United leave it so late to grab draw
DUNDEE UTD 3 Murray (4, 89), Fraser (78) QOS 3 Dobbie (28), Thomson (53), Thomas (65)
DUNDEE UNITED fans got the shovels out to ensure their tussle with Queen of the South beat the big freeze.
But Simon Murray did the digging that mattered after the Doonhamers dumped the Tangerines’ title hopes down a deep, dark hole.
An army of volunteers toiled from 6.30am to clear the Tannadice pitch of snow, but a spooked United gave themselves a mountain to climb after falling 3-1 behind.
Murray pounced with just one minute to go to rescue them a precious point.
And Tangerines gaffer Ray McKinnon reckons SEVEN of his sluggish stars deserved to be subbed as Hibs stretched their lead at the top of the Championship to six points.
“I could have taken seven of the boys off there,” said the United boss. “They’re an honest bunch so I know they were not at it.
“It’s a test of character now because we’ve hit a blip and at times I thought we looked a bit lost, like we’re maybe feeling sorry for ourselves.
“We were sloppy, we let Queens hit us on the break.
“From a good start we ended up giving ourselves a mountain to climb.”
The temperature at Tannadice may have been sub-zero, but United started with fire in their bellies.
Fittingly, flame-haired frontman Murray nabbed the Tangerines an early opener, cutting inside Queens centrehalf Andy Dowie before giving Lee Robinson no chance from 10 yards.
Murray, restored to the starting XI after sitting out last week’s loss at Hibs, was United’s main threat in a first half they largely dominated.
With new signing Thomas Mikkelsen alongside him, 10-goal Murray was a constant thorn in Queens’ side.
He had the ball in the net before the break only to be denied by the linesman’s flag, then tested Robinson with another curling effort.
But Queens enjoyed a short spell on top before the break – and they made it count.
Stephen Dobbie notched his 18th goal of the season just before the half-hour to draw his side level, lifting the ball over Cammy Bell after a neat move.
After consecutive defeats on the road,
United desperately needed a win from their first home game of 2017.
But their hopes took a major dent eight minutes after the re-start when Queens’ Celtic loanee Joe Thomson grabbed his second goal in two games, having been played in by Dobbie.
It got worse for United when Dom Thomas extended the visitors’ lead with an unstoppable 18-yarder.
But just when it looked like United’s title ambitions were about to be put on ice, Scott Fraser pulled one back for the Tangerines to set up a frantic last 12 minutes.
Queens gave everything – but the onslaught was too ferocious.
Murray claimed his 11th of the season with just one minute to go to save his side’s blushes, then Lee Robinson denied Mark Durnan an unlikely winner in stoppage time.
In the aftermath, Doonhamers boss Gary Naysmith summed it up perfectly.
“It was a rollercoaster,” he said. “I felt every emotion. But at 3-1 up with 15 minutes to go, we should be winning that game.
“That’s what we have to work on as we’ve dropped two points that could have gotten us nearer the play-offs.”