The game against Forfar was a different affair from the weekend game at Glebe Park largely because The Loons were a slicker side and out to win this from the get go. They played a high tempo quick passing game and were polishing it for their impending Bet Fred encounter with Falikirk. The demands on United were higher although that was not immediately apparent as United made a confident start and for the opening minutes took the game to their hosts. They had shuffled their pack considerably – not apparently so much with tactical intent but more to ensure match time across the squad, further appraise trialists and how best to deploy newcomers to the team.

On the immaculate astroturf pitch both sides were able to move the ball about well in cultured patterns and set about sniffing out strengths and weaknesses in their opponents. United were the first to show. Most of their initial pressure was developed down the left but it was combination of MacPhee and Greig from centre right midfield that produced a ball from the latter to the very rapidly advancing Stott whose drive from 20 yards or so flew past Keeper Muirs right upright.

A bit against the run of play at this early stage Forfar opened their account. After mopping up a wee bit United pressure that sort of petered out through apparent lack of communication up front, Forfar countered with devastating pace. With United attempting a high defensive line Forfar played the ball in behind them and pursued it with Malone Hilson and EASTON all making runs. The last named took the ball at the left centre edge of the box and with devastating accuracy struck a slightly dipping shot beyond the reach of Main and in at the postage stamp corner.

United were not panicked and continued to give at least as good as they got for the next few minutes and a Greig ball to the pacy Stott was finished by a good firm downward back stick header that had Muir at full stretch to poke away to safety. However by the time the game was fifteen minutes old it was apparent that Forfar were operating like a well oiled machine well United were beginning to show as much rust as a Baltic trawler. It never got the length of United chasing shadows but they were not yet well enough rehearsed to make the passes that found team mates as intuitively as their opposition did. They made decent sequences of passes but those tended to break down as much through error or miscommunication than as a result of opposition pressure.

The Loons struck again in the 21st when a similar move to the one that yielded the first goal yielded a cracking second. This time it was a two man break, capped off by another viciously accurate finish this time from REILLY who forced the ball into the only chink of the goal that Main could not reach.

A third before half time put the result, as far as it mattered, beyond any doubt when with a near replica of the finish to the opening goal, HILSON postage cornered it from the left centre edge of the box in the 41st.

Forfar, who had made a couple of substitutions including Baird for HILSON at the interval, progressed almost directly from the kick off to score. The ball was worked quickly forward into the United box and in the midst of a stramash on the fringe of the 6 yard area, the sub banged the ball home for number 4.

United did well enough to keep Forfar at bay and looked steadier particularly when McKeown and Jevan Anderson came on in central defence. It was not that Crawford or Trialist Jensen had been poor but the lack of McKeowns organisation and leadership had been missed. Despite this United conceeded a penalty when trialist right back MacPherson was duped into a rearward tackle by Baird who took the resultant spot kick himself. He struck it low and hard to Mains right but the keeper was there at full stretch to touch the ball away right at the base of the up right.

The scoreline was completed in the 82nd minute when some miscommunication at the back by United left the ball in a no mans land between Main and J.Anderson. BAIRD seized the opportunity to knock the ball past the keeper for number 5. That was it all over bar the shouting. The score line does not flatter United who were good enough in spells – they simply need more match time to regain their fluency and tempo both of which showed signs of returning .

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie