United savour home comfort
LAWRENCE SHANKLAND and Dundee United are up and running. A first-ever top-flight goal for the Scotland striker proved to be the launchpad for United’s maiden win at home this season and brought a run of three successive defeats to an end.
The Tannadice side would bristle at the suggestion they are a one-man team but there is no doubt they look a far more potent outfit whenever Shankland takes up a position at the apex of their formation.
Having missed a glut of games with an ankle injury, the 25-year-old returned to the starting line-up against St Mirren for the first time since the opening game of the season and made his mark with the opening goal to send his team on their way to a precious three points.
Efficiency is an admirable quality in any striker, especially one as starved of service as Shankland was for long spells here. All it took, however, was one half-chance and the Scotland striker had his first Premiership goal.
It was a special one, too, the former Ayr United frontman arcing his body to meet a corner that hadn’t been cleared properly after 33 minutes to execute the perfect volley. The goal came against the run of play but underlined the value in having a striker who can make the most out of very little.
Shankland was also involved when United sealed the victory with a second goal after 52 minutes.
Bobby Zlamal has done his reputation no harm at all in the St Mirren goal during his emergency loan spell from Hearts. The Czech would have been within his rights to enquire if a little help might have been in order after thwarting first Ian Harkes and then Shankland in short succession only to see the ball roll to Adrian Sporle, who made it third time lucky with a shot into the far corner of the net.
That seemed to mark the end of St Mirren’s prospects and it got worse for them when Richard Tait was shown a straight red card for a needless lunge on Logan Chalmers near the corner flag.
It was madness from such an experienced figure and the last thing his team needed given the difficulty of the situation. St Mirren rallied but never really looked like fully recovering from that setback.
The visitors had wasted chance after chance in the first half and ultimately came to regret it as they slumped to a fourth successive defeat. Lee Erwin shot straight at Benjamin Siegrist then dragged a half-volley wide. Tait had a header well saved and Kyle McAllister curled an audacious free-kick attempt just wide of goal.
It began to look like another one of those days when St Mirren could have played until sunset without scoring but they actually looked a more dangerous prospect once reduced to 10 men.
Manager Jim Goodwin threw on wingers Ilkay Durmus and Dylan Connolly — and the latter gave the visitors an unlikely lifeline when he capitalised on some defensive slackness to thread a shot beyond Siegrist after 64 minutes.
That gave Saints hope that they might be able to salvage something from the contest as they poured forward at will, albeit without creating much to trouble Siegrist.
If anything, there was a danger that they might have been picked off on the counter but ultimately United seemed content to settle for what they had. A third victory of the season for Micky Mellon’s side lifts them into the top six. And if Shankland can stay fit you wouldn’t bet against them staying there.