MAGICAL MYSTERY FOUR
Goals galore but we still don’t know how this journey to Premiership is gonna end
THE goals flew in but the identity of the clubs which will have a final shot at gaining a place in the Premiership remains a mystery.
Whether it’s a game against Caley Thistle or Hamilton Accies is even more unclear.
But Tannadice last night hosted a thriller.
It proved that cagey first-leg play-offs can give way to open, free-flowing football.
Strikes from Dundee United’s Simon Murray and Blair Spittal were levelled by replies from James Craigen and Joe McKee as all eyes turn to Falkirk Stadium on Friday with nothing to split the sides.
The home team were unchanged following their 5-1 aggregate victory over Morton in last week’s play-off quarter-final.
Ring rust was the biggest issue for the Bairns who last played in a 1-0 win at Dumbarton on May 6. They were also unchanged from that outing.
It was the visitors who settled the quickest as they snapped into challenges and looked like getting the better of an Arabs backline which easily conceded possession in the first few frantic minutes.
The Tannadice side’s cause wasn’t helped with the enforced substitution of Stewart Murdoch after only eight minutes. He went down under Nathan Austin’s challenge and had to be replaced by club skipper Sean Dillon.
It triggered a reshuffle as well as an upsurge in fortunes as Tony Andreu’s strike from distance was well handled by Bairns keeper Robbie Thomson before Murray’s effort flew a wide.
The early promise shown by the visitors was slowly evaporating and the traffic was now flowing towards Falkirk’s goal with alarming ease.
Spittal’s cross then cause serious panic in the box before drifting wide but it was further evidence that the tide had turned.
It was no surprise when United edged ahead in the 16th minute – and it was simple stuff.
Keeper Cammy Bell’s long punt was nodded on by Thomas Mikkelsen and Murray made the most of Peter Grant’s failure to match his run. The former Arbroath striker smacked a low shot into Thomson’s left corner.
It was a 17th of the season and the third play-off goal in a row for the increasingly prolific hitman.
Falkirk levelled, albeit against run of play, in the 27th minute and the length of the Tannadice grass was United’s undoing as again they gifted away possession.
Craig Sibbald robbed Wato Kuate and the ball went wide to Joe McKee who’s delivery was scissor-kicked past Bell by Craigan.
It was a brilliant effort which was almost capped with another nine minutes later when he guided a shot from the edge of the box into Bell’s right-hand corner – only for the former Rangers stopper to acrobatically turn the ball around the post. The pendulum had swung Falkirk’s way at the break.
They continued where they’d left off as the kept the pressure on United’s goal with a succession of corners which brought no reward other than exposing the increasing discomfort of the home defence.
But United edged ahead in the 54th minute and it was Murray who did the spadework.
He burrowed a path to the edge of the Falkirk penalty area before switching a pass to Spittal who superbly tucked a low shot into Thomson’s far right-hand corner.
Five minutes later the Bairns levelled again. This time it was a 25-yard free-kick from McKee who bulleted a shot past Bell who was far too easily beaten.
The desperation from the home fans was tangible as the groans echoed around the ground after Murray failed to get any power behind a shot from the edge of the area and Spittal hit a speculative effort from a similar distance.
It could have been even worse for the Terrors had John Baird’s 79th-minute shot not been flagged for offside to bring the striker’s celebrations to an abrupt halt.
Injury time almost brought a United winner as Mikkelsen floated a header past Thomson, only for the keeper to somehow claw the ball off his line to ensure it was honours even.