A DRAW that will likely prove more valuable to Dundee United than Aberdeen was the outcome of a pulsating match on Tayside, though even the home team left the field harbouring some regret.
News of Hibernian's win at Tynecastle meant United had more reason to rue the chances missed during a frantic 90 minutes. The major opportunity wasted was the one which could have seen Craig Levein's side replace Hearts in third place. A victory, wh
ich the one-sided first half had appeared to anticipate, was all United needed to return to the head of the pack lodged behind the Old Firm.
Again, United saw three points escape them at home, although to even achieve parity with Aberdeen the home team had to come from behind. Lee Miller put Aberdeen ahead in the 36th minute following almost constant United pressure. David Goodwillie equalised just four minutes later, and might have again struck a decisive goal late in the game but for a finger-tip save from Jamie Langfield. By this time Aberdeen had been reduced to ten men following a red card shown to Mark Kerr for dissent, rendering them yet more grateful for the point collected.
The home side settled first, and threatened to overwhelm Aberdeen. Their youthful strike-pairing of Goodwillie and Andis Shala continued to relish their promotion from reserve football, in place of injured first-choice forwards Fran Sandaza and Warren Feeney.
Goodwillie nearly opened the scoring in the first minute, when a low shot skidded past the post. His time would come, but not before another sweeping move from United, involving Paul Dixon and Shala, ended with the youngster curling a shot just over.
While that was football at its best, the dark side of the game was evident when Miller elbowed Darren Dods off the ball. The atmosphere was whipped up further when referee Chris Boyle flashed the yellow card in the striker's face.
While the travelling supporters appeared full of vigour, the Aberdeen players, by contrast, seemed inhibited. Jamie Smith was expected to have returned from a hamstring injury but did not even make the bench last night. Miller, however, returned after suspension.
But the striker might as well have remained in the stands in the opening stages as United pinned Aberdeen so far back they might have been playing at Dens Park. Time and again the visitors failed to clear their lines. Some respite was finally glimpsed by the award of a corner in the 36th minute, and the home supporters watched in horror as Aberdeen took maximum advantage.
A feature of the match was excellent delivery from the flanks, and Charlie Mulgrew helped maintain this assessment when he found Scott Severin in the box. His header was hooked in at the near post by Miller.
Almost from the re-start United set about re-asserting their authority, and they were level within four minutes. Again, good delivery was the key. This time David Robertson left Mulgrew in a spin on the wing. The midfielder's cross was met by Goodwillie, who planted a firm header into the net.
Aberdeen might not have deserved to be in front, but it should not have been beyond them to at least preserve the lead for longer than a few minutes.
Accordingly, tempers ran high within the visiting ranks, most obviously when Richard Foster raised his arms to team-mate Chris Maguire after the youngster had committed a late challenge on Morgaro Gomis.
Foster has previous for this, and is already walking on thin ice with manager Jimmy Calderwood, who at one point banished him from Pittodrie for a training-ground incident. While he must await punishment from Calderwood, he was quickly dealt with here courtesy of a booking.
The defender did, though, survive the half-time break, perhaps chiefly because Lee Mair made yet another premature departure in an injury-jinxed career. Foster filled in for him at centre-half, while Javan Vidal came on at right-back.
While the alterations were all at the back, Aberdeen looked a re-born unit in attack. Sone Aluko came into the game, and this time it was United who retreated.
Levein, the United manager, sought to add more dynamism to his side when replacing the ineffective Swanson with Craig Conway. The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Scott Robertson, however. The United midfielder made his first appearance since January when sent on for Gomis after 75 minutes.
This was the signal for another burst of drama. A minute later, Kerr was shown a red card on his return to his old club after apparent dissent following the award of a free-kick for a foul on Conway. Once Kerr had made his way off the park, Conway then rifled the set-piece against the far post as United sought to finish the match as they had begun it – in the ascendancy.
Dundee United: Zaluska, Caddis, Dods, Kenneth, Dixon, Swanson (Conway 58), Buaben, Gomis (Scott Robertson 71), David Robertson, Goodwillie, Shala (Feeney 80). Subs not used: McGovern, Dillon, Kovacevic, Dow.
Aberdeen: Langfield, Foster, Mair (Vidal 46), Severin, Mulgrew, Duff, McDonald, Kerr, Aluko, Miller (Wright 90), Maguire (Pawlett 76). Subs not used: Bossu, Stewart, Paton, Ross.
Calderwood hails Aberdeen's 'wonderful' second-half showingABERDEEN manager Jimmy Calderwood praised his side after a resolute second-half performance, the final 13 minutes of which were played out with just ten players, secured the point against Dundee United which keeps their European hopes alive.
Mark Kerr's red card, apparently for dissent following a foul on United substitute Craig Conway, left Aberdeen hanging on at the end, but a vastly improved performance after half-time was described as "wonderful" by Calderwood. Hearts, along with last night's opponents, remain in Aberdeen's sights, with the Tynecastle side the next visitors to Pittodrie.
"I'd have taken that result at half-time," said Calderwood, after his side had endured a torrid first-half. They did, however, manage to take the lead through Lee Miller, although this was swiftly cancelled out by David Goodwillie's equaliser.
"I thought we started well in the first ten minutes but then we started to give the ball away," Calderwood said. "We nicked a goal from a dead-ball situation. At that point we just wanted to hang on until half-time. We didn't stop crosses coming in all night.
"But I thought in the second-half we were wonderful," he added. "I came away at the end feeling like it had been two points dropped."
The draw, combined with Hearts' defeat to Hibs, keeps Aberdeen in the hunt for a return to European competition. The gap between them and third-placed Hearts could be down to two points if Aberdeen can claim all three points against Csaba Laszlo's men on Tuesday. United, meanwhile, play Celtic in midweek, and are themselves just four points in front of their north-East rivals.
Kerr, who became the latest Aberdeen player to pick up a red card in recent away games, was dismissed after 77 minutes, and when Aberdeen had wrestled control of the game. Calderwood said he would wait until seeing referee Chris Boyle's report before deciding whether to discipline the midfielder, who had been enjoying a fine game up until that moment. "He (Boyle] is a really good referee but he had an off night tonight," added Calderwood, who was frustrated by the lack of protection Miller received against United centre-halves Darren Dods and Garry Kenneth.
United manager Craig Levein agreed that Aberdeen had enjoyed the better of the second-half, and was left frustrated by his side's inability to build on their lively showing in the opening 45 minutes. "At half-time I felt very confident, especially with us shooting down the hill into our own supporters" he said. "But that shows you what a poor judge I am. Despite being disappointed with the outcome we are a point closer to Hearts, so I am pleasantly surprised," he added.
The full article contains 1339 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
