Dundee United 6 Cowdenbeath 1

United scored six in a fantastic attacking display at Tannadice tonight. By Gordon Aitchison  Ray McKinnon made four changes to the United starting line up, Mark Durnan, Cammy Smith, Sean Dillon and the returning Willow Flood all started at the expense of Telfer, Donaldson, Souttar and Spittal who all dropped to the bench. New signing Nick Van Der Velden jumped straight into the squad with a seat on the bench. United dominated the first forty-five minutes and did not give the visitors any chance to settle. Simon Murray opened the scoring in the fourth minute, Paul Dixon passing down the left, for Obadeyi to leave his marker standing and whip in a cross which was converted by Murray, sliding in from two yards out. It was two nil in the ninth minute, the impressive Fraser curled in a tempting free kick to the back post where Lewis Toshney was waiting with the simplest task to prod home. Fraser then wasted a chance to put the game beyond doubt as early as the tenth minute, bearing in on goal, he chose to shoot weakly at McGurn instead of squaring to the unmarked Murray. McGurn rescued the "Blue Brazil" with two great saves, firstly parrying a shot from Murray, before regrouping to claw Smith's effort from the rebound away for a corner. United's third came in the twenty-second minute, a goal as simple as it was clinical, Fraser threaded a superb ball through the Fifers' defence and Cammy Smith strode on before slipping the ball under the keeper. With twenty-five minutes on the clock, Chris Turner hit a goal that any Brazilian would have been proud of. Controlling the ball twenty five yards out, he took a touch and unleashed an unstoppable shot, curling it into the far corner out of the reach of the shocked Cammy Bell. This gave Cowdenbeath a possible life line back into the game, not for long however. Nine minutes later, Cammy Smith showed great strength to wriggle free from his marker on the right and flashed in a wicked cross which was met on the full by Simon Murray, his shot rising high into the net in front of the jubilant fans in the Eddie Thompson Stand. Half Time: United 4 - 1 Cowdenbeath United continued their dominance in the second half without creating the same number of chances, but the game sprang back into life in the seventieth minute. Simon Murray prodded in what he thought was a hat trick goal only for Crawford Allan to rule out his effort for a foul on the keeper, much to the bemusement of the United striker and Tannadice crowd. Four minutes later though  the former Arbroath man would claim the match ball. Substitute Van Der Velden played a measured pass into Toshney whose cut back initially looked to have been intercepted, only for the ever alert Murray to pounce on the loose ball and fire past McGurn for the third time on the night. Cammy Smith nearly embarrassed the Cowdenbeath keeper; firing a shot straight at McGurn, the ball squeezed between the keeper's legs, but he managed to twist and collect it before it crossed the line. United made it six two minutes from time, Henri Anier racing clean through and slotting past McGurn. Summary: United knocked the stuffing out of Cowdenbeath with their early goals. A solid defensive display from Durnan and Dillon at the back allowed the full backs to push forward at every opportunity. While not as clinical in the second half, the way that United kept the ball and thwarted any chance of a Cowdenbeath revival will have been a joy to watch after last season. Full Time: United 6 - 1 Cowdenbeath Man of the Match: Three goals, from a total of six yards, it has to be SIMON MURRAY, although Flood was impressive on his Tannadice return. Teams: United: Bell, Dillon ( c ), Dixon, Durnan, Toshney, Murdoch, Murray ( Anier 74 ), Fraser (Van Der Velden 61) Obadeyi (61), Smith, Flood Unused Subs: Zwick, Donaldson, Telfer, Souttar Cowdenbeath: McGurn ( c ), Brett, Mullen, Moore, Craig, Miller, Turner ( Robertson 74 ), Ross, Renton ( Johnston 70 ), Rutherford, McLauchlan ( O'Brien 45 ) Unused Subs: Sneddon, Swann, Leslie Referee: Crawford Allan Crowd: 3360