Tangerines end winless run

DUNDEE UNITED 3 INVERNESS CT 1

The Tangerines brought an eight-match winless run to an end with an emphatic victory at their St Andrews training complex yesterday afternoon.

Taking control from the first whistle, they almost took the lead on 11 minutes when Graham Taylor diverted a Scott Allardice drive inches past.

Four minutes later, United had a good shout for a penalty rejected when Ali Coote was brought down in the box.

However, five minutes later Harvey Daily was sent tumbling under Cameron Gilchrist’s challenge and Coote converted.

Having hardly been seen as an attacking force, Caley Thistle almost levelled just after the halfhour mark but United keeper Brett Long kept out Stephen Rennie’s free-kick.

The visitors did equalise seven minutes from the interval in bizarre fashion.

Long slipped as he tried to clear and the ball hit him in the face and fell to Andrew Macrae who stroked it into the net.

United regained the lead five minutes later, Coote cottoning on to a Gav Ritchie pass to round the keeper and knock the ball into the empty net.

Just after the hour mark Sam Robertson ballooned the ball over the home bar with the goal at his mercy.

Only a terrific Stephen Foster save kept prevented Dom Mckmeekin’s angled drive extending the hosts’ lead.

A minute later they did courtesy of an Ali Stark own goal as he blasted an attempted clearance of Jordan Hornby’s low-driven cross into the net.

United: Long, Davie, Ritchie, Ballantyne, Hornby, Allardice, B Smith, Taylor, Mckmeekin, Dailly (Chalmers 67), Coote (Appere 80).