MATCH REPORT | Déjà vu Up North! | Dundee United Football Club
The match between Inverness CT and Dundee United on Friday, January 12th, 2024 ended with a score of 0-1 in favor of Dundee United. The single goal was scored by Watt in the 87th minute. The game took place at Caledonian Stadium and was part of the Cinch Championship.
In the Highlands, it's a well-known tale of United clinching victory in the final moments.
Jim Goodwin announced that there will be two alterations to the starting lineup for DUFC in their upcoming game versus Inverness.
Louis Moult was unable to play due to a small injury, and Craig Sibbald was not an option because of a red card he received during the previous game.
The team's latest addition, Alex Greive, made his debut as number 7 and joined Tony Watt as the front line players in their recent game. Chris Mochrie, who managed to score the winning goal in their last match at the Caledonian Stadium, was also included in the team roster as a substitute.
The Terrors received good news when Archie Meeksion was named as a substitute after being out of action for a significant amount of time due to an injury.
Our matchday squad included nine individuals who were previously part of the DUFC Academy.
The first half was quite uneventful, as neither team managed to create any significant strategies for the game.
The game went 24 minutes without any goal attempts, but then the home team got the first one. Billy McKay and David Carson worked together to create an opportunity for McKay to shoot at the goal. However, Kevin Holt from the opposing team managed to block it with a courageous move, and the ball went out for a corner.
The opportunity for a goal occurred when the home team got their second corner. Cameron Harper kicked the ball towards the goal and Daniel Devine headed it, but Jordan Tillson intervened and prevented the ball from going in, which would have resulted in a guaranteed first goal.
Duncan Ferguson's team had several opportunities to score, as the ball was put into the box again and caused problems for United. David Carson made a cross into a risky zone, which led to a slight touch on the ball, but Ross Graham managed to stop it. Then, Liam Grimshaw safely redirected the shot of McKay into the hands of Walton.
During the game, Tony Watt got knocked down by Harper after Scott McMann did a corner. Some people wanted the team United to get a penalty for it, but the referee Alan Muir didn't think there was a reason for it.
As the initial 45 minutes came to an end with no goals, there was hardly any noteworthy incident to report.
When we stepped onto the field for the second half, Terrors seemed to be more motivated. This led to our initial opportunity, as Grimshaw sent a cross to Watt. However, he managed to only hit the ball over the bar, marking the first shot of the 50-minute period.
The team's goalkeeper, Walton, had to take quick action when Max Anderson changed the direction of Carson's pass towards the lower corner of the goal. However, he managed to make a clever save by stretching his full body to keep the score from changing. After the ball was passed back into play, Charlie Gilmour attempted to score but unfortunately missed the target and the score remained the same.
At the 68-minute mark, Greive made way for Meekison on the field.
Mark Ridgers, our goalie, was called into action thanks to number 17's impressive volley that he caught 15 minutes before the game's end. Despite the challenge, the experienced goalie held onto the ball confidently.
With only a few minutes left, United managed to snatch the victory away.
Kai Fotheringham flicked the ball down the left side and Middleton started chasing after it. Without any errors, he sent the ball quickly across the goal area for Watt to score at the far post!
Achieving the desired results? @32watto | #ICTUTDpic.twitter.com/xuG6ACSvV0
During the extra five minutes, there were requests for a penalty for Inverness when the ball accidentally hit Grimshaw's arm while he was trying to win an aerial challenge - but once again the referee refused the claim.
It's a crucial three points earned away from home, which has helped United reclaim the top spot in the highly competitive cinch Championship. This victory has come at the perfect time as it puts them in a favorable position ahead of a busy weekend of matches.
"The quality of the game during the 90 minutes wasn't great, but we're extremely happy to have won and gained three points. The players showed great perseverance and that's what they should be praised for." This is what Jim Goodwin, the manager of #DUFC, had to say after their triumph over Inverness during the #cinchChamp today.
Initiating team line-up: Ridgers, Harper, Devine, Gilmour, Carson, McKay, Anderson, Longstaff, Boyes, Shaw, Carragher
The following individuals are some of the well-known subs in the industry: MacKay, Duffy, Doran, MacGregor, Davidson, Brooks, Thompson, Sheridan, and Ujdur.
The group of players taking the field first in the game includes Walton, Holt, Graham, Greive, Grimshaw, Middleton, Tillson, Fotheringham, Mochrie, Watt who will serve as captain, and McMann.
Rewrite: The following individuals were selected as the subs for the game: Newman, Denham, Meekison, Glass, Freeman, Duffy, MacLeod, Cudjoe, and Petrie.
As there are no matches scheduled for the upcoming weekend, the focus has shifted to the match on Saturday 27 January. James McPake and his team, Dunfermline Athletic, are set to travel to Tannadice for the said match.
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