LIAM Smith has insisted Dundee United won’t allow their standards to drop in the remaining games of the season even though their hopes of clinching a top six Premiership place ended on Sunday.
Smith and his team mates are unable to overtake St Mirren in the table even if they win their final match before the split against Aberdeen at Tannadice on Saturday week despite holding defending champions Celtic to a 0-0 draw at home on Sunday.
However, the right back is determined for the Tayside club, who won promotion to the top flight last season, to lay a solid foundation for the 2021/22 campaign by finishing as high up the league as possible.
And he is also keen for them to go on an extended run in the Scottish Cup – and feels the Betfred Cup victory their near neighbours St Johnstone enjoyed last month shows what they can achieve in that competition.
“We are probably disappointed that we have just missed out (on the top six),” said Smith. “When we look back, there were probably games along the way that we should have taken more points from or done better in.
“We gave ourselves a lot to do going into the last four fixtures when we had to play both the Old Firm clubs. But I think we can be happy with where we are and the progress we have made throughout the season. If we finish the season strongly we can build on it and take it into next year.
“Other teams that have come up and consolidated get a lot of credit for it. The history of this club and the expectation here, it is more about where the club want to get to eventually. But I think first season in we can reasonably pleased with how we have done.
“We have missed out on the top six. As the season has gone on, that was our goal. But it’s important we don’t let it drop. We have to finish strongly and take it into next year and give ourselves a platform.
“I think we have done reasonably well against the teams in the bottom six. We will be looking to win every game coming up, finish strongly and finish seventh. Then we can build on that going forward.”
United are scheduled to play either Partick Thistle or Cowdenbeath at Tannadice in the third round of the Scottish Cup next month and Smith is optimistic they can win that tie and progress to the latter stages of the competition.
“We were disappointed in the Betfred going out in the group stages,” he said. “That was a black mark on the season overall. If we can go on a run in the other cup it will be good. We will be looking to do that.
“St Johnstone were in our group in the Betfred. We can look at what might have been. It is definitely something we can take inspiration from. Hopefully we can go on a good run.”
Smith reckons not having any United supporters inside Tannadice has hindered Micky Mellon’s team this season and is hoping that coronavirus social distancing restrictions will be relaxed in the coming months and they can open their turnstiles again next term.
“At Tannadice fans come in good numbers and make a lot of noise,” he said. “Any club with fans like that will miss the atmosphere. When we are on top, like we were towards the end of the Celtic game on Sunday, you have noise behind you and it pushes you on. You definitely miss it. Hopefully we can get fans back in sooner rather than later.
“On Sunday, Celtic would have brought a good support if fans had been allowed in. Other teams, Rangers especially, would have bought a great support and it would have made for great atmospheres inside the stadium. As I say, hopefully next season we can get a taste of that.”
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