Doran goal puts United under cosh
AARON DORAN’S vital winner last night deepened Dundee United’s gloom and rekindled Inverness Caley Thistle’s hopes of making a late surge for a play-off spot.
Victory lifted John Robertson’s side above Falkirk on goal difference and cut the gap on the fourth-placed Tangerines to 11 points with a game in hand.
More significantly, it sliced the gap on third-placed Morton to 12 points, with three games in hand for the Highlanders offering a potential route back into the hunt.
United, with just one win in their last eight outings, can forget about automatic promotion and Csaba Laszlo’s men run the risk of slipping out of the play-off places altogether.
Robertson’s side were in jubilant mood after lifting the Irn-Bru Cup at the weekend. What he would have craved, though, was evidence that the silverware could spark a timely surge in league form.
This, the first of ten games in a month for Caley Thistle, was nothing short of a must-win — and they duly delivered.
Chances were limited, but a Coll Donaldson free-kick created a home opportunity on 17 minutes.
Nathan Austin got away from the United defence but the connection on his header was weak and fairly easily gathered by Harry Lewis. An incredible Inverness miss then followed on 22 minutes. Another terrific turn of pace from Austin set him free and his chipped attempt beat keeper Lewis and may have been going in. Caley Thistle striker George Oakley met it with his head two yards out — and somehow skied it over the bar. Just as the first half seemed to be fizzling out, the hosts made the breakthrough on 44 minutes. Oakley peeled free of his marker to the right and slipped a clever pass into the path of Doran, who fired home. Sixteen-year-old Daniel MacKay, fresh from a goal in Scotland’s victory against England schoolboys and a cup final assist, entered the fray after the hour — and almost scored two minutes later. Twisting on to his right foot on the left side of the box, MacKay’s fierce strike drew a fine save from Lewis. From there, Caley Thistle were in cruise control and their manager Robertson said: ‘We just couldn’t quite kill them off, but our performance was very good overall. ‘We’ve set ourselves a target with three home games in a week. We’ve won the first game and now it is on to St Mirren on Saturday. If we can win that and beat Brechin next Tuesday, we will be back in the mix. Momentum is key now.’ A beleaguered Laszlo (left), meanwhile, said: ‘We can talk about quality or confidence, but you must also show desire. The players must answer this question.’