JIM GOODWIN | THERE'S A LOT TO COME FROM THE GROUP

Dundee United Manager Jim Goodwin is determined to steer his charges through the first quarter of the cinch Championship campaign unbeaten - with just Partick Thistle standing between the Terrors achieving the feat this Saturday.

Watch the Gaffer’s pre-match press conference in full below!

Braving The Elements

Despite a red weather warning being issued by the Met Office, our first team braved Storm Babet to continue their meticulous preparations for Matchday Nine.

Speaking to the media assembled at the DUFC Training Centre, Goodwin began “Travel and the roads made it quite tough, but the boys all managed to make it in. We got out on the pitches outside for around an hour — but it was very difficult, dealing with 50-mile-per-hour winds!

“We are limited in what we can do, but it was important that we did something to get the legs going again. They trained really well on Monday and Tuesday - we got a lot of information across and worked them hard.”

The playing surfaces at the DUFC Training Centre in St Andrews remained playable throughout the 24-hour barrage of wind and rain, with just a selection of cones and mini-goals falling victim to the gusts!

“We just have to be flexible and we managed to put on a good session. The boys applied themselves properly as we always do”, he continued.

 “It’s not ideal but that’s the country we live in! You need to be able to adapt to the elements.” 

Avoiding Complacency

Now 12 matches into a well-documented unbeaten run, United have their noses in front at the summit of the cinch Championship table, albeit Raith Rovers are hot on the heels of the Terrors.

It's not the time for back-patting however, according to the Irishman, as he states his side are performing on par rather than above it.

“It’s where we want to be and where most people expect us to be. There are few teams who have slipped under the radar because of how much attention we received, but we never underestimated any of the teams. 

“Where we are, sitting top of the table, is obviously where we want to be come the end of the season and it’s good to be in this position at the moment rather than having to chase teams down.”

It’s the longest the 41-year-old has gone without tasting defeat in his managerial career, surpassing his record of 11 matches during his time with St Mirren.

As a collective, United are just two 180 minutes away from equalling their 14-game undefeated run recorded during the 2019/20 campaign - a season at the culmination of which we raised the Championship trophy aloft. 

“It has been a good start, but I do still believe there is a lot to come from this group. I think we could be three or four points better off than we are. We’ve dropped points in games we shouldn’t have and that’s something we need to make sure we don’t allow to happen. 

Learning Lessons 

The last match in which United left empty-handed was against Saturday’s opponents - Partick Thistle.

Craig Sibbald drew first blood for the hosts, but the Jags hit back through former Terrors frontman Brian Graham and Harry Milne to effectively end our assault on the Viaplay Cup after just two Group Stages fixtures.

This leaves Goodwin wary of the threats posed by Kris Doolan’s side even though United have made strides forward in the subsequent three months since that matchup.

“Partick were in our League Cup group stage and we didn’t give a good account of ourselves on the day, so we know what to expect from them. I think we are a different team, now. We have done more recruitment since then and the team is a lot more settled - everyone is that little bit fitter and sharper.”

Tangerine Army

Not only will the Terrors carry a presence on the pitch but in the stands as well. At the time of writing, over 1,200 tickets have been snapped up by eager Arabs who are set to brave the elements once more to get behind their table-topping heroes.

“Firhill is always a great venue; the Partick Thistle fans generate a good atmosphere”, resumed Goodwin. We took around 3,000 fans to Kirkcaldy and hopefully, another good travelling support goes through on Saturday.”

CLICK HERE to join the Tangerine Army in Glasgow!

Nervous Wait

Goodwin is, however, set to face a nervous wait to assess the availability of various members of the squad for this weekend’s clash.

When queried on the fitness of Declan Gallagher, Archie Meekison and Mathew Cudjoe, he replied: “All three of those are struggling for the weekend and there are a couple of others, too. Declan limped off against Raith Rovers and didn’t feature last weekend.”

The Scotland international didn’t feature in our SPFL Trust Trophy victory over Peterhead last weekend. This left Academy graduate Ross Graham to fill the void, and he did so with distinction.

"Ross has been brilliant all season. Obviously, people haven’t seen a lot of him on a matchday, but in terms of his attitude in training, he has been different class. He is one player I have a lot of sympathy for because he’s been unfortunate due to how well Gallagher and Kevin Holt have struck up that partnership.

“He understands that. It’s not like he can’t get in the team due to his lack of effort, or my lack of belief in him. So it’s great for me to know I have a replacement waiting in the wings if something were to happen.”