DUNDEE United are in danger of becoming draw specialists. This was their third in a row in the league and they remain in fourth place in the table, five points clear of Falkirk, who they should have beaten yesterday. Most of the traffic was towards t
he Falkirk goal. United had their chances but it ended up goalless because they couldn't take any of them. Falkirk posed little threat and the result must please them more than their opponents.
Mark de Vries had a few sights of goal, but could not put the ball where he would have wished it to go. Falkirk policed him and his strike partner Noel Hunt. As an attacking force, Falkirk were next to non-existent. This was a contest that became more difficult to watch as it wore on, there was a grim inevitability about it towards the end and the final whistle was something that didn't come soon enough. The game needed a goal but did not get it, fizzling out after a promising start.
United were after a victory, following their midweek draw in Inverness. Falkirk sought another profitable afternoon after their recent thrashing of St Mirren. Darren Dods and Hunt returned to United's starting line-up, as on-loan Ipswich striker Billy Clarke made his first start for Falkirk.
The home side came close to scoring in the opening exchanges. A clever flick from Hunt reached De Vries and the Dutchman's diving header flashed across the Falkirk goalmouth. Then it was the turn of Hunt to find space and smack a bold drive from outside the box, Falkirk keeper Robert Olejnik saving superbly with his fingertips.
As United exerted more pressure, Dods crossed for Christian Kalvenes, whose looping header bounced off the top of the crossbar. United edged closer to the breakthrough and Prince Buaben produced a strong run and a precise one-two with De Vries. The ball wound up with Kalvenes on the left. The defender's driven cross was cleared by a busy Falkirk back line.
A scramble in the Falkirk box resulted in De Vries nodding into the hands of Olejnik and Hunt did his utmost to barge both ball and goalie over the line. Despite all of this, Falkirk remained very much on level terms, with United's keen sense of adventure so far failing to bring them the reward.
Looking to alter the flow of the game, Falkirk manager John Hughes sent on Russell Latapy for the second half, with Scott Arfield making way. But it was still United threatening most. De Vries embarked on a solo run which brought him as far as the Falkirk penalty spot. And if Darren Barr had not put pressure on him at that point, Falkirk may well have fallen behind. De Vries was soon at it again, this time shooting wide of the post.
Then there was the rarest sight in this otherwise one-directional contest – a Falkirk attempt on goal. Unsurprisingly, this was Latapy, on the edge of the home area, shaping a decent effort past the far post. United's Danny Swanson was replaced by Willo Flood and, not long after that, Falkirk's Billy Clarke was withdrawn from duty, Dayne Robertson taking his place as the match entered its final phase, a goalless draw looking increasingly on the cards.
United tried again. De Vries found Flood but he could not get the shot in. A corner came of it and Flood took it. Lee Wilkie rose at the back post to head to Kalvenes whose hooked attempt was nearly enough but not quite.
Wilkie and Pedro Moutinho collided, for a free-kick to Falkirk, much to Wilkie's annoyance. Latapy assumed responsibility but fired wide and the United supporters cheered. There were a couple of late corners for United and De Vries tried to snatch a shot before Wilkie bashed a low drive into the hands of Olejnik. He had been the busier of the keepers but he had not been beaten. Deadlock prevailed.
Dundee Utd: Zaluska, Dillon, Kalvenes, Wilkie, Dods, Kerr, Hunt, Gomis, Buaben, De Vries, Swanson (Flood).
Falkirk: Olejnik, Cregg, Ross, McBride, Moutinho, Clarke (Robertson), Barrett, Milne, Arfield (Latapy), Barr, Scobbie.
Referee: Mike Tumilty.
The full article contains 712 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
