Dundee Utd2–0Motherwell

After meeting only three days previously it was not unnatural that the opening exchanges were cagey. However, it was Motherwell who seized the initiative and piled on the pressure. McCart sent in a pile-driver which was blocked; Arnott shot narrowly past the far post and a delicate chip from Kirk struck the middle of the bar as Motherwell continued to put us under the cash. Billy Thomson pulled off a great save from Davie Cooper and when Motherwell did find a way through Arnott found himself off-side. Darren Jackson broke clear, but shot wide as we gradually fought back after that concentrated spell of pressure. Two goals in as many minutes then completely changed the character of the contest. First of all Jim McInally found himself in space following a Freddy Van Der Hoorn free-kick was cleared to him and he volleyed home his first goal of the season from the edge of the box. Less than a minute later Alex Cleland's cut-back arrived at the feet of Darren Jackson and though he directed his shot into the ground the ball sneaked home just inside the right hand post. Just before half-time McCart had made a surging run forward and shot inches wide, but that was about the sum total of Well's resistance after they had been dealt the body blow of losing those two quick goals. If anything we could have won by even more after the break.

Two minutes into the second half miscues by Cleland, Welsh and Nijholt contrived to weave Christian Dailly ati on his own,but he volleyed over. Twelve minutes from the end Darren Jackson turned a Motherwell defender inside out to create an opening, but then sent the ball tamely into Motherwell's arms. Two minutes from time we were unlucky not to add a third. A move down the right, probably our best of the match, involving Ray McKinnon and Darren Jackson ended with Mixu Paatelainen heading Ray McKinnon's cross fractionally over. In the end this was a hard earned victory in which we came back well after surviving Motherwell's early onslaught.