Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Ray hails ‘outstanding’ defence in Ayr off-day
DUNDEE United boss Ray McKinnon admitted his side were far from their best in the 1-0 win at Ayr but was full of praise for his “outstanding” central defenders.
A sixth-minute goal from stand-in striker Tope Obadeyi gave the Tangerines a vital three points at Somerset Park.
Simon Murray didn’t make the squad after suffering a knee injury and, despite Nick van der Velden leading the line in the 1-0 win over Hibs eight days before, McKinnon opted for the pace of Obadeyi — a player usually found on the wing.
And Ray was delighted with the impact the former Kilmarnock man made in Ayr, especially given the Englishman’s lack of game time lately.
McKinnon said: “Tope scored a great goal, he’s got great composure and skinned a couple of boys.
“We were delighted with that. Simon Murray got injured and Tope came in and got his goal.
“He’s not played for a while, so we’re happy with that.”
On the whole, though, it was a day for defenders and Ray was delighted to see his team keep out the home side as the Honest Men knocked on the Tangerines door for much of the contest.
McKinnon added: “The clean sheet was important. I thought Durnan and Edjenguele were outstanding and they had to be because they were put under a lot of pressure.
“I wouldn’t say Ayr had a lot of clear-cut chances but there were a lot of balls played into them and they dealt with it really well.
“It was a great three points, that’s the message — it’s a fantastic three points from a team that weren’t at their best.”
It’s a victory that keeps the Tangerines level with Hibs at the top of the Championship after the Edinburgh side defeated Dumbarton 2-0 at Easter Road.
And, for Ray, that’s the over-riding factor of Saturday’s result — with promotion on the line this season, it was certainly a points-overperformance afternoon.
He added: “It’s the same three points we got against Hibs last week but in a complete contrast.
“I said to the guys it’s probably been the worst we’ve been in terms of keeping the ball, passing it — and fair play to Ayr United, they’ve given us a really tough game.
“We weren’t at our best but we’ve taken the three points.
“I said to them that’s their first dip in three months in terms of performance, so to get the victory we’re over the moon.”