LAWRENCE SHANKLAND was the saviour as Tam Courts got off to a winning start in his first competitive game as Dundee United manager.
The Scotland international bagged the only goal of the game against Kelty Hearts in the opening group stage fixture of the Premier Sports League Cup.
In a game of few chances, Shankland stepped up to the mark, but it could have been so different with Kevin Thomson’s Kelty having the better chances throughout the 90 minutes.
It was the League Two outift who started on the front foot and new signing Joe Cardle had two chances in the space of a 30 seconds inside ten minutes.
The former Partick Thistle man firstly jinked inside from the right flank before sending a powerful shot straight down the throat of United goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist.
Cardle’s second effort troubled the Celtic-linked keeper more, but he still couldn’t find the back of the net after being cutely teed up by Kallum Higginbotham.
Dundee United were struggling to grasp hold of possession and Kelty had a third chance just moments later. Full-back Ross Philip dugout a pinpoint cross for Nathan Austin from the righthand side, but the big striker could only divert his headed effort up and over the bar.
Scotland international Lawrence Shankland had been vocal in the build up to this clash, detailing that he was looking at “all options” with only a year left on his Tannadice contract.
The striker faces a huge campaign at the spearhead of the Dundee United attack if he is hoping to land a big money move down south, and Courts will be hoping that he can produce.
Shankland showed a touch of class after a quarter of an hour when he fashioned a chance out of nothing on the edge of the box.
The 25-year-old juggled the ball away from his marker before sending a strike in the direction of goal. The shot appeared to be looping into the far corner but Darren Jamieson in the Kelty goal scrambled across his line to make the save.
Shankland’s strike partner Nicky Clark then had a go as he pounced on a defensive error by the Kelty backline. Clark looked to lob Jamieson with a first-time effort, however there wasn’t enough loft on his choice of club.
Before the first half was out, the experienced Charlie Mulgrew attempted a cheeky overhead kick after the ball dropped in the middle of the area following a corner.
The 35-year-old moved back to Scotland this summer from Blackburn Rovers, but his acrobatic effort went wide of the goal before he was penalised for a high boot.
As the half wore on United edged themselves into control and they continued in the same vein as they created the first real chance of the second period.
After some neat build-up, Clark found himself with a free shot on goal at the edge of the penalty area. His strike made its way through a ruckus of bodies, but Jamieson was equal to the effort as he palmed away to safety.
Kelty then hit back with a chance of their own through Jamie Barjonas. The former Rangers midfielder latched on to possession in the middle of the park before driving at the United defence and firing a low shot towards goal.
His effort went just wide of target and with only 15 minutes left on the clock there was a fear that this one was drifting into a 90-minute stalemate.
Both teams needed their attacking threats to step up, and luckily for United they had that man Shankland to call upon to break the deadlock.
Jeando Fuchs looped a fine ball over the top for the marauding Kieran Freeman. The full-back coolly squared for Shankland who dispatched his first-time effort into the back of the net.
It was a cruel one to take for Kelty who had put a lot into the fixture, but Thomson’s men produced a performance that showed they will be a force to be reckoned with in League Two this campaign.
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