Dundee continue to dominate the Tayside derby and took all three points as, yet again, Wee Burney was outsmarted by Jim Duffy in the tactical battle.
Still to find an elusive win over his neighbours, shoe shitter McCall saw his team dominate possession but be exposed (not the first time for their keeper) on the break and also to some wonderfully unbiased refereeing decisions.
This was no excuse however, as his team were clearly guilty of wasting chances and some dreadful defending and of turning out in a bizarre dayglo kit.
The game started off at a lightning pace which referee Hugh Dallas tried to temper with an undeserved yellow card to Steven Robb in the seventh minute.
It was Untied, however, who created the first chance in the 12th minute when a deep Barry Robson cross was flicked back by Jim McIntyre for Billy(Judas) Dodds to shoot. But the outstretched arms of Soapy Soutar brilliantly clawed the ball away.
There was mayhem in the 16th minute when referee Hugh Dallas awarded a penalty for David McCracken's brutal assault on Iain Anderson.
Without any claim the official immediately, and rightly, pointed to the spot. After calming down the infuriated United players the ball was given to Steve Lovell, whose kick was partially blocked by Tony Bullock, only for the ball to slide over the line.
Untied responded with vigour with Mark Wilson's free-kick testing Soutar in the 26th minut,e then McIntyre lashing just wide from an acute angle. Then, following a goalmouth scramble, Alan Archibald's 33rd minute moon-bound volley came off the back of Brent Sancho.
As the pressure intensified Sancho was fortunate in the 35th minute when the ball struck his arm in the box but the referee was spot on with the decision once again.
Two minutes later Soutar pulled off yet another great save from Robson's thunderous 20-yard shot, turning the ball round the post. Three minutes from the break, Dallas, who had been having a great game, shook his head as the United support screamed like girls for a penalty when Sancho nudged McIntyre in the back and the burly centre forward went down quicker than a cheap hooker.
Barely had the game restarted when John Sutton made it two. Lovell easily beat McCracken on the right flank and drilled a low ball in at the near post for Sutton to catch out a static Terrors defence and poke the ball through the legs of Bullock from six yards.
Shortly afterwards the totally inept and ineffective James Grady was withdrawn after having his worst derby display ever. Thank God he didn't get signed at Dens. The minature striker was roundly applauded by the Dees in the ground for his willingness to do the Dark Blues a good turn even in the colours of their rivals. After failing to have a single shot on the Dees goal wee Grady should be thanked for his undercover efforts.
A shell-shocked United then hit back with Dodds' weak header being nodded off the line by Anderson.
The pressure continued but despite having numerous half chances the Tangerines could not breach the solid Dee's defence where the back line held firm throughout with Sancho and Mann outstanding until injury time, when Archibald luckily headed in Wilson's corner.
Outstanding for the Dees on the day were Soutar, McDonald, Hernandez, Mann, Sancho, Smith , Brady, Anderson, Robb, Sutton, Fotheringham, Jablonski, Barrett, Grady, McInness and McCracken.
Then team went off to a fantastically deserved ovation and this win should pick them up after a nervy pre-season. Lets not get too carried away though becasue frankly Dundee Untied are not goinig to be the best team the Dark Blues will face this season and showed little of the prospective 3rd place they hope to achieve. On this showing 3rd bottom might be a more realistic target for the fruitsters.