The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
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same fashion as they finished the first — laying siege to the Saints goal. Attack followed attack. After some resolute defending from the Buddies, they finally cracked on 50 minutes.
Mackay-Steven chipped a cross to the back post, where Ciftci got up early, hung over his marker and bulleted a header past Kello.
A United third, rather than a Saints equaliser, was looking likelier.
Kello had to be alert to cut-out a deflected Ciftci cross after some one-touch inter-play outside the box.
That’s not to say the Tangerines looked rock solid at the back. Both centre-halves, Curtis Good and John Souttar, had lapses of concentration on the ball that could have been more costly.
On 65 minutes Gauld hit a screamer from the 18-yard line which shaved the crossbar.
Ciftci was next to threaten when his cross-come-shot had Kello back-pedalling before he caught it at full stretch, with Armstrong waiting to cash-in on any misjudgment.
Djemba-Djemba was off the pace in his Saints debut and on 71 minutes he was replaced by Gary Teale.
Cierzniak was a virtual spectator for most of the second half.
However, he was alert enough to come out and punch away a dangerous in-swinging McLean free-kick.
On 75 minutes Ryan Dow was sent on for Armstrong.
John Rankin chopped down McLean in full flight 20 yards from goal.
The set-piece was as good a chance as Saints had been presented with in a long time, but Jim Goodwin squandered it by hitting the ball straight into the wall.
There was now a bit of momentum for the visitors though, which they nearly capitalised on in 79 minutes.
Teale delivered a free-kick on to the head of Thompson. If it had been directed slightly further to Cierzniak’s left it would have beaten him. Instead, the keeper produced an excellent save to preserve his team’s slender lead.
Saints won another dangerous area.
Centre-back McGregor went up for it and, when Teale’s set-piece was only cleared as far as him, he showed a striker’s footwork to find the space to shoot. His effort didn’t miss Cierzniak’s near post by much. It was the last near-thing for the Buddies. United, who should have had a penalty when Rankin was fouled in the box, saw the game out from there quite comfortably to take their place in the last eight. Attendance: 4,952. Dundee United: Cierzniak, Wilson, Souttar, Good, Paton, Rankin, Gauld (Gomis 88), Robertson, Mackay-Steven, Armstrong (Dow 75), Ciftci (El Alagui 88). Subs not used: McCallum, Dillon, Watson, Graham.
St Mir ren: Kello, McAusland, McGregor, Kelly, Goodwin, McGowan, Thompson, Naismith, McLean, Newton (Campbell 85), Djemba-Djemba (Teale 71). Subs not used: Dilo, Van Zanten, Reilly, Brady, Morgan.
Referee: Craig Thomson.
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