As it happens, we actually made an excellent start to the game. A tidy move resulted in a ball into the box which was won in the air by Hamilton – he made a good connection with the header but it was tipped over by Stillie. From the corner we appeared to take the lead when Hamilton headed in from close range but United were let off by the referee’s whistle penalising a foul in the winning of the first header.
That though, was just about all we offered in the first half. We were denied a good chance when Ritchie hauled down Kerr on the edge of the box but the free kick was blasted unimaginatively into the wall. The rest of the half was dominated by United but chances were rare – McIntyre headed onto the bar from a corner and some brilliant play from Fernandez could not be converted into a goal, the ball instead rolling agonisingly across the face of goal. Lee Miller tested Smith with a long range effort and McIntyre wasted a free header from the corner. All things considered, we were lucky to go in at 0-0.
United continued to press in the second half and forced an early series of corners. However, the home side struggled to threaten Smith despite dominating possession. We actually looked like getting back into the match when United took the lead. We worked a good position and McDonald could have released Foran but Wilson intercepted and United swept to the other end. Fernandez fired in a pin point cross which was bulleted home by McIntyre.
We responded instantly and Corrigan hit the post with a clever chip from distance. We were back on level terms within minutes though, McDonald knocking home from close range when Foran crossed after a free kick. We had a chance to take the lead but a scramble was blocked. That was as close as we came to winning the game whilst United again began to horde possession but struggled to make chances. Their cause was hampered when Ritchie picked up a second booking following a needless clash with Clarkson but by then the game was all but over. A couple of half hearted penalty appeals were turned down in our box but we escaped with a point.
So, we got an away draw which is hard to complain about but Terry Butcher will not be pleased with our performance. An improvement will be needed for the visit of Hearts next week.