MATCH REPORT | YOUNG TERRORS ON WRONG SIDE OF NINE-GOAL THRILLER

DUNDEE UNITED 3
MOTHERWELL 6
CAS UNDER-18S ELITE LEAGUE
18:00 FRIDAY 20TH JANUARY
GUSSIE PARK

Motherwell were the Young Terrors' first opponents in the CAS Under-18s Elite League since the turn of the year, their second visit to Tayside this season.

Line-Up

Captain Craig Moore started his second match of the week after playing 90 minutes for Dundee United B on Tuesday, starting at right centre-half alongside fellow reserve star Arron Donald.
 
Ryan Moon opted for a youthful wingback pair, with 15-year-olds Owen Emslie and Ollie Simpson on the right and left respectively. Keir Bertie and Scott Constable were the defensive-minded duo in the centre of the park, whilst Sean Borland, deployed in the number 10 role, looked to get close to lone striker Stuart Heenan to pick up loose balls.
 
On the wings, Bryan Mwangi and Adam Carnwath were given the nod to start.

Blistering Start

A whirlwind opening 11 minutes ensued, and Motherwell took less than 150 seconds to open the scoring. Craig Moore failed to clear his lines twice after being dispossessed near his own box and, at the second bite of the cherry, Mohammed Adam slotted home under onrushing keeper Jamie McCabe – a cheap goal to give away from a United perspective.
 
Things went from bad to worse for the hosts soon after, with Olly Whyte coolly slotting Luca Ross’ delivery into the back of the net as he made up ground from midfield untracked.
 
A quick response was needed from United before the match got beyond them in its infancy, and Heenan managed to half the deficit from the spot.
 
Donald sent a searching ball into the left channel as Heenan spun in behind. ‘Well defender Scott Williamson looked to have the situation under control but an unfortunate slip on the treacherous Gussie Park surface saw the United man presented with an opportunity to convert a one-on-one. Rather than pull the trigger, Heenan opted to round ‘keeper Kyle Aitken before being cynically hauled to the ground inside the area, and the 17-year-old confidently sent his opponent the wrong way from 12 yards.

 
Moore could’ve levelled the arrears as he rose highest in the area to meet Borland’s teasing corner but glanced wide of the far post unchallenged with Aitken rooted to the spot on his line.

Back In Control

With 22 minutes down, Motherwell reinstated their two-goal lead.
 
The linesman caused confusion by briefly raising his flag for offside before reversing his decision, and this perhaps contributed to a mistake from United stopper Jamie McCabe, which saw him inadvertently spill Williamson’s cross at the feet of Ross who knocked home from less than three yards.
 
Defender Zack Flatman almost made it four when he was gifted a free header in the area on the half-hour mark but steered his effort past the near-post, a let-off for United.
 
The Young Terrors managed to fashion another chance from a set-piece scenario, as Mwangi’s well-struck free-kick from 25 yards forced Aitken into action after a spell in dormancy.
 
United’s inability to defend crosses into their area saw the visitors stretch further ahead, this time Flatman making no mistake as he stabbed the loose ball from a stramash caused by Shay Nevans’ inswinging delivery into the bottom corner.

Back In It

On the stroke of half-time left-sided defender Donald managed to haul his side back into the contest, with the 17-year-old meeting Mwangi’s front-post corner to steer it past the helpless Aitken between the sticks. Game on heading into the break.
 
Ryan Moon slightly tweaked the system during the interval, as Moore stepped into midfield and Constable dropped into right centre-half. Greg Petrie made his return to action after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with injury, slotting into the middle of a back three.
 
Quick thinking and a quick free-kick from Mwangi and Carnwath saw the former find the latter advancing into the area off the back of Flatman, but Carnwath found his low drive across goal saved by the feet of ‘Well’s number one.
 
A calamitous passage of play followed, and this time it was the Lanarkshire outfit struggling to deal with a corner - Aitken’s punch dropped into the middle of the 18-yard box causing havoc between both sets of players. Moore’s unorthodox half-volley seemed to take an age before rebounding back off the inside of the post, a Motherwell defender had a swipe at the ball as it trundled across the six-yard box before Adam’s hacked clearance cannoned off the woodwork.

Sucker Punch

Just as it looked as though United were beginning to find their rhythm in the match, Motherwell landed a sucker punch to extend their lead to three goals once more.
 
Constable lost his footing when marshalling Ross down the line, allowing the ‘Well number nine the opportunity to put a ball across the area unchallenged, and talisman Adam was on hand at the front post to apply the finishing touch.
 
However, United refused to let this dishearten them and yet again cut the away side’s advantage. Borland’s ball was headed clear only as far as substitute Petrie, and the towering defender unleashed an outrageous, first-time volley from the edge of the D which nestled into the top corner – the perfect way to mark his return to the side.

Chances To Nick A Point

Into the closing stages, Heenan was presented with a golden opportunity to set up a grandstand finish, after the lively Mwangi had beaten Derin Marshall to a 50/50 on the counter, managing to knock the ball through to his colleague. Heenan kept his composure to cut inside Flatman’s recovery challenge but found his eventual, left-footed shot smothered by Aitken.
 
Two chances in as many minutes offered the Young Terrors ample opportunity to pile the pressure on as the final whistle approached – first, a training ground move from a wide-free-kick culminated in Moore stepping onto Simpson’s low ball across the box, but the skipper failed to test the ‘keeper under no real pressure, then Mwangi opted to go for glory himself in a two-on-one situation against the Motherwell backline,  finding his powerful drive from the right of the area beaten to safety.
 
The Fir Park side wrapped up the three points deep into second-half stoppage time however, as Ross capped off a fine individual performance with a goal, dead-eyed when faced one-on-one with McCabe as he tucked the ball into the near-post following a misplaced back pass from Simpson. 

Teamlines

United: McCabe, Emslie, Simpson, Moore, Donald, Bertie, Constable, Borland, Carnwath, Mwangi, Heenan (Domeracki, Haldane, Petrie, Stirton, Holt)

Motherwell: Aitken, Garcia, Williamson, Flatman, Gould, Whyte, Nevans, Forrest, Ross, MacDonald, Adam (McQuire, Nelson, McClean, Tomany, Booth, Bone, Marshall