Jim Goodwin not making excuses for Dundee United after defeat to Kilmarnock

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin insisted there were no excuses for his side’s performance in their 2-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Tannadice on Saturday.

The Terrors had approached the game in buoyant mood having won against Aberdeen on Tuesday night to extend their unbeaten run to three games.

However, it was Killie who took a firm grip on Saturday’s contest thanks to goals from Bruce Anderson and Robbie Deas, with the hosts having a late penalty saved.

Goodwin had selected the same starting line-up for the fourth game in succession but he was adamant that his players were not fatigued after their efforts against the Dons.

The manager said: “No, I don’t think so. The Tuesday night game was far enough away that the boys had plenty of time to recover, there was plenty of freshness in the legs.

“That’s not an excuse as far as we’re concerned. They’re a young, fit, healthy group of players – they should be able to play on a Tuesday, and then go and play again on a Saturday.

“The players understand, we’ve all got to take it on the chin.

“We’ve enjoyed some nice pats on the back lately, because we’ve been performing well.

“Today, we deserve the criticism because we dropped below the standards expected.”

Killie boss Stuart Kettlewell had recalled Anderson to his starting line-up at the expense of Djenairo Daniels who eventually replaced the striker at Tannadice off the bench in the second half.

And Kettlewell admitted it is great for him to have that competition for places.

He said: “Djenairo Daniels has been good for us this season, but we felt we saw something in the game for Bruce to start and credit to him because he’s had a little bit of disappointment, same as Greg Kiltie.

“They’ve been desperate to start and play and show you what they’ve got.

“I was especially pleased for Bruce getting his goal, but also for Djenairo’s reaction when he came on the pitch.

“Nobody’s sullen, everybody’s got their one focus here and it’s to try to make us as successful as we possibly can – hopefully that win gives us a wee kick-start.

“We’re still missing Jamie Brandon, who’s been out for a few weeks but Scott Tiffoney was here with us.

“He just missed out on the squad, but he’s edging closer and I think we all know in Scottish football that he brings a different skill set and is somebody that’s really bright with his pace and his energy.

“Hopefully we can try to keep as many players fit to give me that headache, which is not just your starting XI, but what substitutes you make in-game.”