Magic Mikko wins the cup for United
DUNDEE UNITED 2 Andreu (36), Mikkelsen (75) ST MIRREN 1 Loy (37)
DANISH striker Thomas Mikkelsen came off the bench to notch the goal which took the IrnBru Challenge Cup to Tannadice.
However, he then had to endure the road and the miles to Dundee hoping his personal fan club was still going to be sober when he got there.
The 27-year-old’s girlfriend, Julie, and her parents and grandparents had flown to Scotland for the big game but were stranded on Tayside after he failed to find tickets for them.
“My girlfriend’s family came across from Denmark but they stayed in the pub in Dundee,” he grinned.
“Her mother, father and grandparents came over to Scotland from Copenhagen but it was at the last-minute and it was too late to arrange tickets and stuff to bring them here, so they just decided to stay in Dundee to watch it in the pub.
“I will head back there tonight and just have to hope they’re not too drunk!
“Julie is pregnant so she won’t be drinking. Hopefully, she’s been telling the others not to drink too much.”
His manager, Ray McKinnon, deserves credit for changing things around.
“We wanted to isolate their full-back and get at him,” he claimed.
“Bringing Thomas on gave us that threat in the box but we still had to get the delivery in there.
“To be fair to Simon Murray, it was a tremendous cross and it was a great header to win the game.
“Hopefully, the guys will take confidence from the result.
“But more important is that we take confidence from passing the ball. With luck, we’ll take that into the rest of the season.”
Roadworks caused hundreds of fans to miss the start of the match (the SPFL refused to delay the kick-off ) and the play itself was often gridlocked during the opening quarter.
Saints were the better side during that period, and came close with a Lewis Morgan cross which was diverted on to the outside of the post by Rory Loy.
John Sutton then played in Morgan, who dragged his shot wide of Cammy Bell’s right-hand post.
Adam Eckersley then crossed to the far post for Kyle Magennis, who wanted
too many touches and allowed the advancing Bell to smother his shot.
It was against the run of play, then, when United took the lead and, as so often this season, it came from a sensational strike by Tony Andreu.
The Frenchman’s first effort was blocked by Gary McKenzie but, at the second attempt, he sent a dipping 20- yarder behind Billy O’Brien.
Saints responded immediately, levelling within a minute, when Rory Loy swept Gary Irvine’s cutback home from six yards.
Gary McKenzie then sent a free header wide, right on the stroke of half-time.
However, they couldn’t maintain their momentum after the break and United came more into the game.
Indeed, when Mikkelsen notched the winner with a bullet header from Simon Murray’s cross, there could have been few complaints from the Paisley posse.
“I want my players to remember how this feels,” said Saints boss Jack Ross.
“But if we produce performances like this for the remainder of the season we’ll win enough games to stay up.”