Kevin Holt was the hat-trick hero as Dundee United hammered Partick Thistle 5-0 at Firhill.
Craig Sibbald and Scott McMann also rippled the net as the dominant visitors extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 13 matches and moved four points clear of Raith Rovers at the summit of the second tier.
Courier Sport was in Glasgow’s west end to analyse the action.
An excellent first quarter completed
To navigate those first nine league matches, including trips to likely title rivals Rovers and Thistle, without defeat is a statement of intent — and all the more impressive given the huge summer rebuild.
Jim Goodwin’s side have not always dazzled. It hasn’t all been champagne football and handsome victories — although there have been a few of those — but this United team have a mechanical ability to not lose matches.
They grind it out.
Of their Championship rivals, the longest unbeaten run in all competitions this season is Arbroath with five. United’s currently stands at 13. It is hard to see any team competing with their consistency.
Robbie Neilson’s 2019/20 United side, which is often cited by Arabs as the benchmark for a flying start in a Championship campaign, picked up 18 points from their opening nine games and lost three times.
The class of 2023/24 has 21 points and is yet to taste defeat.
However, there is no chance Tannadice stars will be allowed to luxuriate in this start. While there were chants of ‘Pump it up / United’s going up’ from the away section, Goodwin was already seeking to renew standards.
If United were to rise to that challenge and continue this pace, a final points tally of 84 would be the third-highest in the history of the Scottish second tier, only trailing Hearts (91 points, 2014/15) and Hibernian (89 points, 1998/99)
Outstanding away days
The travelling United fans — many of whom will have endured the 12 defeats in 19 league games last term; 35 goals conceded in the process — are being served up a treat.
The 1,398-strong following at Firhill was laudable, given the horrendous conditions and logistical disruptions caused by deadly Storm Babet.
And they watched Goodwin’s charges continue their sparkling form away from DD3.
In the SPFL, Only Rangers can match United’s defensive record in away matches — and they have played one game less.
Only Falkirk (15) have scored more goals on their travels.
Thirteen points from a possible 15 have been claimed.
Providing United’s form at Tannadice can kick into gear in the same manner — and a 4-1 hammering of Queen’s Park in their last home game is a promising sign — then it is another ominous prospect for the rest of the division.
Gutsy management from attacking Goodwin
Goodwin deserves immense credit for an attacking, gutsy game-plan in Maryhill.
The United boss eschewed his usual preference for a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 this season and effectively fielded an orthodox 4-4-2, with Tony Watt given license to get alongside Louis Moult — albeit he manfully harried back when required.
The full-backs were also encouraged to burst forward.
Allied with a high line and tireless pressing game, particularly in the opening 25 minutes, the Tangerines appeared to catch their hosts on the hop. The amount of turnovers in possession will have delighted Goodwin and incensed Kris Doolan.
Despite a couple of forays forward by Thistle as half-time approached, the Terrors’ lead could have been more handsome at the break. And the visitors got the rewards their offensive outlook merited in the second period.
The strategy required Ross Docherty and Craig Sibbald to excel in midfield — they did — and for Kai Fotheringham and Glenn Middleton to provide defensive cover as well as their attacking endeavours. They also did.
Some of Partick Thistle's defending yesterday was incredibly ropey (albeit many errors forced by some tip-top pressing) but this is something else 😳
Craig Sibbald, #14, pictured here, not believing his luck moments before opening the scoring at Firhill pic.twitter.com/QYUvKXqn6n
— Alan Temple (@alanftemple) October 22, 2023
Bold tactical choices, expertly implemented by those in green.
Kevin Holt: Premiership stroller?
Holt, with seven goals in 14 appearances, is just two goals away from matching his best tally for a single season.
It is still October.
His stunning hat-trick against the Jags saw him walk away with the match ball on his first return to Firhill since swapping Thistle for United — and brought fulsome praise from his manager.
Goodwin predicted he would “stroll” the Premiership if the Tangerines win promotion.
Holt has, of course, played in the top-flight before. Just across the road from Tannadice, in fact. He made 113 appearances for Dundee between 2015 and 2018 — 95 of those in the Premiership.
However, he was an out-and-out left-back.
There is little to be gained from a comparison with United’s Holt; a towering centre-back, tidy on the ball and with an eye for goal.
It will be fascinating to see how this iteration of the ex-Thistle and Queen of the South fares, should the Tangerines earn promotion. The partnership with Declan Gallagher certainly looks ready-made for the step up.
Goodwin added: “I’ve brought Kevin to the club not just to play in this league, where he has played the majority of his career, but for the long term if we achieve our main objective of winning promotion.”
Given Holt only signed a one-year deal in the summer, that would also suggest that a new contract will very much be on the agenda in the coming weeks and months.
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