Source: Team_Talk
Houston: We deserved three points
Dundee United manager Peter Houston was grateful for a late equaliser but claimed his team should have beaten St Mirren in their SPL opener.[LNB] It took an 89th-minute strike from United captain Jon Daly to give last season's third-placed side a point.[LNB]Visitors United had dominated the majority of the match but fell behind to a debut strike from St Mirren midfielder Sean Lynch after 73 minutes.[LNB]Houston said: "I'm frustrated that we didn't get three points because it was like waves of attack towards the St Mirren goal.[LNB]"I thought it was going to be one of those days, because after an opening spell of 15-20 minutes where St Mirren came out of the traps, we played our way back into the game.[LNB]"All of a sudden, a corner came to the edge of the box and Sean Lynch hit a nice goal, although it was poor defending from our side, but after that, you're saying that you don't want to lose the game.[LNB]"We like to put crosses into the box and think we put about 50 in today, but it just didn't break for us until the last couple of minutes.[LNB]"However, we had most of the ball in the second half, worked hard and kept playing, and got our just rewards in getting a goal.[LNB]"I also thought we should have had a penalty - Jon Daly hung in the air and was pushed in the back, but the referee said he thought there was nothing in it."[LNB]Scottish Cup winners United host AEK Athens in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier on Thursday.[LNB]Houston said: "We're going to be playing a real good quality side who've never been beaten by a Scottish team, and what I can guarantee is that the Dundee United boys will be trying their very best.[LNB]"We're going to have to try to put our dominance on the fixture as well, and having played our first game of the season will benefit the lads because we'll have that wee bit of sharpness."[LNB]St Mirren manager Danny Lennon, taking charge of his first competitive match since his appointment to the Paisley club in June, agreed with his counterpart's assessment of the result.[LNB]He said: "When you're holding on as much as we did, the game's never over until it's over, and we were up against it as soon as we lost Gareth Wardlaw as we had been right down to the bare bones once Paul McQuade tweaked his calf at training.[LNB]"Dundee United kept getting good quality balls in and with that volume of traffic, something's going to give, but I can't grumble about 1-1.[LNB]"I thought we started very brightly in the first 25 minutes, but then Dundee United started to find their rhythm.[LNB]"We knew the qualities they have to get the ball into wider areas and they're very dangerous when they get the ball for their set plays.[LNB]"We changed the system and tried to consolidate in the second half, and went 1-0 up; what was particularly pleasing was that the boys stuck to their task as a group and their work rate was fantastic.[LNB]"It just shows that if you're fit and organised with spirit and togetherness, these things can happen - but the flip side was that they kept coming at us down the channels."[LNB]Lennon praised his six debutants, including Celtic loan striker Paul McGowan and lower-league signings including Wardlaw from Cowdenbeath.[LNB]However, the St Mirren manager revealed that McGowan will be unable to play when his parent and loan clubs meet at Parkhead next weekend, and Wardlaw could be out for up to three weeks after being taken off with a groin injury.[LNB]The manager said of new boys Wardlaw and Darren McGregor: "I'm absolutely delighted. Because I brought boys from a lower league, questions are going to be asked, but don't judge a book by its cover - read the book first and then make your own mind up.[LNB]"The pundits who've been writing about them probably haven't been to Second and First Division games, but there is quality out there.[LNB]"I was particularly pleased with Gareth; he competed well, wanted to play and allowed us to get forward.[LNB]"He and Paul McGowan absolutely complemented each other; you can see the quality that McGowan has and he excites me at training with some of the wonderful things he can do. He has that bit of quality and a terrific work ethic."
