First Team
TEAM NEWS | PARTICK THISTLE (H)
3rd May 2024
KILMARNOCK 4
DUNDEE UNITED 1
CINCH RESERVE LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINAL
14:00 TUESDAY 14TH MARCH
RUGBY PARK
After finishing second in Group One of the cinch Reserve League Cup, Dundee United B travelled to Rugby Park in the hopes of booking a place in the Final at the expense of Kilmarnock.
Wins over Queens Park, Dunfermline and Dundee coupled with a point against Livingston in West Lothian saw United pick up 11 points in Group One, also topping the goal charts with 11 scored and just four conceded.
Line-Up
Mathew Cudjoe and Declan Glass were the only players named in the starting XI with more than ten first-team appearances, as Bryan Grant and Andy Payne offered a smattering of U18s an opportunity at reserve level.
Young Terrors regulars Keir Bertie, Arron Donald, Craig Moore, Adam Carnwath and Sean Borland were all given the nod to start, whilst a further three, Alan Domeracki, Jamie McCabe and Stuart Heenan, made the bench.
Miller Thomson, Jacob Comerford and Adam Hutchinson populated the remainder of the starters.
This was in stark contrast to Kilmarnock, who included former Rangers man Jordan Jones, 30-year-old Blair Alston, Brad Lyons and first-choice ‘keeper Zach Hemming in their line-up.
Furthermore, Christopher Stokes, who has over 350 senior appearances, slotted into the backline.
Starting On The Front Foot
It took just three minutes for the deadlock to be broken in Ayrshire, with Killie dominating proceedings from the off.
Jones sent a whipped ball into the area which drifted to the back stick unchallenged and, at the second time of asking, was forced over the line by Lyons.
The home side added a second soon after. A speculative, long ball forward by Ryan Alebiosu was brilliantly plucked down by former Falkirk midfielder Alston, and he bundled his way through Comerford on the edge of the area before hitting the deck.
Scotland U17s international Bobby Wales was left to pick up the pieces and strolled onto the ball unchallenged, sending Ruairidh Adams the wrong way with a cute finish into the corner.
United carried a slight threat on the counter due to the number of bodies Kilmarnock were happy to commit forward. On 13 minutes, Carnwath was sharp to a second ball in the centre circle and sent Thomson through on goal with a well-weighted through pass.
The 18-year-old fended off the challenge of two defenders in hot pursuit, but eventually found himself upended by Kirk McKnight before he could pull the trigger
Back at the other end, Adams produced a fine, fingertip save to push a dipping Kerr McInroy free-kick over the crossbar.
Three-Goal Cushion
However, things would go from bad to worse for the Terrors on 18 minutes, as a towering Christopher Stokes header from Jones’ teasing corner rippled the net.
A frequent feature of Killie’s attacking fluidiity was their wide overloads, with full-backs Alebiosu and Fraser Murray more than happy to venture forward and support the attack. The linked well with midfielders Alston and McInroy who tended to drift into the half-spaces and manouver themselves close to wingers Jones and Lyons.
Jones continued to show his class whilst pulling the strings, pulling a lost cause of a pass out of the sky, executing a tremendous nutmeg on Comerford and then narrowly missing the target with a finessed finish towards the far corner.
It should’ve been four for the Rugby Park outfit whern McInroy stepped onto an inch-perfect Murray cutback after neat interplay between the duo and Jones down the left, but the Killie number six overcooked his shot and blasted into the Chadwick Stand.
Paul Sheerin’s men wouldn’t have to wait much longer for that fourth goal though. With another Jones delivery causing mayhem, the second ball went unchallenged by the United defence as it spun up into the air, allowing Murray to pull-off a spectacular overhead kick to wrongfoot Adams from close range.
32-year-old veteran Stokes almost doubled his tally for the afternoon in identical fashion to his earlier goal, meeting an inswinging corner with conviction. United stopper Adams produced a fantastic reaction save to deny his opponent this time, however.
One-Way Traffic Persists
The one-way traffic showed no signs of halting after the break. Lyons raced into the left side of the 18-yard box to latch onto a long ball forward from defence, before squaring first time for Wales making up ground in the middle who cracked his half-volley off the top of the crossbar from close-range.
As integral members of the first team, Jones, Alston and Murray were all replaced on the hour mark as a precaution by Sheerin – presumably on the orders of Derek McInnes.
A quick free kick then caught the United defence napping as Wales collected the ball nicely in his stride and headed through one-on-one with Adams. The visitors’ stopper got down well to deny the number nine and gathered substitute Aaron Brown’s follow-up effort with conviction.
Grant and Payne’s side produced a better second-half showing going forward, displaying more composure and care with the ball at feet.
Instant Impact
Mere minutes after entering the fray, 16-year-old midfielder Alan Domeracki netted a consolation for United after a period of sustained attacking pressure. Fellow sub Stuart Heenan cushioned a raking crossfield pass down expertly, allowing himself time and space to stroke across the six-yard box to the unmarked Domeracki who tapped over the line.
With eight minutes to play, U18s mainstay Bertie was dismissed for a second cautionable offence – as he cynically halted a Killie counter led by mercurial winger Kian Leslie.
United well beaten by an incredibly strong Kilmarnock side, with an average age of 23.5, despite the vastly improved second-half display, as their assault on the cinch Reserve League Cup comes to an end.
Teamlines:
Kilmarnock: Hemming, Alebiosu, McKnight, Lyons, Stokes, McInroy, Murray, Alston, Wales, Warnock, Jones (Armour, Miller, Clark, Chahal, Brown, Leslie, Mersey, Quigg, Craik
United: Adams, Comerford, Bertie, Hutchinson, Donald, Moore, Borland, Glass, Carnwath, Cudjoe, Thomson (McCabe, Domeracki, Heenan)
