They were a lot hungrier than us, says Eckersley

Adam Eckersley slammed Saints for taking their foot off the gas following a poor display in Dundee on Saturday.

The full-back, who fired in a stunner for a late consolation in the 2-1 defeat, insisted Dundee United simply wanted the points more than the Paisley side over the course of the 90 minutes.

Managerless United were the better side throughout the Championship clash, with the Englishman’s late goal offering no excuses for the lack of fight shown by the Buddies.

Instead he admitted to being frustrated by performance after seeing Saints pegged back at the top of the table as United drew level on points at the Championship summit.

“They looked a lot more hungrier than we did”, Eckersley said. “You can’t be having that.

“You have got to come out as league leaders and be willing to put a foot in and win tackles.

“We didn’t do enough of that. It was definitely a frustrating afternoon.

“We came to Tannadice as league leaders wanting to put a marker down against a team that will be up there challenging – and we didn’t do that.

“I don’t think we were at our best. In patches, I think we did OK, but on the whole I don’t think we were great.”

Eckersley highlighted the need for top performances on a weekly basis if St Mirren are to have any chance of earning promotion back to the top flight following a three-year absence.

Having previously won the title with Hearts, he says he understands what it takes to get out of the division.

He added: “You have got to go everywhere in this league and win points.

“It is a difficult league to win – I have been here before.

“You have to go to every stadium and pick up points. You can’t just pick and choose where you are going to go and win. You need to do it every single game.”

St Mirren now face a two-week break from league action, with the upcoming international break being followed by the Scottish Cup clash away to Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale.

And Eckersley admitted that the chance to regroup may be a blessing for the Buddies.

He said: “It’s a chance to find our feet again and work on a few things.

“A few lads are having a bit of a break, because we have a few injuries, so the gap might help us.”