Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
We’ll need to beat Morton
DUNDEE United may have passed up the best chance yet to determine their own play-off fate but Stewart Murdoch says they can still get the job done by giving everything against Morton.
The Tangerines started the game against Dumbarton with the sort of intention you’d expect from a side who knew three points would seal a coveted second spot, courtesy of Falkirk’s 2-2 slip at home to Cowdenbeath earlier in the day.
In an equally-thrilling and frustrating encounter, however, the Tannadice men could only replicate the Bairns’ scoreline, keeping things as they were in the race for runners-up spot.
And Murdoch, a standout performer in the right-back role, insists the final day encounter with Jim Duffy’s Morton bears even more significance now, and United will have to quietly hope Dumbarton can do them a favour and nick points off Falkirk.
“We’ve got to go into the game thinking if we can get three points then, come five o’clock, there’s a chance we still could be second, so it’s just a bit of a shame we haven’t put it in our own hands,” he told the Tele.
“Morton don’t have the same thing to play for and, some might say that’s easier for them because the pressure is off.
“With it being the last game, if you get a win before you head into the play-offs it’s a massive boost.
“We need to see Saturday as a one-off game and put it all out there.
“They are brilliant at Cappielow, they’ve got a really good record there, so it’s probably one of the most difficult places to go in the league and, again, the pressure is off them because they are set for where they are going to finish, so it’s going to be hard.”
United’s determination to snatch second place from Falkirk’s grasp is definitely there but there was an air of disappointment at passing up a great chance against Dumbarton.
“We started the game probably as well as we’ve ever started. I think there are chances there where you could say we should maybe be two or three up and so to go on to draw the game is really disappointing,” Murdoch reflected.
“Missing the opportunity to go second is the main thing we are disappointed about, we need to move on now to Saturday.
“It was a frustrating day for us and, hopefully, one we’ll forget.”
United could well have found