In a game of two halves, Stevie Campbell’s side wound up their season in style, coming from behind in the ‘Wee Derby’ to, in the end, run out comfortable winners, scoring four second half goals after Dundee held an interval advantage.
Both teams put out young sides with Dundee starting the livelier. Twice Josh Skelly made space for himself on the left with Michal Szromnik tipping over the first time then a shot flashed across the face on the second occasion in the opening 15 minutes.
United’s first chance came when Matti Smith found Euan Spark free at the back post but he could only head wide when he really should have found the net.
But when the opener did come, it was at the other end.
Calum Brodie raced from goal to deny United’s Ali Coote and then launched the ball quickly up the park. The bounce of the ball took it over Szromnik and Lee Cameron smashed the ball into the empty net.
Starting the second half in determined fashion, the Tangerines should have been level within a minute when Coote scooped the ball over the defence to Scott Fraser who somehow shot wide.
However, after 58 minutes there was parity when a free kick into the Dundee box pinged about before Cammy Ballantyne turned the ball home for the first of three goals in nine minutes.
The second goal saw Darren Petrie’s header from a Fraser free-kick loop over Brodie before Justin Johnson smashed the ball home from 25-yards off the post.
United rounded off the night with a fourth three minutes from time when Chris McLaughlin’s cut-back for fellow substitute Reghan Tumilty to side-foot in.
United - Szromnik, Spark, Robson (McLaughlin 67), B.Smith, Ballantyne, Petrie, Fraser, S.Smith, M.Smith ((Montgomery 67), Coote, Johnson (Tumilty 84).
Subs not used: Booth, Horne, Duke.