Two-goal hero Mikkelsen troubled by United on road

United’s Mikkelsen gutted to be on losing side after bagging a brace

Dundee United striker Thomas Mikkelsen should have been a happy man after scoring two fine goals for his team.

Instead, the Tangerines’ woeful away form in the Championship left the Danish frontman a dejected figure as he reflected on the 4-2 loss to Queen of the South in Dumfries on Saturday.

It is a sobering thought that while United have only lost once at Tannadice in the league this season – to leaders Hibs – they have been beaten no fewer than eight times on their travels. That is not how it was supposed to be. United were meant to have turned a corner after successive victories over St Mirren in the Irn-Bru Cup final and then Ayr United in midweek.

Mikkelsen did his job but he was the only player given pass marks by manager Ray McKinnon, who was as angry as he has been following any match this season.

Twice the striker’s goals pulled his team back level and when it went to two apiece you really fancied the visitors to go on and take the three points.

Unfortunately, they allowed the Doonhamers to re-assert themselves and any momentum gained over the previous week was left lying on the Palmerston plastic.

Mikkelsen said: “It is very disappointing and I would rather be not scoring and winning than scoring two goals and losing. I don’t know what was wrong but we did not play well.

“I think we were afraid to have the ball so that’s why we didn’t make the big chances for ourselves.

“After 2-2, I thought we would go on to win. We were putting pressure on them but they punished us.

“Before the game our form had been looking good and we had confidence but we didn’t show that during the match.

“We seem to be good at home but not away from home. That should not be the case and we have to get better.”

Yes, indeed they do need to improve because as things stand they do not look like a team capable of catching secondplaced Falkirk, who beat Raith Rovers to open up a four-point gap on the fourth-placed Tangerines with Morton sandwiched in-between.

The Bairns come to Tannadice this Saturday so that match will go a long way to deciding which team ends up in which play-off position.

After watching them go down so meekly against the Doonhamers, though, it’s not looking too good for United.

McKinnon, like Mikkelsen, is troubled by the terrible away form.

United’s boss said: “I am trying to find the word here and unacceptable isn’t quite strong enough.

“See for the 10-minute spell after we got it back to 2-2, I thought we were going to go on and win the game.

“But then the horrible side of our game raised its ugly head and our defending was outrageously bad. “We are killing ourselves. “There was a real lack of drive and spark. We weren’t positive or on the front foot and were miles off it.

“We keep missing opportunities like this and they all appear to be away from home.

“I don’t know whether it’s a mental thing or what it is. I am mad at them and there are no excuses. I am really, really angry.

“I am also frustrated because this is the same group of players who can play at a really decent level. It looked like there was nothing left in the tank and we were really flat.

“We have to have a better mentality coming away from home. You have to be able to dig and show desire but we were lacking in every department.

“They are a decent bunch of guys and an honest bunch but probably only Thomas Mikkelsen for his two goals got pass marks.”

To put the tin hat on a terrible day, goalkeeper Cammy Bell was injured and had to be replaced by Luis Zwick for the final 16 minutes.

It was Queens who had the better of the early stages and took a deserved lead on 20 minutes.

Stephen Dobbie raced forward towards the United box then slipped the ball to Derek Lyle on his right and the former Dundee frontman clipped it past Bell to make it 1-0.

The Tangerines, though, fought back and were level on 27 minutes thanks to a great finish by Mikkelsen.

He was left in the clear after the ball deflected into his path but he still had keeper Lee Robinson to beat.

Mikkelsen played the ball past the goalie and, from the tightest of angles on the left-hand side of the box, he squeezed his shot into the empty net.

Two minutes before the break and with United pressing forward, they were caught by a sucker punch.

Willo Flood got into a tangle for possession with Dom Thomas, which he lost, and referee Stephen Finnie ignored his appeals for a foul.

That left Queens with a two-on-one and when Thomas played in Dobbie there was only going to be one outcome – a goal for the hosts.

On 55 minutes, the Tangerines again dragged themselves level, with Mikkelsen on target for a second time.

It all started when Paul Dixon fancied trying a shot from 30 yards and he caught it sweetly.

Keeper Robinson seemed taken by surprise and could only punch the ball as far as Mikkelsen, who was alert and smacked his low shot into the net.

Replacement goalie Zwick was picking the ball out of his net on 82 minutes, when substitute Lyndon Dykes beat him with an angled drive to make it 3-2 to Queens.

United now had to somehow battle back for a third time but, instead, it was the hosts who grabbed a fourth with just two minutes to go.

The scorer was Dixon, under pressure from ex-Tannadice player Dale Hilson, just to pile on the misery.