Jefferies’ team certainly looked keen to get forward. A long-range strike from Craig Bryson in the 20th minute had United hearts fluttering nervously, but his shot whizzed past Weaver’s goal.
A few minutes later, Kilmarnock were forced to reorganise when Simon Ford was stretchered off following a head clash with Sean Dillon. The defender had heavy swelling above and below his closed left eye and Jamie Hamill had to be pressed into action.
United showed the more enterprise, particularly in the shape of raids down the flanks by Jennison Myrie-Williams and Craig Conway, who were always keen to try to find Jon Daly in the penalty area. Indeed, the Irishman came close from one cross, only to see his header stopped on the line by Gavin Skelton.
Soon afterwards, a slick passing move from United ended with Dillon firing a 25-yard strike off the visitors’ crossbar as the home side took control of the game. The move was indicative of the amount of pressure they enjoyed in the latter part of the half and the home support would have been confident a breakthrough was on the cards.
It might have come seconds from half-time had Daly been a split second earlier in getting to a Conway cross which he stretched to reach just a yard from goal.
It
was Kilmarnock who found the impetus they needed
immediately after the interval, however, and with
Skelton beginning to make an impact, they ruffled
United’s defence and started to press their opponents
with vigour and a greater assertiveness than they had
shown earlier.
There was a mildly controversial incident just before the interval when Mark Burchill scooped the ball over the advancing Weaver and into the net. However, while the striker claimed he had reached the ball first, the keeper, not to mention the referee and his assistant, called foul and Houston was happy with their verdict.
Perhaps it was an indication of United’s growing frustration that they started their substitutions only 11 minutes into the second half and had used all three with 15 minutes remaining.
Their aim was to put their opponents on the back foot which, at least for a time, they succeeded in doing, but the closest they came to finding the net was Danny Cadamarteri’s bullet of a shot into the arms of Mark Brown, and Damian Casalinuovo’s failed 85th-minute attempt to beat the goalkeeper from six yards.
