Dundee Utd 1
Falkirk 0
League (Premier Division)
Dundee UtdDundee Utd |
1 - 01 - 0 |
FalkirkFalkirk |
 |
League (Premier Division) |
 |
| Goalscorers | |
|
Gordan Petrić (54) |
None. |
| Team Managers | |
|
Ivan Golac |
Jim Jefferies |
| Starting Eleven | |
|
Alan Main Brian Welsh Maurice Malpas Christian Dailly Alex Cleland Gordan Petrić Jerren Nixon David Hannah Andy McLaren Billy McKinlay Craig Brewster |
Tony Parks David Weir Neil Oliver John Clark Joe McLaughlin Scott McKenzie Eddie May Steve Fulton Richard Cadette Brian Rice Colin McDonald |
| Bench | |
|
Henrik Jørgensen David Craig Chris Myers |
Willie Lamont Jamie McGowan Nicky Henderson |
| Substitutions | |
| None. | Nicky Henderson for Scott McKenzie (84) |
| Cautions | |
|
David Hannah (56) Brian Welsh (62) |
Richard Cadette (42) Tony Parks (56) Colin McDonald (89) |
| Red Cards | |
| None. | None. |
| Match Officials | |
|
G Tran (Kirkcaldy) (Referee) |
Match Report
Bad boys Christian Dailly and Andy McLaren were restored to the side, whilst injuries kept out Dave Bowman, Jim Mclnally and Dragutin Ristic out of the side.
The game got off to an enterprising start with Jerren Nixon angling the ball through for David Hannah and Parks had to hack the ball away to prevent the United midfielder from striking an early blow. Four minutes later, Falkirk countered that by going even closer. Fulton progressed to the byeline on the right and crossed to the far post, but Alan Main pulled off a magnificent save from Weir's header.
Falkirk ended the first period in the ascendancy. Some sloppy defending almost let Cadette in seven minutes for the break, but there were no takers when he drilled the ball all across the face of the box from the right and the half came to a close with the visitors coming within a whisker of going in front. John Clark curled over a first time cross which Alan Main failed to hold and the ball ran to Cadette who swivelled to send in a shot which came off the underside of the bar before Brian Welsh thumped the ball to safety.
United opened the second half in more accomplished fashion and should have gone ahead when Andy McLaren's cross from the left found Billy McKinlay with all the time in the world, but his deliberately aimed header was knocked off the line by Rice. Three minutes later, United got the goal which was to count. Fulton fouled Dailly on the edge of the box and Gordan Petrić powerfully curled the free-kick into the top left-hand corner, leaving Parks clawing thin air.
In a much improved second half display, United now dominated play. Falkirk passed up a couple of chances with McDonald sending a glancing header wide from a Fulton cross, the nearest they came to scoring. After being reduced to ten men for the last nine minutes following the dismissal of David Hannah, the Tangerines almost got a second three minutes from the end, but Billy McKinlay blasted a cut back from Christian Dailly wide of the target.
Golac summed up the performance, "It was a great goal which won the game and it was encouraging to keep a clean sheet"
Squad Statistics (as at September 24th, 1994)
| 1994-95 | All Time | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Nat |  |
 |
|
|
|
| Alan Main (GK) | 26 |
|
8 | - | 185 | - |
| Maurice Malpas | 32 |
|
4 | - | 630 | 19 |
| Brian Welsh | 25 |
|
8 | 1 | 120 | 9 |
| Alex Cleland | 23 |
|
8 | - | 170 | 9 |
| Gordan Petrić | 25 |
|
10 | 2 | 45 | 3 |
| Christian Dailly | 20 |
|
6 | - | 104 | 14 |
| Jerren Nixon | 21 |
|
10 | 3 | 32 | 4 |
| Billy McKinlay | 25 |
|
7 | - | 248 | 20 |
| David Hannah | 21 |
|
10 | 3 | 29 | 5 |
| Andy McLaren | 21 |
|
7 | - | 65 | 4 |
| Craig Brewster | 27 |
|
9 | 1 | 49 | 21 |
League Table (as at September 24th, 1994)
No league table has been added for this season.
Manager's Programme Notes
Despite everything on Wednesday evening at Hampden, I have no grounds for complaint. I could make excuses about the players who weren't available, but the eleven I fielded were the best available. It was certainly a much better performance than at Tynecastle the previous Saturday when we were undoubtedly jaded following our exertions against Tatran Presov. I didn't say a lot to the lads after the game. They were all disappointed at losing and that is a good sign. We dominated the game particularly in the first half and played some magnificent football and there was no lack of effort. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy a great deal of luck. We lost Paddy Connolly with a bad injury which will sideline him for a lengthy period. That was a great pity because Paddy had done very well in those opening stages when we probably enjoyed our best spell of the game. In other respects though, we will have to work harder to make the breaks come our way. But overall I thought we did very well and it was disappointing to lose to Celtic to a very late goal as we had done in the league game last month. All our concentration is now geared towards today's match with Falkirk and though it doesn't matter whom we play, the preparation for this game will be the same as it was for the match with Celtic.
Falkirk have started the season very well for a promoted side and I anticipate as entertaining and as exciting a game as we had with them last in the League Cup when we won on penalties. All I would ask our supporters is to get behind the side as you have done when we have been trailing in the games against Aberdeen and against Tatran Presov when in each case we have with your help come from behind to win. I am still sure that we will have a very good season despite the defeat by Celtic and a win today will be just the boost we require before heading off to Slovakia for the return European tie next Thursday.