results Dundee United have played a total of 44 competitive matches during the 2008–09 season, as well as six first team pre-season friendlies. The team finished fifth in the Scottish Premier League. In the cup competitions, United lost to Celtic in the League Cup semi-final, while they were beaten by Hamilton Academical in the Scottish Cup fifth round. Friendlies The club began pre-season by winning the Keyline Cup in Oban on 12 July before embarking on a short trip to Dublin where they played two friendlies against local sides. Upon returning to Scotland, United beat Raith Rovers 4-0 and fellow Fife side Dunfermline Athletic 3-2 before a match against Barcelona for the second year running. The friendlies culminated in a win at Plymouth Argyle where United faced former Terror Paul Sturrock. United also sent sides to play in victories against Cowdenbeath, Arbroath, Forres Mechanics, Dundee North End and Blairgowrie. A final friendly was planned against Lochee United but was postponed due to heavy rain. In April, the club racked up an 8–0 win at Brora Rangers to mark the opening of the ground's new floodlights, with Andis Shala scoring a hat-trick. Scottish Premier League United began the season with a televised match away to promoted Hamilton Academical, which – despite taking the lead – they lost 3–1. Subsequent 1–1 draws at home to Celtic – another televised match in which Francisco Sandaza scored his first goal – and away to Motherwell produced the first points of the season but a home defeat to Kilmarnock and narrow defeat away to Hibernian left United bottom of the league after five matches. United's third televised match of the season saw them pick up their first league win at Aberdeen and was the first of four successive league victories, preceding home triumphs against Hearts, Inverness CT and St Mirren. The run of victories saw first league goals for summer signings Scott Robertson and Roy O'Donovan, with three clean sheets for goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska. The St Mirren match was played three weeks after the Inverness match following the death of chairman Eddie Thompson, which led to the match against Rangers being postponed. As the St Mirren match was the first match following the death of the chairman, prices were reduced to just £5, prompting over 11,000 fans to attend and pay their respects with a minute's silence. United failed to make it five league wins