UPS AND DOWNS AT UNITED PUZZLING FLOOD
DURING last season’s battle in the Premiership, Dundee United found consistency. Unfortunately, more often than not, they were consistently poor. A new season in the Championship brings fresh hope, yet the Tannadice club has still to find the kind of form that prompts fans to leap out of their seats. An opening-day draw at home to Queen of the South last Saturday was followed by an impressive display against Premiership side Partick Thistle in the Betfred Cup in midweek. It was a win that could certainly have been by a greater margin. But, on their return to league business, Ray McKinnon’s men were brought back down to earth with a bump as they crumbled at the Rock against Dumbarton. Mark Docherty’s secondhalf penalty proved enough for the home side to earn their first victory of the new campaign. United sit with one point from their opening two matches. No need to sound the alarm but the reaction of some fans at this match suggests they are not a patient bunch. Midfielder Willo Flood, back at United for a fourth spell, struggled to put his finger on how the team could perform so well in the cup and yet drop their standards in the Championship. For the Irishman, it was a timely reminder of just how tough it will be to return to the top tier at the first time of asking. ‘We have gone from probably our best performance of the season to our worst,’ he said. ‘We were not at the races from start to finish. ‘We gave away a silly goal but it was coming, if I’m being honest. Dumbarton were worthy winners. But we’ll go back on the training pitch to try to fix the issues. This is a reality check for us. ‘If we are going to progress in this league, we need to cut teams open and we need to stop conceding. ‘It’s very frustrating. I can’t put my finger on why we were so good on Tuesday and yet so poor against Dumbarton. ‘I’m sure the manager will go over the game when we are back in training and we have to rectify it for next week.’ Dumbarton pounced when their opportunity arrived nine minutes into the second period. Mark Durnan was adjudged to have bundled home defender Gregor Buchanan to the ground from a corner and referee Gavin Duncan pointed to the spot. Docherty took the responsibility and calmly converted. Flood insists United must fight for every point in this league, even if it is not the most eye-catching of displays. ‘It might not be pretty but you have just got to grind out results,’ he added. ‘The manager has emphasised that a lot. It will not be all about pretty football. ‘We need to grind it out but we did not do it here. We need to make sure that we do it the next time.’