Little Big Shot Youth Cup: United 2 Dundee 1

An own goal four minutes from the end of extra time of this fiercely contested City of Discovery derby enabled United to edge out Dundee to reach the last eight of the Little Big Shot Youth Cup. By Peter Rundo Starting brightly, United took the  lead after 15 minutes when a Scott Allardice cross was flicked on by Brad Smith to Aaron Duke who steered home from eight yards. However, that advantage was short-lived, because three minutes later Dundee levelled when Allardice lost possession and Jesse Curran netted from 12 yards. More slack defending almost brought Dundee a second on 26 minutes with only a superb save from keeper Josh Donaldson keeping out a Josh Skelly shot on the turn. Thereafter it was a real battle with play just too frenetic for any cohesive football. Not that the game was without chances with Dundee missing one on 15 minutes left with Kerr Wadell just failing to get the final touch from a Curran cross, United raced straight to the other end and Jamie Robson met a Justin Johnson cross and only an instinctive block by Gourlay kept the ball out with Duke’s effort from the rebound landing in the visiting keeper’s grateful hands. With five minutes to go, Dundee’s Skelly hit the post from close range, and he hit the woodwork again in spectacular fashion six minutes from the end of extra-time. But with just four minutes left, Wadell turned a Robson cross into his own net to avoid the, by then, seemingly inevitable penalty shoot-out. Dundee United; Donaldson, Spark, H Souttar, Sukar, Robson,  Allardice  (Davie 87) Ballantyne, B Smith, Taylor, (Tumilty 49), Coote (Johnson 46), Duke. Subs not used: Conway, McNaughton..