Several sources, including certain newspapers, a chairman, and several teams’ fans had actually had the temerity to accuse United of deliberately postponing Saturday’s fixture. United, many had claimed, stood to gain the advantage of having several players back from injury. Or was it we would somehow save money by playing on a Tuesday? Or maybe the players’ night out, planned for Saturday, had an influence? They didn’t care, as long as they could fling mud at us (frozen mud of course).
The official reason, and the truthful one, is that a single section of the undersoil heating failed. Also, the Pars themselves managed to get a player back from injury, Scott Thompson, who wouldn’t have made Saturday’s game.
[Of course, Dundee fans suggested everything from ‘United players had all joined a cult’ to ‘aliens had invaded Tannadice’, but as no-one takes Dundee FC seriously, they were just laughed at, as usual.]
It was a hard-fought and much-needed three points for United, which is much more important. This leave us only three points from the top six, and puts us twelve points clear of twelfth, the spot Dunfermline rightfully occupy, as they were truly dreadful this evening.
One last word – let’s not let tonight’s victory gloss over what was a less-than-brilliant performance from our starting eleven. We need to work hard, though it was nice to see us being a bit more intelligent towards the end – taking the ball into the corner and time wasting. Most unlike us – but more, please, of the intelligent play! We also, desperately, need to learn how to keep our momentum going when we score. In nearly every game this season, when we’ve scored first – we have let the opposition back in with 15 minutes. Against ICT we had the lead for 13 minutes, against Motherwell we managed to hold on for just THREE minutes, Celtic thirteen minutes, and so on. Momentum – if we are attacking, playing well, and we score – why do we suddenly ‘think it’s time to defend’ now? We really have to stop this – all evidence is pointing towards this becoming a major problem. We seem to start out all guns blazing – score – then sit back. It’s not tennis you know!!
Still it will be nice to go into Christmas with a victory. Thank heavens for small mercies.