Cowdenbeath 0
Dundee Utd 4
League Cup (2nd Round)

Match Report

This was a comfortable stroll in the sun against the side which finished thirty-ninth out of forty clubs last season! There was only one threatening moment from the Fifers. That came two minutes after United had gone in front. Yardley turned away from the United defence to angle in a shot which Ally Maxwell parried into the path of Scott who slotted the ball into an empty net. The stand-side linesman, however, raised his flag to indicate that the centre was offside and with that went any Fife hopes of causing an upset of any sort. United's early domination should have brought a goal in the 7th minute, but Rab Shannon's header from a Paddy Connolly cross drifted past the far post. United eventually went ahead in the 26th minute when Paddy Connolly was fouled by Malloy 22 yards out and Billy McKinlay's free-kick deflected off the defensive wall to leave Russell helpless. Paddy Connolly was again involved in the second goal. Russell reached but couldn't hold his flick, Robbie Winters headed the ball back and Neil Caldwell rammed the ball high into the roof of the net.

The second half was less than five minutes old when United hit their third - a classic right-foot curler from Paddy Connolly just outside the box defeating Russell's despairing efforts. Paddy Connolly netted a fourth fourteen minutes later when the ball broke back to him from the 'keeper and he slotted the ball into the empty net from 10 yards. A win on a grand scale then looked on the cards, but United took the foot off the pedal and only the referee's decision to order both Tom Steven and Billy Kirkwood to the stand after an exchange of words following a Billy McKinlay tackle broke the tranquillity of the last quarter of the match. Paddy Connolly, who had a hand in all four goals, was named Man of the Match.