Alloa 1 - 0 Dundee United: Kevin O’Hara puts Lawrence Shankland in shade

A week that began on a high for Lawrence Shankland ended in disappointment as Championship leaders Dundee United collapsed against Alloa who moved off bottom spot.

Kevin O'Hara scores the winning goal for Alloa. Picture: SNS.

Shankland – with 15 goals so far this season – had been the subject of all the pre-match focus after being called into Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Russia and San Marino, but aside from a 74th chance he fluffed from a Paul McMullan cross, the 24-year-old cut an isolated figure.

The only goal arrived in the first half when Kevin O’Hara raced into the box to tuck away Kevin Cawley’s low cross to cap a flowing move that also involved Scott Taggart.

The hosts played out the final four minutes with ten men after Iain Flannigan was shown his second yellow card for a foul on Louis Ampere.

“If you want to win a title you have to win the physical battles and I don’t think we did it centrally,” lamented United manager Robbie Neilson.