While Dundee United travelled to Raith Rovers seeking all three points, a hard-fought, thoroughly watchable 1-1 draw was a serviceable outcome for the Tangerines.
United remain at the summit of the Championship, unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions and ended Rovers 100% league record at Stark’s Park.
A passable day at the office against a side that looks increasingly well-equipped to be the Terrors’ primary challengers for the title, albeit Partick Thistle may have something to say about that.
Louis Moult was the visitors’ hero, climbing from the bench to cancel out Lewis Vaughan’s opener.
Courier Sport was in Kirkcaldy to analyse the action.
United’s fighting spirit is not in question
United have bags of character.
That much is clear.
In the last four matches, the Tangerines have had a man sent off against Morton and Inverness, fallen behind to Queen’s Park after 43 seconds at Tannadice and lost the first goal away to league leaders Raith Rovers.
Yet, Jim Goodwin’s side remain unbeaten in the league.
Like in their previous outing against the Spiders — when they roared back to win 4-1 — United remained calm and composed following Vaughan’s opener, finally restoring parity via a well-worked set-piece.
But while picking holes in an 11-game unbeaten run may seem uncharitable, sluggish starts are something the Tangerines could do with remedying.
Falling behind in two successive fixtures is far from ideal, while the visitors were fairly slow out of the blocks during their 1-0 win at Inverness. It’s a small sample size and no cause for panic, but certainly an area of potential improvement.
The league table and United’s squad depth tells the story of the strongest team in the Championship. If they can show it from the first whistle and cease giving the opposition something to cling on to, they may just extend that lead even further.
Practice makes perfect
For all their poking and prodding — particularly in the second period — it took a set-piece for United to restore parity.
But it was a fine goal nonetheless; straight from the training ground and executed to perfection.
Declan Glass’ near-post corner-kick was attacked by captain Ross Docherty, flicked towards the back stick. And there, predictably, was arch-poacher Moult to head home the leveller.
The well-worked move illustrated an area of massive improvement for the Tangerines. Moult’s effort was United’s fourth goal from a set-piece in the Championship from a set-piece xG (expected goals) of 0.40 per game.
United scored four times from set-pieces in the ENTIRETY of the 2022/23 Premiership campaign from a set-piece xG of 0.22.
Back on the pitch, back on the scoresheet for #DUFC 🙌@LouisMoult | #RAIUTD | #cinchChamp pic.twitter.com/f3X0Sxeftq
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) October 8, 2023
Enhancing United’s effectiveness from dead balls was a pre-season priority for Goodwin and he has done exactly that.
Championship hiatus comes at a good time
The sight of Declan Gallagher limping off after 77 minutes at Stark’s Park was not a heartening one.
The Scotland defender has been magnificent for the Tangerines since his arrival from St Mirren, crafting an imposing partnership with Kevin Holt. Any absence would be a bitter blow for United.
Mercifully for Goodwin, that doesn’t seem likely.
The Tannadice boss was ice cool when discussing the groin strain after the match, describing it as minor; albeit acknowledging that the severity will only become clear on Monday.
Mathew Cudjoe, only just back from suspension, also missed out due to a dead leg sustained in training, while Archie Meekison was another absentee due to a twisted knee.
Allied with Moult playing 40 minutes of football — by Goodwin’s own admission, something he was scarcely ready for — there could be some aching limbs in the physio room at St Andrew’s next week.
The SPFL Trust Trophy trip to Peterhead is timely.
While United are keen to add the trophy to their cabinet this season, it is not a competition in which this club needs to roll the dice on players who are not 100%.
It is a golden opportunity to rest up ahead of another huge Championship trip to Partick Thistle the following week.
And there will be squad players — Mochrie, Freeman, Graham, Tillson; you name them — desperate for an opportunity at Balmoor.
A reward for hard graft
It may have been a relatively brief cameo, but it was enough to gain special plaudits.
Moult described Ross Graham as doing “really well” in the heart of defence, while Goodwin pointed to a man who has “been absolutely brilliant in training, every day”.
And the Scotland under-21 internationalist was finally afforded an opportunity to put that hard graft into practice after replacing Gallagher.
It has been a frustrating campaign for Graham, with the imperious form of United’s first-choice centre-backs leaving no scope for rotation or alteration. This was a first outing since September 9.
But he was ready when his chance came.
Pitched into a whistle-stop contest, with both sides pushing for a win, he immediately got up to speed and was particularly impressive dealing with a series of deliveries into the area as Rovers pushed hard.
One suspects Graham could keep that spot when United face Peterhead — as mentioned previously, it would seem like a chance for rotation — and relish another platform to impress.
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