Dundee Utd 1
Motherwell 2
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

As expected Manager Ivan Golac stuck to the same eleven which faced Dundee for the first of a league and cup double against Motherwell.

The visitors were first to threaten with a well struck volley from Tommy Coyne sneaking past the post after three minutes. Tommy McLean's men had the better of the very early stages, but United soon got into their rhythm and skipper Maurice Malpas sent in a couple of shots off target before swinging over a right footed cross from the left from which Craig Brewster buried a header past Dykstra from the edge of the six yard box. The Motherwell keeper then became their hero as he pulled off a series of tremendous saves whilst at the other end United proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot by conceding not one, but two own goals! Before those calamities, Dykstra had already twice denied United a second. First he could only fend away Craig Brewster's vicious volley and Jim Mclnally picked up the rebound, but Dykstra foiled him as he tried to round the keeper. Seven minutes from the interval came the first of the two own goals. Motherwell did have the United defence under some pressure, but when McKinnon headed back across the face of the goal, there appeared to be enough tangerine jerseys to cope until Dave Bowman ran back and headed into his own net at the near post. United's response was to twice carve open the Motherwell defence within minutes. First Billy McKinlay found himself clear, but Dykstra parried his shot and the blocked at close quarters Craig Brewster's follow up effort. Very shortly afterwards Brian Welsh was advancing on Dykstra as again the Well defence was ripped open, but once more Motherwell's Dutch keeper proved too big a barrier to pass as he successfully denied the United defender. It was all the more ironic, therefore, when Dolan's innocent looking cross turned into something much more menacing thanks to a double dutch blunder. Freddy van der Hoorn headed the ball back to find his fellow countryman Guide van de Kamp in goal only to find he had already left his charge to collect the cross and the ball ran over the line with Jim Mclnally in hot, but unsuccessful pursuit!

As someone joked at half-time the last time United had scored three goals in the first half was against Rangers at Ibrox! But there was to be no happy ending here as United tried manfully to break down Motherwell's well organised defence. Again when they did create an opening in the second half, Dykstra was still an immovable object Scott Crabbe and Paddy Connolly created the chance for Maurice Malpas, but the Dutch keeper spread himself to save. Christian Dailly and Jerren Nixon replaced the own goal miscreants and the latter forced a save out of Dykstra at the near post as he turned the ball round for a corner. When that kick came over, Craig Brewster deftly stretched to steer a shot on target and a goal was only prevented by the combined efforts of Rab Shannon and that man Dykstra. So after 18 years Motherwell finally recorded a victory at Tannadice, but they could scarcely have envisaged it being handed to them on a plate as it was here!