Dun and dusted

Our pre-season programme concluded on Saturday with a trip to Tannadice to take on Dundee United as part of the Scottish side's centenary celebrations. Spectators were mercifully spared a vomit-inducing clash between the home team's orange kit and our own custard-and-cream away affair. Instead, we wore an altogether more palatable black and powder blue combo that will hopefully see more action in the forthcoming campaign than our third strip usually does.

Bigger Lad's physical presence unsettled Tangerines' keeper Stevie Banks, enabling him to tuck in the opening goal in the second half, but our hosts equalised six minutes from time when David Goodwillie scored from the spot - this after Steve Harper had saved an earlier penalty from Danny Swanson. Shortly afterwards, as at Huddersfield, there was a bit of handbags which resulted in the ref recommending Damien Duff be substituted - the only surprise being that ASBO managed to avoid getting drawn into the fracas...

Once again Sebastien Bassong was nowhere to be seen - left out because he's ineligible to play in Saturday's curtain-raiser against West Brom through suspension, according to Chris Hughton - and, with Man City and Spurs both still rumoured to be circling overhead, there's every likelihood the Frenchman's played his last game for us.