Connolly bullets United to victory
Dundee United manager Robbie Neilson was happy to take the points in a 1-0 victory over Queen of the South and maintain their fourteen points lead at the top of the championship.
But he admitted: “There wasn’t a lot in it, performance-wise, but we managed to get the all-important goal and I’m happy to go back up the road with the points.
“It’s a very tough place to come, and a lot of teams have lost points here – we lost 4-0 the last time.
“We’re fourteen points ahead and in a very good position, but we have still sixteen games to go and there’s still a lot of work to do.” United had come out looking determined to ensure there would be no repetition of that 4-0 defeat on their last visit.
But it was Queens who were first to threaten when Stephen Dobbie made a break, cutting in from the wing and forcing Benji Siegrist into a diving save.
United were quick to reply, forcing three corners in succession, before the Dumfries men managed to clear their lines.
United were having most of the play but their front men just could not find a crack in the Queens defence and faced danger from the occasional break with Dobbie always lurking around the goalmouth.
Lawrence Shankland was being tightly marked and his only opportunity came just before the break when he neatly controlled the ball on the turn, but then put it over the top.
Queens were coming more into the picture at this stage and should have made the breakthrough when Dobbie carved open the defence with a cut-back from the byline for Jack Hamilton just yards out, but Siegrist managed to smother the ball on the line.
United made the breakthrough three minutes after the break, when Mark Connolly rose above the Dumfries defenders to head home a corner from Nicky Clark.
This seemed the spark that United needed and Liam Smith almost added another seconds later with a raking drive which keeper Mccrorie managed to push round the post.
The Tannadice side looked in control and Declan Glass was unlucky with a 20-yard drive which shaved the outside of the post.
Queens, however, kept plodding away but just could not make any impression on the Tangerine’s defence until the dying minutes when Kevin Holt did get in a header which beat the keeper but drifted just past the post.
Queens manager Allan Johnston: “I didn’t think it was a great game of football with very few chances and we probably missed the best chance of the first half.
“I felt it was a frustrating game for everybody and a little too much time wasting in the later stages.”
QOS:
(4-4-2) – Mccrorie 7, Mercer 7, Holt 7, Kilday 6, Brownlie 7, Paton 6 (Semple 90), Murray 6, Lyon 6, Osman 6, Hamilton 6 (Irving 68 5), Dobbie 7.Unused – Leighfield, Gourlay.
dundee united:
(4-4-2) – Siegrist 7, L. Smith 7, Robson 7, Connolly 7 (Reynolds 76 4), Watson 6, Appere 6, Butcher 7 (King 61 5), Glass 6 (C. Smith 90), Sporle 6, Shankland 6, Clark 6.Unused – Mehmet, Chalmers, Graham, Mochrie.
The writing was on the wall before kick-off when Queens could only muster three outfield players on the bench two of whom were youngsters. @mwwqos123