Praise for midfield pair

UNITED: Partick next after Pars are swept aside

“I think the objective was to qualify from the group and we’ve done that,” added the manager.

“We had to keep the tempo up because Dunfermline are a decent side.

“They worked extremely hard and made it difficult for us. So it was up to us to keep going for the entire 90 minutes.

“That’s our message to the players for the rest of the season.”

McKinnon had special praise for his midfield duo of Willo Flood and Stewart Murdoch, who directed most of United’s good play.

“I thought Willo and Murdo were great in the middle of the park,” said McKinnon.

“They won so many tackles and started so many attacks.

“They are just good players and you can’t get enough of them in your team.

“We need to earn every point in this league campaign. And when we get chances we’ve got to take them.”

Meanwhile, Pars boss Allan Johnston thought his team didn’t do themselves justice but did not think United were far ahead of them in terms of quality.

He said: “We know we can be more of an attacking threat and that we are better than that.

“I know we can pass the ball better and I don’t think we did that enough.

“Once we get everybody back fit then I know we will be a lot stronger. We were sloppy at times and probably never worked their keeper enough.

“In saying that, I don’t think there was a massive gap between the two sides.”

Dundee United manager Ray McKinnon was happy with a home tie against Partick Thistle after the draw for the last 16 of the Betfred Cup was made at Tannadice.

McKinnon, who had just watched his team beat Dunfermline 2-0 thanks to goals from Simon Murray and Scott Fraser to get to the next stage, said: “It is a home draw so we can’t complain about that.

“We know Partick are in a higher division than us and are a decent side so it will be a good test for the players.”

The tie will be played either a week on Tuesday or the following night.

As for the final Group C match against the Pars, McKinnon was understandably pleased with a good display in front of the United fans.

He said: “It sets us up nicely for the start of the league when we play Queen of the South here on Saturday.

“I think it was important for the supporters to see a couple of home wins at Tannadice in this competition.

“We would rather be going into the league campaign with victories than defeats.

“The boys have done well, considering we have had to change the mentality, by going out and winning games.

“I’m really pleased with them.”