First Team
Match Report | Rangers 1-1 Dundee United
23rd November 2024
Dundee United 0 (3)
Dundee 0 (0)
2pm Monday 23 September 2024
Gayfield Park
SPFL Reserve Cup Group One
Both halves of the city of Discovery made the short journey up the East Coast to Gayfield Park for the maiden SPFL Reserve Cup fixture of 2024/25.
TEAM TALK
With the Terrors led by Assistant Manager, Lee Sharp, and First-Team Coach, Dave Bowman, the duo named a multitude of senior professionals in the starting XI, viewing the match as an opportunity to ensure levels of match sharpness remained consistent throughout the playing group.
Following his stunning Premier Sports Cup Quarter-Final equaliser on Friday, veteran frontman Louis Moult was given the nod to start up top alongside summer signing Sam Dalby, whilst fellow Fir Park impact substitute Glenn Middleton also lined up from the off.
A flat back four featured Young Terrors prospect Ollie Simpson, and U18s midfielder Alan Domeracki paired Miller Thomson in the engine room.
In the blue corner, former United star Scott Fraser anchored the Dee’s midfield, Dundee Derby scorer Sebastian Palmer-Houlden looked to play on the last line, and Julien Vetro featured in his second competitive match in three days after making his senior bow at Ibrox less than 48 hours prior.
BACK AND FORTH
Middleton was the recipient of the first chance of the 90 following a relatively tentative opening ten minutes, with a Thomson cross deflecting kindly into the path of the winger on the edge of the area.
Shifting onto his preferred left foot, he sent a low drive towards the near post which warmed the gloves of Dee stopper Harrison Sharp.
Outnumbered in midfield, the Terrors looked to bypass the congestion by clipping direct balls towards a physically imposing strike partnership of Dalby and Moult, with support then arriving in the wider regions from Middleton and Meshack Ubochioma.
Kevin Holt’s blushes were spared against his former side when he looked to cushion Simpson’s throw-in back to Dave Richards between the sticks, only to skew his attempted pass inches beyond the far post.
On 20 minutes, Middleton was presented with another opportunity to break the deadlock, as Ryan Astley’s attempted diagonal ball ricocheted back off the pressing United man.
Haring through on goal despite the best efforts of Clark Robertson to stake an early claim for our number 15's jersey, the 24-year-old eventually attempted an audacious dink that lacked the requisite power to sail over Sharp.
The closest call of the opening period came soon after at the other end, with Josh Mulligan driving in from the byline and teeing up Palmer-Houlden on the angle inside the area. The striker fizzed a vicious effort across the face of goal which had Richards beaten all ends up, and a nick off Vicko Ševelj diverted it narrowly wide of the upright.
ONE TO WATCH
Despite being the youngest player on the park, diminutive full-back Simpson caught the eye with his tenacity and courage. These qualities aided his efforts to fend off no fewer than three pressing Dundee men before prodding an inviting ball into the attacking third for Middleton to latch.
A delicious, clipped delivery followed, but Dalby could only head his effort into the grateful arms of Sharp on the backpedal.
Less than three minutes later, Palmer-Houlden retaliated with an almost identical header which landed on the roof of Richards’ net.
The last action of note before the interval saw Palmer-Houlden try his luck for a third time from close range, this time the Englishmen thwarted by a magnificent Richards stop low his right.
Soon after the restart, Mulligan embarked on an unstoppable slalom into the area, one which concluded with the Scotland U21s star sending a deft finish trundling into touch with the ‘keeper rooted to the spot.
This effort marked the beginning of a lull period in the match, one which was brought to an end by a curling Dalby strike that whistled wide of the stanchion on the hour mark.
BACK STRONGER
With 77 minutes on the clock, Adam Carnwath would make his welcome return to action in a tangerine shirt almost six months on from suffering a serious ankle injury on Young Terrors duty.
As the match entered the closing stages, Moult nipped across Luke Graham’s blindside to the front post and flicked Thomson’s pacey delivery over the crossbar, his last involvement before his withdrawal, and Mulligan forced Richards into another fine stop at the end of a trademark mazy run, but the deadlock remained unbroken and a penalty shootout would decide the recipient of a bonus point.
DERBY DEJA VU
In an uncanny recurrence of previous events, Kevin Holt, Kai Fotheringham and Sam Dalby all made no mistake from 12 yards for the hosts, yet all three nominated spot-kick takers for Dundee, Palmer-Houlden, Finlay Robertson and Mulligan failed to convert.
TEAMLINES
Dundee United
Starting XI: Richards, Holt, Ševelj, Moult, Middleton, Fotheringham, Dalby, Thomson, Domeracki, Simpson, Ubochioma
Subs: Haldane, Mwangi, Cleall-Harding, Borland, Stirton, Carnwath, Cameron
Dundee
Starting XI: Sharp, Ingram, Robertson, Astley, Graham, Fraser, Palmer-Houlden, Vetro, Mulligan, Robertson, Reilly
Subs: Lynch, Allan, Clark, Mohammed, Sweenie-Rowe, Richardson, Davies-Browne, Lorimer, Corrigan
