Joe Westley's fearless penalty helps Dundee United to vital win

Joe Westley’s courageous penalty helped Dundee United secure a vital 2-1 win over Motherwell, a result that keeps them fourth in the Scottish Premiership on 10 points. The striker played with a facial guard after fracturing his cheekbone at Hearts less than two weeks ago, deciding against surgery to be available.

Manager Steven Pressley was full of praise for the forward’s resilience. "Joe showed great courage," Pressley said. "He has hardly trained since Hearts and had a tight hamstring towards the end." Westley broke the deadlock from the spot before Bradley Fink added a second, though Motherwell pulled one back just before halftime. The team’s second-half resilience in difficult, windy conditions sealed the three points. The win continues a strong recent run of form, with United now unbeaten in their last four matches. The team will look to continue this momentum when they face Hibernian at Easter Road in their next fixture.

Defensive partnership solidifies

Owen Goodman was named man of the match after a performance that included a late save which left him with a cut on his forehead. The central defensive pairing of Ryan Astley and Owen Bevan held firm. Pressley noted Astley’s growth in stature over his 14 months at the club, while stating Bevan is developing but needs to show more leadership. The win provided a positive contrast to last season’s 4-0 loss to Aberdeen before the international break.

Finnigan sidelined for a month

The victory was tempered by news that midfielder Ryan Finnigan is likely to be out for four weeks with an ankle injury sustained in the same match at Hearts. Pressley confirmed the timescale, adding that Finnigan might feature for Falkirk upon his return but could subsequently move to Rangers. This adds to the squad’s injury concerns, with Emmanuel Agyei also currently sidelined, as shown on the club’s injuries page.

Despite the setback, Pressley expressed encouragement with his squad’s start. "We have been really encouraged. Fink has settled in really well and there is more to come from him, especially from his physical perspective," he said. The manager wants his team to play with two strikers and become more dangerous, a plan supported by the current squad. With 10 points from seven games, Pressley called it a solid if not brilliant start as the team continues to find its rhythm. The team's current points total puts them on track to achieve their season goal of 60 minutes of high intensity play per match, a metric they have been focusing on in training.

The result leaves Dundee United firmly in the top half, eight points behind leaders Celtic.

Further reading: Daily Record Football