Dundee United manager Ray McKinnon hailed his players for securing the “big win” that sent them joint-top of the Championship.
The 1-0 victory over Dunfermline at Tannadice last night – secured by Simon Murray’s strike on 78 minutes – pushed them level with Hibs on 27 points.
McKinnon’s men had to be patient, with the Pars defending valiantly with 10 men after Nate Wedderburn’s deserved red card six minutes before half-time.
It wasn’t pretty at times but they got there in the end.
The Tangerines’ boss, asked how it felt to be joint leaders, said: “I maybe didn’t expect that because we had 10 new players who had to gel and here we are top of the table in November.
“We have to be pleased with that and I think the boys are.
“It’s all good and, I promise you, we’re delighted.
“That was a big three points for us – a big win.
“It wasn’t a classic by any stretch of the imagination.
“Sometimes teams make it really difficult when they go down to 10 men.
“They sit and play on the counter and Dunfermline did that well tonight.
“You feel sometimes that it’s not going to be you night and I sort of had that feeling around about the 70th-minute mark.
“However, they kept going and thoroughly deserved the victory.”
Asked about Wedderburn’s challenge on Tony Andreu that earned the Dunfermline man a straight red, McKinnon added: “The referee got that spot on.
“I don’t think there is any need for that sort of tackle in that area of the park.
“It was quite high and it was a good decision.”
Dunfermline boss Allan Johnston saw why ref Don Robertson sent his player off but he claimed Wedderburn may have slipped.
“I don’t think it was a malicious challenge,” said Johnston.
“He said he slipped but you can see maybe why the referee has given it.
“It probably looked worse than it actually was.”
The Pars manager felt his players were unlucky to lose.
“I think it was really harsh on us,” he added.
“In the first half we were the better team and restricted them to very few opportunities.
“I don’t think they could break us down and we looked a lot more solid than we had been in recent weeks, while still looking a threat going forward.
“I think the boys worked incredibly hard but it doesn’t help when you get a man sent off.”
