Dundee Utd 1
St Mirren 1
League (Premier Division)

Match Report

United started with the same eleven which kicked off against Motherwell. Graeme Payne, a substitute last week, was not listed for the game, with Derek Frye and Ralph Milne on the bench.

United opened with a corner, where Paul Sturrock's kick was pushed goalwards by Bobby Robinson. St Mirren keeper Billy Thomson fumbled the ball before smothering the danger on the goal-line. In the fourth minute United took the lead when a four-man move on the left was finished off with a powerful header from Billy Kirkwood. Robinson then had another chance, but his effort from seven yards deflected off Kirkwood and wide. The first 15 minutes had been all United, but St Mirren forced two corners in succession, levelling via a close in Bobby Torrance header. Ray Stewart went close after George Fleming touched a free-kick to the full-back, and Billy Stark had a chance at the other end but hit his shot straight at Hamish McAlpine. The same pair were involved again in the next opportunity, when the keeper dived full length to touch a Stark volley over the bar. United had a penalty appeal turned away nine minutes from the break when Fleming goes down after a challenge from Young.

The second half was almost 10 minutes old by the time the Tangerine threatened, with two Kirkwood efforts coming close. Paul Hegarty flicked on a Sturrock corner which forced Thomson into a brilliant reflex save. United had a let off in the 58th minute when Stewart appeared to foul Torrance in the box, but the referee gave a free-kick on the edge of the box. The match was now played at a furious rate, with play raging from end to end. Stewart received a yellow card for a foul on Abercromby, before Jimmy Bone flashed a volley over the bar from a corner. United had been hanging on as the game drew to its conclusion, but in the final minute it was the Terrors that missed a glorious chance to steal the points. Sturrock played in the overlapping Stark, whose cross into the six yard box is missed by Kirkwood, only to land at the feet of Honeyman. With just the keeper to beat the forwards half-hit shot struck the post and bobbled tantalisingly along the line before being cleared. The hard fought and highly entertaining game ended a deserved draw for both sides. United went a point clear at the top of the table, with Partick losing to Celtic, but only three points separated seven teams.