men. A robust challenge by Douglas on Sproule near the far touchline led to referee Clancy showing the left back a straight red card.
Boulding replaced Gauld soon after the goal, in an attempt to bolster United's fire power. With both sides desperate for a victory to maintain their European hopes, the game quickly opened up.
The ten men struggled in the twenty minutes following the opener. Ross County created numerous chances with the closest being a long range Richard Brittain strike that thundered off Cierzniak's cross bar.
The County captain spurned another great chance just as the game edged toward full time. Sproule, who had being causing United problems all evening, broke free on the left and cut back for Brittain. This time his strike lacked the accuracy of his previous effort and the ball soared high over the bar.
As the weather deteriorated, United brought on Gardyne and Johnston in an attempt to change the flow of the game. With nothing to lose, United pushed forward in remainder of the game but never came close to creating a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Full time: Ross County 1 - 0 Dundee United
Man of the match: Willo Flood. Worked hard from start to finish. The midfielder was still sliding into tackles right up until the full time whistle.
Teams:
Ross County: Fraser, Munro, Hainault, Oikonomou, Kovacevic, Lawson, Brittain, Vigurs, Quinn (Ross), Sproule (Scott), Wohlfarth (Kettlewell).
Subs not used - Gallacher, Boyd, Macphee, Cooper.
Dundee United: Cierzniak, Dillon, Douglas, McLean, Souttar, Flood, Rankin (Johnston), Mackay-Steven (Gardyne), Armstrong, Gauld (Boulding), Daly.
Subs not used - Anderson, Millar, Ryan, Dow.
Attendance - 3183
Referee - Kevin Clancy
