The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
United relegated after derby defeat at Dens
Dundee fan Wighton’s injury-time winner seals victory as Tangerines drop into Championship
The Dundee supporters didn’t pack three stands of Dens Park to be entertained.
They didn’t come to see their team move up from eighth in the Premiership to seventh. They didn’t even need to see a victory. They came to gloat and celebrate in their city rivals’ demise. They got what they wanted. This night will go in the record books and club folklore. Dundee relegated Dundee United.
A draw would have been enough. And it looked like being enough when Kane Hemming s cancelled out Edward Of ere’ s opening goal.
But three minutes into stoppage time the cherry was put on the sweetest of cakes for the Dark Blues fans when local lad and Dundee fan Craig Wighton slotted home a winner. United? They fought, they scored a good goal and up until the 77th minute they looked like they had stolen some consolation out of a torrid season.
But that hasn’t been the story of their wretched campaign. Nights like this – throwing away a lead – have been the story of their campaign.
Predicting a United starting line-up in the last few weeks has been a mug’ s game and, true to form, there were a couple of surprises again.
Billy Mckay was left on the bench, with Simon Murray and Ofere starting.
Dundee were unchanged from the victory over Partick Thistle last time out.
United had a strong wind behind them in the first half and on three minutes it helped a Paul Paton free-kick on to the head of Ofere. His touch was a slight one and it ended up a straight forward save for Scott Bain.
You would expect the United players to be fired up for this one and Paul Dixon certainly was. Too fired up. The former Dundee man earned himself a deserved early yellow card for a late tackle on Greg Stewart.
All in all though, it wasn’ t a bad start for United. They coped reasonably well with Dundee’s attacking threat and looked dangerous at times themselves.
On one such occasion Simon Murray’s near post shot was blocked by Darren O’Dea.
There was a set-back for Dundee on 16 minutes when one of their best players of the season, Paul McGowan, had to be substituted with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. He was replaced by Ju len Etxabeguren, who took up McGowan’s place in midfield.
The Spaniard, up for a free-kick, nearly made an instant impact when he won the ball in the air and headed it into the danger but United were able to clear.
It wasn’t the best of starts for Dixon. Midway through the first half he was released on the overlap but a good attacking position was squandered by a heavy first touch.
Then he was again on his own down the left and this time his cut-back found a blue rather than a tangerine shirt.
Neither keeper was particularly busy but Bain put a bit of pressure on himself when he took his time with a pass-back and ended up having to show some neat footwork to navigate away from Murray.
It was a pretty quiet first half-hour for PFA player of the year nominee Stewart but on 31 minutes he did manage to work himself some space in the right of the United box when he isolated Dixon. Stewart sent a low cross over but Sean Dillon positioned himself superbly to cut it out.
United keepers – all three of them – have looked shaky under well-delivered high crosses throughout the season and this match was no different.
On 37 minutes Paul McGinn sent one over from the right. Eiji Kawashima should have claimed it, didn’t, and Kane Hemmings was nearly the beneficiary.
A couple of minutes after Dixon needlessly turned over possession on the half-way line. Three passes later Hemmings had the best chance of the half but skied his effort over.
Dundee were finishing the half on top and Craig Wighton cut in from the right with a couple of minutes left and forced a decent low save out of Kawashima.
There was a half-hearted penalty shout for United three minutes after there-start when Murray went down. There didn’t look to have been enough in the challenge from Kosta Gadzhalov though to warrant a spot-kick.
The visiting fans had been understandably subdued but that all changed on 54 minutes when the Tangerines went in front.
Murray did well to get the ball into John Rankin, who fed it on to Ofere. He had the simplest of finishes and United were 1-0 up.
Dundee took a while to recover from the goal but they started to gain some momentum about 10 minutes later.
Wighton drove through the middle of the United defence and it took a perfectly timed Dillon sliding tackle to stop him.
By this time Ryan Dow had come on for Scott Fraser and the substitute put his team in trouble when as tray pass found a Dundee man. The ball was soon at the feet of Gary Harkins who delivered it on to the six-yard line where Mark Durnan headed clear.
United were a real threat on the counter-attack, with Murray in particular stretching the home defence. He won a corner and from it Durnan rose highest and his header had to be booted off the line by Nick Ross.
Murray must have picked up a knock or run himself into the ground because there could have been no other reason to substitute him on 73 minutes, replaced by Chris Erskine.
A one-goal lead is never a safe one for United these days and so it proved yet again. On 77 minutes Kawashima failed to deal with a Harkins corner and Hemmings bundled the ball home from virtually on the goal-line.
United should have been back in front two minutes later when Erskine was through on goal. His shot was too high and straight at Bain however, and was tipped over the bar.
The game was now end-to-end and Kawashima kept out a Hemmings diving header. That was a pretty routine save but one to deny Etxabeguren was top class.
Tempers were fraying and yellow cards coming out, with both keepers among those to be booked.
It didn’t make any difference as far as United’s situation was concerned but Dundee were able to clinch the victory with a 93rd-minute 18-yarder from Wighton.