First Team

JIM GOODWIN | ST JOHNSTONE ARE OUR NEXT TARGET

5th May 2023

Jim Goodwin is eager to relish the support of a huge Tangerine Army which is poised to descend on Perth this weekend.

A two-week lay-off has perhaps interrupted momentum at Tannadice, but United head to McDiarmid Park looking to leave with no less than maximum points - a result which would see the visitors leapfrog their opponents into ninth place.

Watch the Gaffer's press conference from the High-Performance Centre below! 

Tangerine Army Set To Invade

The away allocation offered to United fans was snapped up almost immediately after going on sale more than a week in advance of kick-off. Goodwin initially issued a message of gratitude to the fans for their continued and unwavering support of the club, despite the trials and tribulations of the 2022/23 campaign.

"I think on behalf of the group I’d just like to thank them. It's been a very difficult and challenging season for everybody.

'We’ve sold a huge amount of tickets for Saturday's game - I think it was 2,700 in under an hour which is a remarkable achievement by the supporters. It should make for a very good atmosphere in what is a very important game for both teams.

"It would’ve been very easy for the fans to turn their back on the club and show their frustration but they haven’t. They’ve really got behind the group and that’s down to what they see on the pitch.

"The players have shown the support how much pride they take in wearing the jersey."

The club was also delighted to report the news that season ticket sales have surpassed the total from last year's renewal period.

At the time of writing, more than 4,200 supporters had renewed their season ticket for the upcoming 2023/24 campaign - an increase of over 3%.

"The fact they’re still rallying behind the team at such a crucial period of the season is a credit to them. Season ticket sales are going really well - we’re in excess of 4,000 and the season hasn’t even finished. That shows you their commitment.

"We had an open day last weekend and hundreds of them turned up on a Saturday morning to see the players. It was a good opportunity to mingle with the supporters and try to capture the imagination of the younger fans. Hopefully, they’ll be the lifeblood of the club going forward."

Welcome Break

Despite the Terrors stringing a sensational succession of three victories on the spin before the break for the Scottish Cup Semi-Finals, the 40-year-old insists a week without a match has been a blessing in disguise for his injury-ravaged squad.

"When you’re on a winning run, you don’t want there to be a break in play, but it's been the opposite for us. We’ve had two or three key players with muscle injuries and knocks.

"Jamie McGrath came off during the Livingston game and had there been a match seven days later, he wouldn’t have been available. 

He continued: "We’ve had a good couple of weeks planning and preparing for the game. It’s given us a good opportunity to get one or two players with niggles back in with the group. 

"The fact we’ve been able to mollycoddle a few of them and get them right has been a bonus. Its been a great chance to recharge the batteries and the boys are in a great place."

Middleton in the Mix

The headline piece of team news comes in the form of mercurial frontman Glenn Middleton, who is in line for a return to action tomorrow.

Missing for almost three months due to a hamstring injury, a determined Middleton pushed the limits to ensure he was back amongst the group sooner rather than later.

The 23-year-old will likely miss out on a place in the starting line-up, but the Gaffer is keen to utlise his threat from the bench if required.

"Glenn Middleton is back to full contact training, he gives me another really good attacking option available for this crucial period

"We’ve nursed Glenn along nicely and that’s credit to the medical team and the strength and conditioning guys. We wanted to be sure that, when Glenn comes back, he’s going to stay back.

"He rushed himself for the Ross County game and did himself more damage but we feel we have him in a really good place now, physically and mentally. 

"He’s got that trust in his own body and he looks great. He’s not where we need him to be fitness-wise in terms of playing 90 minutes but he’s a terrific option for me to have come off the bench if needed on Saturday and we’ll try and build his minutes up between now and the end of the season."

Remaining Grounded

On his arrival, Goodwin picked up the pieces of a squad who were rooted to the bottom of the cinch Premiership, winless in more than two months.

Fast forward to Matchday 34 and United now sit five points clear of automatic relegation, a position that even the most optimistic of Arabs would have struggled to envisage a few weeks prior.

"If you’d have offered me this position prior to the Hibs game a few weeks ago when we were five points adrift at the bottom of the table, and you were to tell me it would be in our own hands going into the post-split fixtures, I’d have snapped the hand off you to be honest.

"It is in our hands - It’s as simple as that. But every manager in the bottom half of the table will be saying the same thing. We’ll treat every game on its own merits.

"We need to maintain the hard work that has got us here - that’s all it has been. It hasn’t been a case of me coming in and re-inventing the wheel. We’ve put down some key principles which we want to believe in and be recognised for as a team."

He insisted he will not allow the players to rest on their laurels, considering the unpredictable nature of Scottish football. The race to beat the drop could well rumble on until the final day, when United travel to Fir Park for the second time in as many months.

"We can't get carried away with all the hype. Whatever has been said in the press or on social media by our fans getting excited, we can’t get dragged into that. 

"We had a really positive meeting on Monday to remind ourselves of what the objectives and what our principles are. We need to realise the situation we remain in, despite the run we have been on. 

"There’s still a hell of a lot of work to be done, we haven’t achieved anything yet. The message from myself to the players is ‘don’t drop your standards.’

'Extremely Excited'

United clash with St Johnstone in the first of five post-split fixtures. The Perth outfit have severely struggled since the turn of the year, ultimately dismissing Callum Davidson following a dismal 2-0 defeat to Livingston.

2014 Scottish Cup winner Steven MacLean is in the hot seat temporarily and stopped the rot by battling to a point against Hibernian on Matchday 33.

"We’re all extremely excited for the five games coming up, starting on Saturday at McDiarmid.

"I watched Steven’s first game against Hibs and I thought they were very good. I would imagine he’ll stick with the same system, and with regards to personnel, you’re never too sure until you get the team lines in. 

"I think he would’ve been happy with the break which bought him more time to work with the players, allowing him to get his message across to what he’s looking for.

"He’s a familiar voice in the dressing room, he knows thew players inside out and he knows what the club means to the supporters."

'St Johnstone Are Our Next Target'

When the sides last met, a late victory for St Johnstone saw them open up a ten-point gap on the Terrors. However, a victory for the visitors on tomorrow afternoon would see us leapfrog our opponents into ninth place. 

We go into the match undefeated in almost eight years at McDiarmid Park.

"St Johnstone are our next target. If we win we go above them and that’s a huge incentive to the group - that’s got to be the motivation. Since I’ve come in, our opposition have realised that they’ve been in a game and not had it easy. That needs to remain the case over the next five games.

"They’ve been on a difficult run themselves so we have to keep the pressure on them - we’re looking up the way now. Perhaps a few weeks ago, they thought they were safe and out of the mix for relegation but now they’ve been dragged into it.

"We need to give St Johnstone the respect they deserve - they’re at home and have players in the forward area who can hurt you. But at the same time, we have great confidence within the group that we can go anywhere and pick up a result."

"I hope we can set the tone early on the same way we did against Livingston by getting after them, getting in their faces and making life difficult for them."

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