St Mirren .............. 1 Dundee United ..............2

TONY Fitzpatrick may have lost almost his entire first team from last season, but the future looks bright for St Mirren.

After having put up a creditable performance against Rangers in midweek, Saints took Dundee United right to the wire at Love Street on Saturday, when two late goals - one a penalty - deprived the young Paisley side of victory.

Fitzpatrick has had to rebuild his team - mainly with teenagers - from top to bottom after a number of defections, the most recent being Canadian internationalist Paul Fenwick, who joined Renfrewshire rivals Morton under freedom of contract. ''That was a real sickener,'' admitted the Saints manager.

However, he is confident that his young charges and his few remaining old heads will be able to compete in the first division when the season kicks off in earnest in a couple of weeks.

He said: ''The boys are coming along nicely. They have all done well in the games that they have played, considering their ages.

''A lot of them were tiring towards the end of the match against United but that was only to be expected after the game against Rangers, because they were all drained physically as well as emotionally after that match.''

St Mirren started brightly and caused United anxious moments during the early stages.

Indeed, after 10 minutes, a pass back by United captain Maurice Malpas almost caught his keeper, Sieb Dykstra, out and the big Dutchman had to look sharp to clear the danger.

A minute later, however, the Premier League side were stunned when Saints took the lead with a first-class strike.

Alan Prentice picked up the ball in midfield and his cross-field pass found Mark Yardley on the edge of the penalty area.

He controlled the ball, took a couple of strides to beat Siggi Jonsson, then unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top left-hand corner of the net past a bemused Dykstra.

Saints seemed to be having the best of the early play and after 28 minutes they almost caught United out again.

A cross on the right by Paul Rudden was fumbled by Dykstra but before any of the St Mirren players could react, Mark McNally scrambled the ball to safety.

Two minutes later, United won a free kick on the edge of the 18-yard box when Peruvian Alexis Magallanes was brought down, but Kjell Olofsson's effort hit the defensive wall and was safely cleared.

United were now at last beginning to get to grips with the game and Saints keeper Derek Scrimgour did well to save a Gary McSwegan snap-shot from around 12 yards.

On the half-time whistle, Jonsson thought he had restored parity but his looping header was nodded off the line by David McNamee.

United started the second half with Joe Miller and Argentinian Mariano Monterfiori replacing McNally and Magallanes, while Saints kept Scrimgour indoors to be replaced by French trialist Ludovic Roy.

Ten minutes into the second period, Roy had to look sharp to palm a net-bound shot by Olofsson round a post.

United manager Tommy McLean took the opportunity to freshen his side further on the hour mark when he introduced latest recruit Roger Boli to the action, and this was the vital spark that really brought the Taysiders to life.

Five minutes after he came on, Boli won the ball deep inside the Saints half. His superb cross-field pass found Olofsson who unleashed a shot which almost uprooted the upright before rebounding to safety.

A minute later, Boli thought he had won his new side a penalty when he seemed to be caught late by McNamee inside the area. However, referee Kevin Toner waved away the Frenchman's claims and warned him about his conduct.

McNamee had the chance to extend Saints' lead after 69 minutes when he burst clear inside the box but Dykstra did well to block the defender's shot on the six-yard line.

At that point it looked as if Saints' luck would hold, but as tiredness set in, they were caught out by two late goals.

The first came seven minutes from time when Boli was brought down inside the penalty area by McNamee - and this time the referee gave the award.

Miller, who had been heckled by the Saints support every time he touched the ball, confidently placed the spot kick past Roy.

The misery was compounded for the young Saints when Olofsson latched on to an inch-perfect pass by Boli to crack a low shot past Roy to give his side the narrowest of victories.

ST MIRREN - Scrimgour, McNamee, Kerr, McWhirter, McQuilter, Rudeen, McGarry, Anderson, Brown, Prentice. Substitutes - Roy, Wilson, Robinson, Gallagher.

DUNDEE UNITED - Dykstra, Jenkins, Malpas, Jonsson, McNally, Skoldmar, Olofsson, Zetterlund, McSwegan, Magallanes, Valerani. Substitutes - Gallacher, Dolan, Monterfiori, Miller, Boli.

Referee - K Toner (Glasgow).