Below-par Obadeyi’s early strike enough for Tangerines to win at Somerset Park

PLAYERRATINGS

DUNDEE United showed they have the skill of all successful teams at Ayr on Saturday — the ability to win when playing far below their best.

The 1-0 victory at Somerset Park wasn’t pretty but it keeps them neck and neck with Hibs in the race to get out of the Championship.

It’s fair to say Arabs won’t want to sit through displays like that again any time soon but it does show their team has some steel about them.

Because the home side really took the game to United for most of the contest and will feel they were the better team.

The one thing that, in the end, separated the two sides was that the visitors took their one and only chance, while the hosts didn’t bring a single save out of Cammy Bell despite being on the front foot throughout.

Even the opening goal came from an Ayr attack — one they almost scored from, too.

An early corner dropped at former Dundee favourite Gary Harkins’ feet inside the six-yard box and it looked like the net was about to ripple.

The United defence weren’t about to let that happen, however, and bodies were thrown in the way.

The ball was cleared and Scott Fraser fed Tope Obadeyi with two defenders around him.

The defenders were petrified of the former Killie man’s pace and it showed as he bundled his way past them before rounding the onrushing goalkeeper and rolling the ball into the empty net.

It was a great start for United and Obadeyi himself in an unfamiliar role — the Englishman was a striker in his youth but has almost always been used as a winger in the senior game.

From t here, you’d expect t he Tangerines to be off and running, spraying passes around and patiently waiting to pick Ayr off.

But it never came.

The home side were busy and harassed United, not l etting Ray McKinnon’s men have it all their own way.

And it worked, Harkins was a threat with the ball at his feet and the pace of Alan Forrest up top worried the away defence.

They should have scored shortly before half-time, too, as pacey rightback Nicky Devlin stole in behind and cut the ball across for Jamie Adams.

Just three or four yards out and probably expecting to score himself, Adams ballooned it over — with the help of a Lewis Toshney deflection.

In the win over Hibs nine days ago, Toshney looked a little rusty at times but he was in full battle mode for this one.

He made at least two vital blocks on efforts that looked goalbound. That mentality was exactly what United needed in a match like this.

It’s a contagious attitude, too — the two centre-backs next to him, Mark Durnan and William Edjenguele, defending the penalty box impressively, while young Jamie Robson stuck to his defensive tasks well at left-back.

It really was a dogged display and, with the way the Tangerines were on the ball, it had to be.

Getting the ball through from defence to attack just didn’t really happen — wayward passes and poor touches let them down too often.

If you’re going to challenge for a league title and promotion, there are days where it just won’t happen for you — but top teams still find a way to win and United did that.