CRIES OF "There's only one Paul Sturrock" rang out at Home Park yesterday as both sets of supporters paid tribute to the Plymouth manager. Sturrock, a Dundee United legend and popular among the Argyle fans, revealed last week that he is suffering fro
m a mild form of Parkinson's Disease.
However, it was another silky striker, United's summer signing from Spain, Francisco Sandaza, who stole the show on the pitch. Just two minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute, the former Valencia man danced through the Plymouth defence and clipped home what turned out to be the winner.
United boss Craig Levein had pinpointed this match as the one that would show whether or not his players were ready for the SPL kick-off at Hamilton and, on this evidence, they are.
Their first attack of any note came on 34 minutes when Scott Robertson put Warren Feeney clear but the Northern Ireland striker's shot was easily saved. It was Argyle's turn to threaten on 40 minutes but United goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska palmed away a perfectly-placed header from Plymouth skipper Krisztian Timar.
Both teams made a change at the interval, United introducing Sandaza for Jon Daly, while Arygle changed keepers as Romain Larrieu made way for Graham Stack.
The Tangerines believe they have unearthed a gem in Sandaza and his goal two minutes after the break was certainly a diamond. He collected a pass from Feeney, danced through the home defence then curled a right-foot shot just inside the far post for the only goal of the game.
Plymouth: Larrieu (Stack 45), Duguid, Paterson (Puncheon 58), Timar (Seip 65), Easter, Kuou-Doumbe, Fallon (MacLean 65), McNamee, Sawyer, Summerfield (Folly 72), Mackie (Bolasie 81).
Dundee United: Zaluska, Dillon, Grainger, Wilkie (Kovacevic 72), Dods, Flood, Feeney (Shala 90), S. Robertson, Daly (Sandaza 45), Gomis, Buaben (Swanson 81).
Referee: Steve Tanner.
The full article contains 330 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
