First Team
THE TANGERINE ARMY | PARTICK THISTLE (H)
27th April 2024
The SMiSA Stadium was the venue for a mouth-watering clash against St Mirren which would be decisive in the race for the top six, as the sides entered the match level on points.
United’s last victory against the Paisley outfit away from home came in the Scottish Cup Fourth Round when goals from Pavol Safranko and Nicky Clark secured passage into the Last 16, 2-1 the final score.
Three changes were made to the side which exited the Scottish Cup against Celtic, Ian Harkes, Kieran Freeman and Nicky Clark making way as Charlie Mulgrew and Tony Watt returned from injury whilst 17-year-old Miller Thomson claimed his first start after impressing off the bench on Monday.
The trend of early goals in matches involving United continued as St Mirren opened the scoring inside 180 seconds. A half-clearance from Mulgrew was pounced on by Jay Henderson who took the ball on the burst beyond Scott McMann before thundering the ball over Benji Siegrist into the far corner.
The game settled and United began to enjoy the majority of possession, managing to circulate the ball around St Mirren’s midfield press relatively easily, but found themselves losing control in the wider regions. Marcus Fraser and Henderson doubling up on McMann on the right was a frequent sighting, with Conor Ronan also drifting across to that side to add to the issues.
United fashioned a couple of chances around the midway point of the first half. First, Watt picked up a second ball and fed Calum Butcher who stood alongside 30 yards from goal but the midfielder’s effort was wayward and failed to hit the target. A more concrete sighting of goal came soon after, this time Marc McNulty the recipient. Thomson intercepted a loose pass from Cyprus international Alex Gogic and instantly found his colleague running into space. McNulty raced towards goal and, under pressure from Joe Shaughnessy and Charles Dunne, sent his strike skidding wide of the post.
Finally, McNulty and Ilmari Niskanen combined as the former found the latter bearing down on goal, but St Mirren keeper Jack Alnwick came off his line quickly to smother the danger.
The hosts roared back, going close through Eamonn Brophy, whose dipping strike just missed the target, then Dunne whose free header was deflected wide by Ryan Edwards.
Then Butcher was forced to intervene when a Marcus Fraser miscue dropped to Brophy after a corner, throwing himself in front of the ball to divert it behind for a corner.
At the other end, Edwards was picked out at the back post by a pinpoint corner from Levitt but failed to hit the target with his headed effort.
Whilst the Buddies dominated the first half, it was United who took complete control of the second from the off, perhaps aided by a change in personnel and shape from the gaffer at the break.
Edwards was picked out once again by the wicked delivery of Levitt, stooping to connect with his corner but cannoning the ball into the large band of Arabs behind the goal.
On 51 minutes the best tangerine chance of the match so far fell to the feet of McNulty, a cross from the right drifting beyond Shaughnessy to the 29-year-old who bounced his strike into the ground past the keeper. However, the well-placed Dunne was unfortunately on hand to clear off the line with his head.
United continued to threaten, this time substitute Nicky Clark rattled the crossbar from 30 yards after being found in acres of space in the middle third by Watt.
Eleven minutes after the restart, the Terrors got their just rewards in emphatic fashion. Levitt looked to find McNulty wide on the left, but his pass was intercepted, the ball falling back to him kindly. The Welsh international strode forward a few paces before thundering the ball towards the top corner, his shot cracking off the inside of the post and into the net beyond the despairing dive of Alnwick.
The woodwork again thwarted Courts’ men after restoring parity, this time Edwards hooking the ball off the bar after a stramash caused by Alnwick flapping at a cross.
The game was now under firm control, United throwing wave after wave of attack into the face of the Saints but to no avail as our opponents stood strong to clear all in their path by hook or crook.
With 89 minutes on the clock, Alnwick was dismissed for a horrendous, studs-showing challenge on Watt who looked to latch onto a long ball, the home side forced to play the little time remaining with ten men.
Just as though it looked as if United would have to settle for a point, and with 96 minutes played, up stepped McNulty to win it. The left side had proved fruitful for chance creation, with Watt and Niskanen able to double up on Fraser, and it was from there the winner was concocted. Watt received on the wing and looked for the advancing Clark racing through the middle. He somehow managed to control the ball on the swivel and scoop it, agonisingly, onto the bar via a touch from substitute keeper Dean Lyness. But then, as those on the park and in the stands held their breath, the ball dropped for McNulty to nod home from all of two yards, sparking utter carnage amongst the squad and Tangerine Army.
This proved to be the last kick of the ball as we claimed a vital three points in the most dramatic of fashions, United up to fourth in the cinch Premiership table with two matches remaining before the split.
