Clark calls for an end to away daze
Striker seeks improvement on road
AFTer suffering a few nightmares on their travels, it was a relief for Dundee United to return to home comforts yet again.
There is no place like Tannadice, it seems, for robbie neilson and his players. whisper it, but continuing with these type of results on Tayside may just push them over the line in their attempt to finally gain promotion back to the Premiership.
Saturday’s win over Dunfermline was far from perfect. Job done just about covers it. But maintaining a 100-per-cent record on home turf is not to be sniffed at.
United have secured five wins at Tannadice this season in the Championship, netting 20 goals and conceding just four. A 6-2 thrashing of bitter rivals Dundee and hammering another half a dozen past Morton are among the results which have thrilled fans.
nicky Clark scored his first goal of the season and his team’s second against the Pars. He knows how crucial it is to make their rivals dread travelling to face neilson’s men, who now sit three points clear at the top of the table.
But after United slumped to back-to-back defeats at Alloa and Queen of the South prior to this clash, while previously losing at Ayr United, the former Dunfermline player knows the team can’t fully rely on shining solely at home.
‘we need to make this place a fortress,’ said Clark. ‘we said that at the start of the season.
‘I think we’re doing that. I don’t think we can just rely on home form as we have to do the business away from home as well.
‘They weren’t good enough performances against Ayr, Alloa and Queen of the South when we lost those three games. You could use the pitches as an excuse but I’m not going to do that. It’s the same for both teams.
‘we need to go and perform at these places. They’re just as important as the Dundee derby. They’re all big games. That’s probably been our downfall away from home but we know that. we need to work on it. I’m sure we will, and then kick on.’
Lawrence Shankland ended his mini goal drought to convert from Clark’s cross and make it 1-0 after just nine minutes as he scored his 14th league goal of the season.
Clark then caught out the Pars when he whipped in a free-kick from the edge of the box at goalkeeper Cammy Gill’s near post on 27 minutes.
Dunfermline wasted a couple of second-half chances, including an Andy ryan shot which hit the bar, but United’s perfect home record never looked in danger of ending.
For Clark, it was a relief to score his first goal of the season after struggling with a hamstring injury and he aims to add to his tally when Partick Thistle visit Tannadice tomorrow.
‘I have been practising my freekicks,’ said the 28-year-old. ‘I’ve done a lot of work on them in the past couple of weeks.
‘Before and after my injury, I’ve been putting the time in and in training on Friday, I was doing the same thing.
‘I fancied my chances. To be fair, I caught it sweet. I looked into the box and thought I was going to deliver it. As soon as I hit it, I knew it was going in. even if I did catch their keeper by surprise, I don’t think he would have got there.
‘Peter Pawlett and I were discussing whether to put it into the box or have a shot. we decided to go for it and it paid off.
‘I want more goals. It’s been frustrating the past few weeks being injured and out of the team.
‘we had a couple of bad results prior to this, but I’m delighted to be back in and can, hopefully, kick on.
‘I’m feeling good fitness-wise. I played 45 minutes for the reserves and got nearly 80 minutes here. It will take time to get up to full fitness but I’m getting there.’
Stevie Crawford’s men, who host Arbroath tomorrow, now sit in eighth position — just two points above bottom spot.
Midfielder ryan Dow believes basic mistakes are punishing the Pars in a ruthless and unpredictable league. He said: ‘You don’t want it to be a hard-luck story because that’s been the story of our season with the points we’ve given away. we keep making basic mistakes and are punished, especially when we are on top.
‘United couldn’t get out in the first five or ten minutes. we had them in their box but then they go up the pitch, it’s a simple error and Shankland taps it in.
‘we need to cut out these errors because, if we did, we’d be right up near the top of the league.’