Raith return to haunt McKinnon
United boss denied by his former club
ONE look at Ray McKinnon at full-time was enough to tell you what he had made of his grand reunion with the Raith Rovers team he left behind at the end of last season.
As the home supporters jeered in the background, he indulged in a cursory handshake with his Stark’s Park successor Gary Locke and stomped off down the touchline towards the dressing rooms, shaking his head. Not a word was exchanged with any of his former charges.
This strange, yet exciting, game raised plenty of questions about the Dundee United side he is developing — soon to be bolstered by the arrival of Dutch centre-half Frank van der Struijk — and failed to offer much comfort to Arabs dreaming of a quick return to the Premiership.
Two goals up and cruising thanks to a great strike from Willo Flood and a penalty from the impressive Cammy Smith, this was destined to become a second consecutive resounding league win.
Then, Raith remembered what Saturday afternoons are for. A spectacular effort from on-loan Rangers midfielder Jordan Thompson offered a lifeline towards the end of the opening period and there can be no denying that they dominated the second 45 against a home side that had lost its way.
Kevin McHattie’s breathtaking equaliser with 18 minutes to play was the least Rovers deserved and hammered home the fact that United will have to be better than this to create a successful season.
McKinnon’s first remark after-match was something of a Freudian slip.
‘I am disappointed to lose the game,’ he said, offering an insight into how he was really feeling in spite of scraping a point.
‘At 2-0 up, we were in cruise control and I think the players thought the game was won.
‘I know they are excellent players, but they have to learn to do two sides of the game and get the performance level up for 90 minutes.’
United certainly started at pace, claiming for a penalty on just eight minutes when Smith took a tumble in the area with McHattie in close proximity. Referee Craig Thomson decided there had been no contact, though, flashing a yellow card at the former Aberdeen man.
Yet it would only be a matter of time until the opener arrived with Raith unable to keep hold of the ball.
Scott Fraser’s free-kick was headed into no-man’s land by Kyle Benedictus and Flood showed terrific control to despatch a great volley low to the right of newly-signed keeper Conor Brennan from 22 yards.
Smith then made it two from the spot, sending Brennan the wrong way, after Declan McManus had fouled Flood.
It was threatening to become a rout, with Rovers assistant manager Darren Jackson sent to the stand by Thomson on 25 minutes. As it happened, though, his dismissal signalled something of a turn in fortunes for the Fifers.
Thompson popped up with a truly outrageous effort. United goalkeeper Cammy Bell had punched a Lewis Vaughan free-kick out to the far side of the area. There seemed little danger. That was when Thompson took a wonderful brainstorm and decided to thump it first time into the net.
Rovers levelled when Jean-Yves M’voto fed the ball to McManus and he rolled it across the edge of the area to McHattie, whose sweetly struck shot found Bell’s top left-hand corner with the purpose of an exocet missile.
‘I scored one up here last time on my Kilmarnock debut at the same end, so I’d say this is my favourite ground,’ smiled McHattie. DUNDEE UTD (4-2-3-1): Bell; Toshney, Dillon, Donaldson, Robson; Flood, Murdoch; Fraser (Spittal 72), van der Velden, C Smith; Murray (Obadeyi 68). Subs (not used): Zwick, Telfer, Ballantyne, B Smith, M Smith. Booked: C Smith, Donaldson, Robson, Spittal. RAITH ROVERS (4-4-2): Brennan; Thomson, M’voto, Benedictus, McHattie; Barr, Callachan, Thompson (Skacel 69), Matthews; Vaughan (Stewart 69), McManus (Davidson 79). Subs (not used): Cuthbert, Davidson, Opoku-Berchie, Roberts, Court. Booked: Callachan, Barr. Referee: Craig Thomson. Attendance: 7,434.