Strachan banks on Balde staying as Zurawski opens Celtic account
With the transfer window fast approaching, Balde has already been linked with Fulham, who had an approach for acting skipper Stilian Petrov turned down last week.
But Strachan, who does not expect to sign any new players, insisted: “He is obliged to write us a letter if he is in talks with anybody. He has not done that so far so I see no reason why he would change that. He is a good professional and an honest man so if he was he would write us a letter.”
At East End Park, summer signing Maciej Zurawski broke his scoring duck to net twice and fellow newcomer Shunsuke Nakamura was also on the scoresheet for the first time.
Goalkeeper Artur Boruc also saved a Mark Burchill penalty after John Hartson had made it 2-0 but Strachan still insisted his players had under-performed, especially at the back.
He said: “I was quite disappointed. We showed we could score goals but I felt we left the defending to individuals at times, which is disappointing. It was poor defending as a unit and we will have to work at that. The players got sloppy after going 2-0 up.”
Nothing went right for the Pars as midfielder Gary Mason could be out for six weeks after Hartson caught him in the face in the first half.
Pars boss Jim Leishman said: “It looks like a cracked bone just next to his eye. A specialist is going to see him tomorrow. It was an accident, just one of those collisions.”
: Halliwell, Tod, Scott Wilson, Thomson (Horsted 77), Ross, Mason (Derek Young 20), Darren Young, Makel, Campbell, Tarachulski, Burchill (Hunt 73).
: Boruc, McManus, Virgo (Lawson 59), Balde, Telfer, Petrov, Nakamura, Camara, Zurawski (McGeady 90), Hartson, Beattie.
: K Clark (Scotland).
A Craig Brewster header six minutes from time gave Inverness Caledonian Thistle a share of the spoils in their Bank of Scotland Premier League match against hapless Dundee United.
The Taysiders endured an embarrassing UEFA Cup exit at the hands of Finnish part-timers MyPa-47 in midweek and struggled for most of the match. But in the 65th minute striker Lee Miller lifted the mood when he rose at the back post to head home an Alan Archibald cross.
However, six minutes from time Caley’s player-manager headed in a Barry Wilson cross from close range to stun Tannadice.
: Stillie, Kenneth, Ritchie, Archibald, Wilson, Kerr, Brebner, Fernandez, Robson, Samuel (McIntyre 28), Miller.
: Brown, Tokely, Dods, Munro, Golabek, Wilson, Black, McBain, Fox (Hart 71), Brewster, Dargo (Wyness 78).
: E Smith (Scotland).
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