Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin insisted there were no excuses for his side’s performance in their 2-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Tannadice on Saturday.

The Terrors had approached the game in buoyant mood having won against Aberdeen on Tuesday night to extend their unbeaten run to three games.

However, it was Killie who took a firm grip on Saturday’s contest thanks to goals from Bruce Anderson and Robbie Deas, with the hosts having a late penalty saved.

Goodwin had selected the same starting line-up for the fourth game in succession but he was adamant that his players were not fatigued after their efforts against the Dons.

The manager said: “No, I don’t think so. The Tuesday night game was far enough away that the boys had plenty of time to recover, there was plenty of freshness in the legs.

“That’s not an excuse as far as we’re concerned. They’re a young, fit, healthy group of players – they should be able to play on a Tuesday, and then go and play again on a Saturday.

“The players understand, we’ve all got to take it on the chin.

“We’ve enjoyed some nice pats on the back lately, because we’ve been performing well.

“Today, we deserve the criticism because we...