Dunfermline Athletic are top of their section in the SPFL Reserve Cup after a penalty-shootout win over Dundee United.
Andrew Tod scored the divisive penalty in style with a Panenka, the Pars winning 5-3 after a 0-0 draw over 90 minutes.
🎥 // How's this for a winning penalty as Dunfermline claim the Reserve Cup bonus point after a 0-0 draw with Dundee United as Andrew Tod dinks past Jack Newman 🥶
Cudjoe good for #DUFC, Meekison tidy, Fotheringham impactful from bench
As were Fenton, Tod & MacDonald for #DAFC pic.twitter.com/3SSOBlH9Dc
— Alan Temple (@alanftemple) October 25, 2022
The Premiership side had a larger share of the possession but lacked a final ball at times and lacked the finish when they found that.
The sides share the group with the reserves teams of Dundee, Hibernian, Livingston – who the Pars beat last time – and Queen’s Park.
Courier Sport looks at some talking points.
Young team
Given the packed fixture schedule for the first team it was no surprise that Greg Shields barely had any senior players available.
Kyle Macdonald, 22, started on the right wing and captained the side and the Pars got some joy down that flank early on.
Kane Ritchie-Hosler started just behind Taylor Sutherland in attack.
Here is how the Dunfermline Reserves have lined up: pic.twitter.com/sMJC33p7CB
— Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001) October 25, 2022
A trialist was due to start but didn’t meet the eligibility requirements and was replaced in the XI by Jake Rennie.
Dundee United had a fair bit more experience to call upon.
Peter Pawlett – making his way back from injury – started, as did others on the fringes of the first team such as Matthew Cudjoe, Sadat Anaku and Archie Meekison.
📋 Your Dundee United Reserves 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐗𝐈 for this afternoon's @cinchUK Reserve League Cup fixture at East End Park
Kick-off is at 2pm ⌚️
🏆 | #UnitedInPursuit pic.twitter.com/1PZ5jnXUrF
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) October 25, 2022
United dominance
It was no surprise that Dundee United controlled most of the first half, Meekison at the heart of most of it – and came closest to scoring.
Sadat was looking the most likely, firing wide across the goal from a tight angle.
He then had another just after the half-four mark, taking Meekison’s clever ball down on the chest before putting too much on the finish which sailed over the bar.
Soon after that Cudjoe fired wide from just inside the box when he should have tested Max Little.
Just before half-time he should have tested the keeper more than he did with his strike from the edge of the box.
Between those two efforts Macdonald shot wide from Dunfermline’s best opportunity of the half.
Peter Pawlett
The attacker started of the left of a front three with Sadat and Cudjoe but always came narrow, sometimes drifting out to the other side.
He was involved in the first half without being a standout but the important thing for Pawlett right now is getting minutes under his belt since February – save for a few recent minutes against Aberdeen.
The 31-year-old, who underwent surgery on his Achilles in March, was through on goal after Dunfermline misjudged a pass and forced a decent save out of Little, though he should have done better.
In any case, the offside flag had been raised.
Substitutions
Pawlett was replaced at half-time, along with Sadat, meaning Kai Fotheringham and Bryan Mwangi
The latter formed a front two with Cudjoe in a 4-4-2.
United continued to dominate without threatening too much – Miller Thomson fired over from a few yards out after getting on the end of a free-kick.
Rennie was soon after replaced by brother of Taylor, Jake Sutherland.
He took up the No 9 role with his sibling coming out to the left.
Both sides made further changes but it failed to bring about a goal.
Dunfermline counter-attacks
When United broke down in the opposing half, Dunfermline were always looking to pounce and weren’t far away a couple of times.
Keeper Jack Newman did very well to intercept a dangerous cross from Taylor Sutherland which Rennie was waiting to finish.
Macdonald then received Andrew Tod’s past and caught his shot well but it was right at the goalie.
Fotheringham spurned the best chance of the match midway through the second half after Cudjoe beat his man on the left wing and cut it back.
Fotheringham appeared to do the hard part, his touch expertly taking the ball away from the pressure exerted by the Pars defence.
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