“I feel it was a missed opportunity,” he said. “But, saying that, there were a lot of positives.

“The lads played very well and I think we showed a bit of bravery to take the game to Rangers.

“We worked hard, defended from the front and tried to get our full-backs forward as much as possible.”

The manager also felt aggrieved for the Tangerines fans, who, once again, followed their team in numbers and gave terrific backing.

“I’m gutted for the supporters, a lot of them had travelled through and I thought they were brilliant,” said Craig. “The late goal was a sore one to take.”

Meanwhile, United will have Roy O’Donovan available for Saturday’s home clash with Aberdeen.

Although the Tangerines felt the striker’s red-card at Falkirk last week was harsh, they decided against an appeal and the Irishman served his automatic one-game ban last night.

Fellow-front man Jon Daly, however, is still a week or so away from making a return.

United’s second string were in action against St Mirren at Gayfield this afternoon.

A strong squad included Danny Swanson, Garry Kenneth, David Robertson, Mihael Kovacevic and Prince Buaben, who were all on the bench against Rangers.

A large chunk of the Pars side included senior pros, a luxury Jocky doesn’t have at his disposal at the moment.

But there was a chink of light last week when Jim Lauchlan was named among the substitutes.

The defender remains well short of match action, but his eagerness to be involved typifies the sort of attributes the manager is looking for in his team.

“Dunfermline have a lot of experienced players who have been round the block with various clubs, so we know we are in for a tough game on Saturday,” added Jocky

“Jim Lauchlan’s a good professional, who works hard in training and has a decent level of natural fitness.

“He also has a great attitude and, although he hadn’t played a match for almost three months, he was willing to play if required against Airdrie.”

Meanwhile, although funds are tight, the manager hasn’t ruled out the possibility of adding a few new faces.

“I knew the situation when I came in. I knew we were decimated by injuries, but we have to get on with it. By the same token, we’ve probably got four players who won’t be available until the turn of the year, so it’s possible I might try to bring one or two players in.”

A spokesman said, “Members were unanimous in condemnation of the board’s treatment of fans groups.

“Members were also disappointed there had been no further dialogue since the board’s control of funding demands were rejected by the majority of groups.

“And there has been no acknowledgement of an offer made by Dee 4 Life, Dundee Supporters Association and the Development Club to fund a player in the January transfer window.”

The Development Club insist they will continue fund-raising as before with the hope the board will reconsider its stance and allow them to continue contributing to youth development at Dens.

No board member was available for comment at time of going to press.

Jody Morris and Steven Anderson were among the others who played, with Morton also including a number of first-team players.