Appearances & Goals To Date
Starting Lineup
| Youngest Player: | Marley Watkins (23 years 166 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Josh Meekings (2015 years 240 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 26 years 202 days |
| Domestic Players: | 6 (54.55 % of starting eleven) |
Matchday Squad
| Youngest Player: | Ryan Christie (19 years 34 days) |
| Oldest Player: | Graeme Shinnie (2015 years 240 days) |
| Average Player Age: | 25 years 167 days |
| Domestic Players: | 12 (66.67 % of matchday squad) |
First Team Debuts
Milestones
More gifts for United:
Inverness continued their run of midweek games with a visit to Tannadice where United would start as firm favourites to take all three points after the thrashing they gave Inverness in the cup two weeks ago.
The visitors were the architect's of their own downfall with two slack moments defensively which United punished with second half goals from Ryan Gauld and Ryan Dow, both of them looked almost embarrassed to tap the ball in after extreme generosity from our defence. Liam Polworth scored an absolute screamer to reduce the deficit, but it was too little too late.
Aaron Doran missed out again for Inverness and Marley Watkins started as the wide midfielder with Danny Williams on the bench in an otherwise unchanged side from the one that beat Partick last Saturday. Josh Meekings was sporting a massive elastoplast on his head after the knock he received against Partick.
For United, Mackay-Steven and Keith Watson made the bench with Ryan Gauld starting.
A tentative opening by both sides was interrupted in the fifth minute as McKay took a ball from a Meekings surge and got a weak shot on target but Cierzniak saved comfortably. Gauld did likewise at the other end and Brill scrambled it away. Soon after Armstrong tried his luck from distance but fired high over the bar.
Ciftci showed his strength again, this time shoving people out of the way but Foran burst forward only for McKay and Tansey to be foiled in the box. United swept to the other end but Brill blocked the effort easily.
Fifteen minutes gone and a decent opening for Inverness with Foran prominent and breaking up play as required instead of breaking up legs.
A good burst forward by Foran and Watkins saw the cross fall just behind Raven and the opportunity was lost and at the other end Meekings mopped up a United foray.
Cierzniak gathered a side footed effort from Foran after some neat build up play but it never troubled the keeper as the rain fell.
Brilliant play from Vincent and Tansey set Watkins in on goal but his flick was cleared off the line by Gunning. Best chance of the game so far after half an hour as Inverness imposed themselves on the game.
Armstrong tried a wee overhead after a corner fell to him at the near post but he knocked it over and then Vincent played himself into bother along the edge of his own box, and after some untidy play Ciftci fired one narrowly wide as our defence showed the first signs of creaking five minutes before the break.
A stirring run forward by Shinnie set up Draper for a dig at goal but his shot from twenty yards lifted over the bar and that was the last action of the half.
Half Time 0-0
McKay almost profited from an error at the back but lacked any drive or conviction to finish the job and shot very weakly wide of the target.
Ryan Gauld though made no mistake as we gifted United the opener from close range despite the chance to clear before he prodded the ball home.
Shinnie sent a long ball into the box and it was knocked down to Vincent who never got over the ball as it fizzed over from fifteen yards.
Scrappy play ensued with Inverness making most of the running, but the final ball just not good enough or simply not there.
Foran was given a word from the ref after a bit of mouthing and Yogi became animated on the touchline, Raven getting booked for blocking Rankin, Ciftci firing the free kick just over.
Foran's mouthing was his last action as he was replaced by Polworth shortly after, possibly carrying an injury.
Chances were thin on the ground for both sides as Inverness continued to take the game to United with little success, and just over the hour mark United changed scorer Gauld for Gary Mackay-Steven.
Oh dear! Dean Brill was guilty of this at the weekend and once more he gave the game away with as horrendous a cock-up as you will see, banging a pass back once more off the legs of a United player and goal number two it was as an apologetic Ryan Dow tapped in. Simply not good enough from the big keeper. Too often closed down quickly prior to clearing his lines and this one was way over the limit.
Ryan Christie came on for Watkins for the last ten minutes and sparked Inverness back to life, but it was Polworth who made the biggest impact when he lashed a thirty five yard effort into the top corner. What a goal that was, and a great way to start your account.
It gave the away fans something to hope for, but Brill's kicking display did for us, and not for the first time this season errors have cost us dearly.
With five minutes to go, Polworth and Shinnie fed McKay, but his diving header went wide when he should have netted. Not our night, but errors apart, we matched United.
Brill continued to fluff his lines and in the end left his team mates with too much to do.
Full Time 2-1
Inverness were best served by Richie Foran, always available to break up play, especially in the first half and Marley Watkins was also prominent, but Ross Draper put in a good shift and just gets the nod. Some massively disappointing performances also, and Dean Brill tops that list, followed by a tired looking Billy McKay who never had the energy to kick the ball hard enough.
Match report written by tm4tj
