YOUNG TERRORS GRIND OUT WIN AGAINST ICT

After battling to a deserved point against Rangers a fortnight ago, the Young Terrors followed things up with a 3-2 victory over Inverness CT.

Before the two sides battled things out in the Ladbrokes Championship at Tannadice, the pair's Under-18s squads met at Whitton Park where Archie Meekison, Kerr Smith and Kai Fotheringham netted for United to seal the points.

The Young Terrors began proceedings with great intensity as they put the visiting defence under pressure with a high press utilised by the pace of Darren Watson. It was a tactic which almost led to an opening goal on nine minutes as the young forward released Fotheringham into the box after recovering the ball 25 yards out, but the shot was tipped round the post by Ruardhri Nicol.

Inverness were then dealt a significant blow when the young keeper pulled up with an injury and received treatment from the medical staff. Nicol showed no sign of recovering, but without a replacement stopper on the bench, he was forced to play on.

United looked to take advantage as Watson went on a gut-bursting run down the left-wing on 12 minutes after being released by the Trialist, but he fired straight down the throat of the keeper.

But the opening goal would come just two minutes later when Layton Bisland delivered a low cross into the six-yard box where Meekison was waiting to knock past Nicol.

Shaun Brown went close to doubling the advantage six minutes later as he broke into the Inverness box, but he dragged his skimming shot wide of the near post.

Nicol was then, finally, taken off as defender Cailean Eaglesham moved in between the sticks for Inverness and Cameron Hoath come off the bench.

But despite having an outfield player in goal, the Young Terrors failed to put him under much pressure for the majority of the first half and Inverness netted the equaliser on the half-hour mark when Ethan Cairns nodded home at the back post.

United would, however, end the match in the ascendancy and went in at the interval a goal in front courtesy of Smith. Following Shaun Brown's corner, the ball fell to the midfielder in the middle of the box and he would make no mistake as he blasted his first 18s goal of the season, almost tearing the net in the process.

That dominance would continue into the second half but despite chances from Adam Hutchinson and the Trialist, it took until the 69th minute for United's third to come.

Following a quick break, the Trialist picked out Fotheringham on the edge of the box with a great delivery which the 16-year-old brought down before placing the ball in the bottom corner for his first competitive goal since returning from an ankle injury.

United would then give 16-year-old Miller Thomson and 14-year-old Lewis O'Donnell the opportunity to get some more minutes for the 18s under their belt, continuing the fine work the Academy has been doing this season.

Inverness pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the 79th minute after the referee deemed that Jacob Kerr had been fouled in the box. Kane Davies stepped up from the Highlanders and fired it beyond the reach of Reece Beveridge who had dived the right way.

The Young Terrors thought they had re-established their two-goal advantage less than 120 seconds later when Bisland put the ball on a plate for Fotheringham five-yards from goal, but the young attacker lifted his shot over the bar much to the delight of Eaglesham.

The make-shift Inverness stopper would be called into action in the 90th minute as O'Donnell released Bisland into the box, but the keeper made himself big to deflect the ball over the bar but it wouldn't stop United from securing the points.

"It was a strange game with the situation that went on," said Head Professional Performance Coach Adam Asghar. "We started really well in our patterns of moving the ball but then their goalkeeper gets a bad injury and they don't have a sub on the bench. It's that little period of about 20 minutes before they put an outfield player in goals.

"We go 1-0 up in that period with a goal that I don't think he would have stopped anyway but if we don't capitalise and two or three goals up and they come out that period then it causes us a problem because it brings them closer together, gives them something to play for and we lose a little bit of control.

" Second half we started well getting the third goal. Then we make some changes and it's just about managing those young boys coming on to try and have a little less naivety in their play.

"We lose a penalty but we see the game out, so there are positives in it but it just shows that value of scoring when you have the momentum and if you don't it can become a little bit more difficult than it needs to be."

Full reactions from Asghar and Smith are available now.

Next up for the Under-18s is a trip to Celtic on Friday 28 February. It's a 7.00pm kick-off at Lennoxtown.

Team: Beveridge, Bisland, Trialist, Caves (O'Donnell 72'), Cooney (Fraser 58'), Hutchinson, Brown (Thomson 72'), Smith, Fotheringham, Meekison (Robson 72') and Watson (Malcolm 46')

Subs not used: McCabe and Walker