THERE is nothing wrong with ambition, but in Sean Dillon's eyes, it is better to be understated.
The Dundee United captain almost burst into laughter on Monday night after securing three vital points at Hamilton Accies, when told that his goalkeeper, Radoslaw Cierzniak, had a more lofty 'treble' in mind.
Cierzniak insisted before the game at New Douglas Park that Jackie McNamara's team could complete a domestic clean sweep of silverware, never mind the Holy Grail of winning the Scottish Premiership to become champions for the first time since 1983.
Polish optimism was doused by some Irish realism from Dillon, as he weighed up Cierzniak's belief but then admitted his own preference is for Dundee United to fly "under the radar" in any title attempt, with Aberdeen soaking up the interest about any potential threat to Celtic.
"Did he say that? Hey listen, good luck to him if that's what he thinks," said Dillon, whose match-winning 77th-minute header restored Dundee United to third place. "I am not going to go down that road. It is one game at a time. We are still in everything, so I suppose Rado has a point.
"He is a confident character and a great lad. I've got a lot of time for him. Don't get me wrong, we should be confident, and I am not saying there is no chance of it happening, but there are a few teams out there who could probably say the same thing. I am not really looking that far ahead, to be honest."
Asked if it suited Dundee United to have their 'New Firm' rivals getting all the public scrutiny, Dillon replied: "We had it before when we went on a good run last season and Aberdeen didn't get as much publicity. They have had eight clean sheets in their last eight games which they have won. That is brilliant.
"They deserve all the credit they are getting and good luck to them, but we just need to keep our heads down. I am not knocking what Rado said but I don't normally look too far ahead and it is all about the next game. We want to push on now."
Dillon can remember all the hype surrounding Tannadice a year ago, when the outside world simply wanted to talk about 'Baby Messi' (Ryan Gauld) or Andrew Robertson. Those precocious teenagers were sold for a total of £5.8million to Sporting Lisbon and Hull City, respectively, and it seems only a matter of time until Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven move, too.
The midfield pair kept their suitors impressed by both scoring at New Douglas Park, but it was Dillon who was required to come up with the decisive goal after United had squandered a 2-0 lead. As befits Dillon's low-key way of life, few are aware that his contract also expires in June, just like Mackay-Steven.
"We have a lot of talented players and a lot of them get talked about," said the 31-year-old. "It is great for them, great for the club and
great for the manager. Personally, I don't take any interest in the rumours (about Armstrong or Mackay-Steven moving). The lads definitely
deserve the credit and to be spoken about like that because they are special players.
"My contract? I don't want people thinking I'm working harder because I am out of contract in the summer. I want to stay at the club. We have had a brief chat about it but it's all very well chatting about it. Until something is done, I am not going to go into it too much. I 'd love to stay because I am happy at the club but it isn't my decision."
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