Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
No Champagne but Siegrist sets
UNTIL he’s got both hands on t he C h a mpion sh ip trophy, the Champagne will be remaining on ice for Dundee United goalkeeper Benjamin Siegrist.
Clutching his Man-of-the-Match bottle of bubbly from Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Partick Thistle, Swiss stopper Siegrist admits he is expecting a title party on May 2 when Ayr call in on the last day of the season.
At a loss as to what to do with his prize until then – the 28-year-old isn’t much of a drinker – he insists he will find a safe place for it as United’s focus turns to a trip to Morton on Saturday.
It has been a frustrating period for both fans and those inside the club – the Terrors have only won once in the last nine games – but the big goalie is keen to temper those worries with a stark reminder they are exactly where they want to be, 17 points clear at the top.
“There were some boos after the game and, understandably, they want us to win,” Siegrist said candidly.
“The fans should remember that we’re the ultimate competitors and we want to win as well.
“We don’t take anything for granted and we appreciate their support. Particularly at Dunfermline, it was amazing.
“There have been great turnouts for us this season but we can’t win every game.
“It’s not for a lack of trying, our mentality is right, we’re just frustrated when we don’t win.
“That’s how far this club has come. I’ve been part of it for two years now and we just need to remember.
“Over the last four years, if you’d told any fan they’d be 17 points clear with eight games left to go they’d have been over the moon. “It’s a reality for us now.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll come down to Morton this weekend and we’ll give it everything we’ve got.
“They need to keep up the good support because we will keep going until May 2 – we can all have a good time and we will be United, literally.”
On their divide with the bottomof-the-table Jags, Siegrist added: “I can understand the frustration at times but it’s not easy to play football here.
“Looking at the pitch conditions, it reminds me a bit of beach soccer at times, because it’s so bad.
“We don’t get many beaches in Switzerland but it’s something I’ve played before.
“It’s difficult to break down other teams because, first of all, whatever team we play it’s like a cup final. That’s no disrespect to them. Then you have a team like Partick who are fighting for their survival.