A remarkable triumph in the face of adversity, sealed when they looked to be running out of time to finish the job. Dundee United will hope this was a portent for the rest of their season. All the qualities they will require to pull off the most unlikely Premiership survival story were on display in abundance, as Mixu Paatelainen’s team twice came from behind to reach the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.
The second part of this rescue mission had to be launched and completed with 10 men after Mark Durnan was sent off for his role in the penalty with which Brian Graham put County 2-1 up. United were at their most fluid, confident and precise in this last half hour, and the momentum had long swung their way by the time Billy Mckay got his head to a bullet of a cross from Blair Spittal to guide the ball past Gary Woods and spark wild celebrations behind the goal.
Such a finale seemed unlikely in the first half, when County were well in control and United slipped back into bad habits, particularly in defence. But there is suddenly a resilience about this team, and, increasingly, a credibility.
“Tremendous character, but it’s nothing new to me,” said Paatelainen, who takes his side to Motherwell on Friday for a game that could cut the gap with Kilmarnock to five points. “This was an unbelievable effort from them, unbelievable spirit and togetherness. This gives us, again, loads of confidence. The last few weeks our matches and the way we’ve performed has been good, better, and that has improved our belief that we can save the season. A result like this, being a man down against a very, very good Ross County team gives us so much.”
This was United’s second win in seven days at the same ground, and far from the way County would have wished to kick-off arguably the biggest week in their history. Jim McIntyre’s men fell away alarmingly after initially looking the sharper side. Ahead of next Sunday’s League Cup final, Hibs will have taken pointers from the way United transformed the game by injecting tempo and width.
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“That’s three times this season we have been done by ten men. It’s quite embarrassing really,” said McIntyre. “We’re sore and it’s going to take a couple of days to get this out of our system and move on to the final. I’m angry because we have better in that dressing room than we have shown. And we’ve also blown an opportunity to get to another semi-final. It’s a huge week for us but right now that just seems a mile away.”
It had all started so well, as Liam Boyce put County in front with a goal United will have considered utterly avoidable, not for the first time this season. They didn’t apply anywhere near enough pressure on Andrew Davies as the centre- back rose to meet a corner from Jonathan Franks, possibly too far out to score himself but certainly not to set up Boyce, who helped the ball on and past Luis Zwick for his 18th of the season.
United turned round with greater purpose, taking a leaf out of County’s book by going more direct. They got themselves on level terms when a Durnan shot broke kindly for Henri Anier to calmly slot home his first goal since last February. In fairness to the Estonian, he hasn’t exactly played a whole lot since then. This was his first start under Paatelainen, and the 25-year-old seemed minded to make up for lost time.
His second goal, seven minutes after the first, was an exquisite first-time finish at the back post after a John Rankin cross took a nick and dropped into his path. The striker had to check his natural instinct to throw himself into the away end, having been booked for doing just that after his first. “It’s an unbelievable feeling to have been behind and down to ten men and still come out as winners,” he said.
Durnan’s sending off was a turning point, but not in the manner anyone expected. The centre-back hesitated fatally as a long ball arrived in his zone, unsure whether to clear into touch or allow Zwick to intervene. In the end, he went a third, and fatal way, bundling over Graham and leaving referee Craig Thomson no option but to show a straight red. United then clicked into gear and powered away at the finish. A few teams above them in the Premiership must be getting nervous about the same thing happening there.
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Ross County: G Woods 7, Fraser 6, Quinn 6, Davies 6, Foster 5, Franks 6 (De Vita 76min, 5), Irvine 6, M Woods 5 (McShane 61min, 6), Gardyne 6, Graham 6 (Schalk 68min, 6), Boyce 7
Dundee Utd: Zwick 7, Donaldson 6, Durnan 5, Dillon 6, Spittal 7, Dow 7, Paton 6 (Knoyle 66min, 6), Rankin 6, Dixon 7, Anier 8 (Erskine 8 3min, 5), Mckay 7