Dundee United stretched their lead over 10th-placed Hibs with victory in an
unremarkable bottom-six SPL clash.
In a game which was essentially meaningless, the Tannadice side reversed the
scoreline of a fortnight ago when the two sides last met.
There was little for the purist to admire as much of the game was free of any
quality football and although the Edinburgh men mounted a late comeback after
going two goals down, the home side held on for a deserved victory.
There was a distinct end-of-season feeling to this game as United kicked off
in the bright Tayside sunshine in front of a paltry crowd.
With little to play for in terms of league positions, there was an opportunity
for both teams to play some relaxed, care-free football.
But in the early stages it was the usual frantic SPL fare with both sides
battling hard but gaining and losing possession with remarkable regularity.
First to threaten was United wing-back Hasney Aljofree whose shot from 20
yards in the fifth minute was brilliantly parried away to safety by Hibs
goalkeeper Tony Caig.
However, as the first half wore on, clear-cut chances were few and far between
as the final ball at either end was lacking in quality.
In the 20th minute Freddy Arpinon had Hibs' first effort on goal but his
speculative shot from 30 yards went high over Paul Gallacher's crossbar.
Moments later Easter Road striker Craig Brewster brought out a good save from
Gallacher with a fine low drive but the game refused to burst into life.
In the 33rd minute Charlie Miller tried his luck on goal but his shot from 25
yards was poor and trundled harmlessly past Caig's left-hand post.
After good work by Gary O'Connor on the left, Brewster mishit a shot from
eight yards straight at Gallacher when it looked easier to score and at the
other end Miller again was well wide with an effort from outside the box.
But with seconds of the half remaining United took the lead when Tassos
Venetis picked up a loose ball 25 yards out, turned quickly and drove an
unstoppable volley past Caig.
Two minutes into the second half Venetis had the ball in the net for a second
time after a deflected ball landed at his feet eight yards from goal, but it was
ruled offside.
Moments later at the other end, as the game began to heat up a little, an
O'Connor angled shot whistled past Gallacher's right-hand post.
United doubled their lead in the 54th minute with a scrappy goal by striker
Derek Lilley.
When a Stephen O'Donnell cross came over from the right Miller had a shot from
the edge of the box which broke to Lilley, in a suspiciously offside position,
who tucked the ball into the corner of the net.
The two-goal lead was scarcely reflective of the game but the neutral observer
would have welcomed them for alleviating the tedium if nothing else.
In the 64th minute O'Connor pulled a goal back for the visitors from just
inside the box when he slipped home a loose ball with ease, giving the diving
Gallacher no chance.
Hibs fought furiously for the equaliser and a Gallacher error from an O'Connor
cross had Jim Lauchlan back scrambling to clear off the line.
The home side were looking nervous now and things worsened when Aljofree was
stretchered from the park after a collision, to be replaced by Stephen
McConalogue.
The visitors continued to press but were nearly caught in the 84th minute when
Steven Thompson's shot from close range was scrambled away by Caig.
Teams:
Dundee Utd: Gallacher, Lauchlan, McCracken,
Aljofree (McConalogue 79), Duff, Easton, Miller (Paterson 61),
O'Donnell (Winters 67), Venetis, Lilley, Thompson.
Subs Not Used: Jarvie, Carson.
Goals: Venetis 45, Lilley 55.
Hibernian: Caig, De la Cruz, Smith, Caldwell, Hilland,
Arpinon (Townsley 76), O'Neil (Wiss 62), Jack, Orman (Luna 62),
Brewster, O'Connor.
Subs Not Used: Colgan, Fenwick.
Booked: Luna.
Goals: O'Connor 65.
Att: 5,417
Ref: T Brown (Scotland).
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