Sporle’s early strike sparks Shanks and United reach top six
DUNDEE UNITED 3 Sporle (1), Shankland (35, 83) LIVINGSTON 0
Boss Micky Mellon hailed brace hero Lawrence Shankland after the striker led Dundee United to back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Shankland’s double sealed the deal in a 3-0 win over Livingston at Tannadice after Adrian Sporle’s opener less than a minute into the clash helped United on their way to a top-six return.
On top of his goals, Scotland hitman Shankland’s overall display was excellent, with boss Mellon happy to see his star man hitting form at the right time with four games to go until the split.
He said: “I’m a football fan as well. Lawrence is playing for the club I manage and it’s important in Scotland we celebrate players like that in our league.
“I thought he was that good, it was a fantastic centre-forward display for the whole game. The hold-up play, the movement, the cleverness and the technique.
“Too often we are too down on ourselves in Scotland.
“Sometimes you have to say: ‘You know what? We have some real talent in our division’.
“He took his goals really well and I’m pleased that he is a Dundee United player.”
United showed one change from last weekend’s win up at Ross County with Louis Appere coming in for Marc Mcnulty.
For Livingston, Efe Ambrose, Aaron Taylor-sinclair, Jackson Longridge, Steve Lawson and Alan Forrest dropped out for Jack Fitzwater, Jon Guthrie, Julien Serrano, Craig Sibbald and
Josh Mullin.
The Lions had barely touched the ball when the Tangerines took the lead just 49 seconds into the contest.
Argentine winger Sporle got himself into the box and on the end of Jamie Robson’s cross to lash a fierce volley past Livi keeper Max Stryjek.
Scott Robinson couldn’t run off a back injury picked up early in the encounter, with Jay EmmanuelThomas replacing him after 12 minutes.
Shankland had a glorious chance to net United’s second and his sixth of the season on 27 minutes.
Chasing what was seemingly a lost cause, the Scotland star juggled the ball over Stryjek but the angle was just too tight to squeeze home.
Just after the half-hour mark, referee Nick Walsh showed Peter
Pawlett a red card for a challenge on Jason Holt in the middle of the park.
Mellon was incensed by the decision and was forced into replacing goalscorer Sporle with Ian Harkes.
Inadvertently, the switch paid off, with Harkes slipping in Shankland on 35 minutes to double the Tangerines’ lead.
Siegrist had to look alive on 49 minutes to tip a Sibbald header over the bar as the Livi midfielder met Mullin’s inviting delivery from the right.
Scott Pittman was the next to get on the end of a Mullin inswinger but nodded straight into Siegrist’s clutches.
Soon after, Emmanuel-thomas fired over with the goal gaping as David Martnidale’s men took the game to the Terrors.
Both teams were down to 10 men just after the hour mark as whistler Walsh gave Fitzwater his marching orders for an innocuous tackle on Harkes on the edge of the area.
Saving Emmanuel-thomas’ speculative effort was about as much as Siegrist had to do in the closing stages as United completed a professional job, with Shankland making it 3-0 on 83 minutes.
The forward bagged his brace after robbing and nutmegging Mullin inside the area before curling beyond an outstretched Stryjek.