Dundee UtdDundee Utd |
2 - 02 - 0 |
Partick ThPartick Th |
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League (Premier Division) |
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Goalscorers | |
Davie Dodds (56) Dave Narey (64) |
None. |
Team Managers | |
Jim McLean |
Bertie Auld |
Starting Eleven | |
1. Hamish McAlpine 2. Ray Stewart 3. Frank Kopel 4. George Fleming 5. Paul Hegarty 6. Dave Narey 7. Derek Stark 8. Paul Sturrock 9. Graeme Payne 10. Billy Kirkwood 11. Derek Addison |
Alan Rough .1 Dave McKinnon .2 Brian Whittaker .3 Jackie Campbell .4 Colin McAdam .5 Alex O'Hara .6 Bobby Houston .7 Jim Melrose .8 Ally Love .9 Doug Somner .10 Donald Park .11 |
Bench | |
12. Bobby Robinson 14. Davie Dodds |
Andy Anderson .12 George Clark .14 |
Substitutions | |
Davie Dodds for Graeme Payne (39) |
George Clark for Jim Melrose (75) Andy Anderson for Doug Somner (86) |
Cautions | |
None. | Dave McKinnon (34) |
Red Cards | |
None. | None. |
Match Officials | |
Tommy Muirhead (Stenhousemuir) (Referee) |
United went with the team which drew with Hibs at Easter Road. Bobby Robinson was joined on the bench by Davie Dodds, with Frye dropping out. Thistle also fielded the same team as the previous Saturday.
United went straight onto the attack in this match and Sturrock threatened after just two minutes when he took the ball from Addison and fired a low, hard cross into the box. Kirkwood got on the end of it but the ball bounced off Campbell who was able to retrieve the situation. United were then fortunate to escape a penalty decision against them when Stark appeared to handle diverting a cross back to McAlpine. Thistle came close when a Houton met a Whittaker cross but headed weakly into McAlpine's arms. United began to take a stranglehold on the game and Kopel did well to anticipate a miscued Houston flick and burst through between the winger and McKinnon. He then struck a low hard cross that troubled Rough at the near post. The toys and frustrating first half finished 0-0 with neither side getting it fully together.
There was an explosive start to the second half when O'Hara strode forward and unleashed a great shot straight for the top corner. McAlpine managed to tip it over the bar. From the corner, United broke away and Sturrock set off down the left. He sent in a great cross but it was just missed by both Kirkwood and Narey. United finally broke down the Jags defence in the 56th minute. It came from a long Kopel throw which was skilfully chested down by Narey in the box and touched on by Fleming to Davie Dodds who turned and hit the ball past Rough. It took United just 8 minutes to double their lead. Kopel was once again the creator when he overlapped and took a pass in his stride before crossing low to the near post. Dave Narey had made a run into the box and the big midfield man cheekily flicked the ball past Rough. United had to survive some late Thistle pressure, which included a well-hit McKinnon drive, but the Tannadice defence never looked seriously threatened. United held on to win 2-0 and remained top of the league table.
1978-79 | All Time | |||||
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Age | Nat | ![]() |
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Hamish McAlpine (GK) | 30 |
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15 | - | 341 | 3 |
Ray Stewart | 19 |
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13 | - | 22 | 1 |
Dave Narey | 22 |
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15 | 2 | 207 | 16 |
Frank Kopel | 29 |
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13 | 2 | 287 | 9 |
Derek Stark | 19 |
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6 | - | 7 | - |
Paul Hegarty | 24 |
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15 | 2 | 172 | 35 |
Billy Kirkwood | 20 |
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13 | 4 | 57 | 16 |
Derek Addison | 23 |
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13 | - | 69 | 8 |
George Fleming | 30 |
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12 | 1 | 276 | 32 |
Paul Sturrock | 22 |
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13 | 1 | 144 | 37 |
Graeme Payne | 22 |
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15 | 1 | 180 | 9 |
Davie Dodds (sub) | 20 |
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7 | 3 | 23 | 7 |
Pld | W | D | L | +/- | Pts | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | DUNDEE UTD | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | +7 | 15 |
2. | Celtic | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | +6 | 13 |
3. | Hibernian | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 | +2 | 13 |
4. | Rangers | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | +2 | 12 |
5. | Aberdeen | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | +8 | 11 |
6. | St Mirren | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11 |
7. | Partick Th | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
8. | Morton | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -3 | 10 |
9. | Hearts | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | -6 | 10 |
10. | Motherwell | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | -16 | 4 |
League results since United's last match |
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28th October 1978 |
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Dundee Utd | 2-0 | Partick Th |
Hearts | 2-0 | Celtic |
Morton | 2-1 | Aberdeen |
Motherwell | 1-2 | St Mirren |
Rangers | 2-1 | Hibernian |
Good afternoon again and welcome back to Tannadice for to-day's visit of a Partick Thistle currently enjoying a successful time of it in the Premier League. Nevertheless, we too have been accumulating the points since that disappointing home defeat by Morton way back on September 9 and pessimist though some folks claim me to be, I can take nothing away from the performance of the side in grabbing ten points out of the last possible twelve. As any of the playing staff here at Tannadice would immediately confirm, it simply would not do if I did not find something to moan about — In fact I can almost hear even the wife backing up that opinion! However, complete satisfaction regarding the side's performances is something which I sadly admit will seldom be enjoyed by me, and that is a fault which I would level against myself as being the cause for our apparent lack of conviction at the present time.
In the past few years I have tended to pass on my doubts as to the players' abilities rather than convince them of their strengths. And it is now when the side has 'come of age' that I am finding it harder to explain how good they really can be.
But in so saying, even the best of sides can be improved upon in my eyes and I honestly believe that the striking area still leaves something to be desired, with the men there still not threatening suddenly where it matters. That being the case I don't think that, despite our recent run, we have yet played anywhere near as well as we can — and that's the ultimate aim. That result against Celtic a fortnight ago obviously gave us the boost we required and last week's point at Easter Road was no more than we deserved for our performance. But despite that certain newspaper articles took the gloss of the display by suggesting to the contrary. I state right now that every player, with the exception of Raymond Stewart, was designated the exact roles as contrived to beat our Celtic bogy the previous week. There was absolutely no way I could have changed things after that display and considering our current position in the table. We went to Edinburgh seeking both points — and that's fact! The only criticism I would level at the players in that game is that they tended to too much about the opposition in the first half, and that's where their self-belief comes in. To-day's game will be anything but easy against a Thistle side which will travel with confidence. They are past masters at containing early on in a game, so once again patience will be required both on and of the field.