A Clean Sheet

Clean Sheet

       Not since an unexpected night off the drink by well known Message Board poster ‘Nelvis'  has a clean sheet been so welcomed by Arabs as the one achieved by the team at Killie last Saturday.

 On paper, a game that looked difficult beforehand, got a lot more difficult ten minutes or so before half time when Lee Miller was harshly adjudged to have lead into a challenge with his arm. For this the big striker was dismissed and United were facing the possibility of taking on one of the top SPL teams away from home for over fifty minutes with just ten men. Hardly the stuff that would inspire United fans to believe that the team could come away with any points, far less keep a clean sheet, giving the time that had passed since the last clean sheet(The last time we had managed to do so was 3^rd December 2005- 24 matches ago).

The manner in which the team did indeed claim a point and a clean sheet was the most satisfying aspect of Saturday's performance.  With the exception of one or two half chances, the United rearguard never looked like being breached and although the game on the whole was a disappointing spectacle, I personally really took some great satisfaction out of watching the performance. It again showed all the attributes that the Manager has banged on about since he took over and gave genuine belief that things are slowly turning for the better.

Of course, one swallow does not make a summer as the saying goes and, on Saturday, we must now face Dunfermline and hopefully continue from where we left of in our last two away fixtures. It will be interesting to see if the Manager sticks with the 4-5-1 formation that has worked so well in the past two games(and indeed for the reserves in their two home wins) or if we come out in a more attacking line up. Our visitors showed last week that they are a match for Rangers on their day and we should not be looking for an easy win. One thing that struck me whilst watching the Pars game v Rangers on Sunday was the height of some of the Dunfermline players. I Genuinely hope that is not an issue come Saturday.

The key area may well be the support the fans give to the team. If the boo boys can stay off the player's backs and give them a chance to express themselves. The performances of a few well known ‘boo-boy targets' have been exceptional in the last two games and whether this is due to not having the demands or expectation levels of the home crowd  on their shoulders or not, who knows ?. In the absence of  any great factual proof  im saying it is. So lets get behind the team on Saturday and support them onto another clean sheet and three very valuable points.