Utd cruise Plenty pluses for the Tangerines in opening Irn-Bru Cup outing

PLAYERRATINGS

LET’S not even try to kid anyone on — when Dundee United were drawing up their list of priorities for this season, there’s a chance a successful defence of the Irn-Bru Cup didn’t even make the first page.

Promotion back to the Premiership is the be all and end all of this campaign. Nothing else should matter.

That said, the opening round of this year’s l ower leagues cup proved a timely and useful exercise as a much-changed United coasted past Cowdenbeath with a 2-0 win at Tannadice last night.

Showing 10 alterations to the starting line-up from the weekend Championship success against Queen of the South, a second-half double from Congolese-Dutch striker Patrick N’Koyi was enough to book a place i n tomorrow’s second-round draw.

N’Koyi’s first goals for the club after an injury-hit start to his time in tangerine were the initial indication this was a useful run-out for Ray McKinnon’s team.

As an extremely-rusty first-half display showed, N’Koyi was badly in need of some competitive game time. And as his rapid improvement over the 90 minutes and those two finishes also demonstrated, there’s nothing to beat real fixtures when it comes to getting players match fit.

Several others were in the same boat. James Keatings, the only starter from the weekend to retain his place, is still building back up to 100% after damaging ankle ligaments last month and will have benefited from his involvement.

Likewise, an injury that was probably a hangover from the long haul that was last season, has limited skipper Willo Flood to usually-brief appearances from the bench so far this term.

Last night, the Irishman looked strong and sharp and his display will have given the manager something to think about when it comes to picking his XI for this weekend’s resumption of league duties when Brechin City visit.

After a bout of sickness curtailed Scott Fraser’s activities last week, he was also back in the starting line-up and will be another now being considered for a start on Saturday.

Playing in his preferred advanced central midfield role, it was Fraser who set up N’Koyi for the opener via a brilliant run that took him past four Cowden defenders and ended with the perfect cut-back.

As well as getting fitness into legs, McKinnon was able to get a look at a couple of his top-team men in positions away from their recognised roles.

Dutchman Jordie Briels has impressed in early games for the club as an energetic midfielder but, this time out, he was asked to operate at right-back and made the move comfortably.

Just as impressive was young Scott Allardice. A holding-midfielder who’s shown he can do a job for the first team, he played alongside new signing Paul Quinn in central defence and did not look at all bad. With his height and physique, Allardice could have a future at the back.

Given that United are likely to dominate possession in most of their games in the months ahead, having someone there who can use the ball as well as he does could be a useful option.