Relieved striker tells of change of mind over penalty

DUNDEE UNITED: Clarke admits he paid price for indecision

Nicky Clark has revealed he changed his mind at the last second when taking the penalty that could have made Dundee United’s day a lot more comfortable than it was.

The Tangerines were already leading Arbroath 1-0 at Gayfield thanks to Sam

Stanton’s deflected shot on six minutes.

However, the Lichties were making life tough for the Tannadice men on a blustery afternoon down by the Angus coast.

The glorious chance to grab a second came on 54 minutes when Clark was brought down by home keeper Derek Gaston.

He picked himself up to take the spot-kick but Gaston dived to his left to make the save.

Thankfully for Clark, it didn’t matter in the end and all-conquering United march on.

The Tangerines’ frontman said: “It was a bad penalty.

“I’m frustrated because I changed my mind at the last moment and I don’t know why.”

Sitting in a bitterly cold Gayfield with the wind chiselling away at your face, it was easy to take this Dundee United win for granted.

The Tangerines had, after all, been sweeping every team aside and went into their trip to Arbroath on a sevenmatch winning streak.

They were facing a part-time group of players who would surely be leggy after facing Dundee last Saturday then Ayr United down at Somerset Park on Tuesday.

However, this was never going to be a comfortable afternoon for United.

Boy, were they made to work for the three points by a Lichties team that continue to be a credit to themselves and their boss Dick Campbell.

That United have learned the painful lessons of the Queen of the South and Alloa away losses was clear in the way they scrapped for everything and stood strong in defence as the home side pushed and pushed for a leveller.

They coped with everything that was thrown at them, including the wind that blasted right at them in a fraught first half.

They even survived the despondency of Nicky Clark’s penalty miss in the second period.

Both at Cappielow and at Gayfield, the Tangerines proved beyond all reasonable doubt that they are not scared of the challenging matches at tricky away venues.

Couple that with their outstanding home form and you get a team that look destined to be crowned champions.