Bell has Premier vision for United
CAMMY BELL, the former Rangers and Kilmarnock goalkeeper, wants Dundee United to plot a path straight back to the top flight by developing a cast-iron belief in the Premiership class within their ranks.
The 29-year-old helped edge the Tannadice men past Inverness Caledonian Thistle on penalties as Ray McKinnon’s new-look side showed resilience in the Highlands and remained top of Group C in the Betfred Cup.
Early-season form certainly suggests United will be more than capable of challenging likely rivals Hibernian for the Championship crown, but Bell reckons belief is the key factor.
After saving shoot-out kicks from Greg Tansey and Ross Draper to grasp a valuable bonus point after the 1-1 draw, he said: ‘I think we’re a Premiership squad. I wouldn’t doubt that.
‘We just need to develop that winning mentality, be strong and resolute at the back and avoid the kind of lapse we had for their goal from the long throw.
‘We are disappointed because we had worked on that and knew the threat.
‘I think we’ve got Premier ship quality players in the squad and we have to have that belief. But you can’t just think it — you have to prove it out on the pitch.
‘We’ve been working hard in training and in games. It is difficult with this tournament being early, but we need to prepare ourselves for the league campaign, so we’re taking the group games very seriously.
‘It’s a balance between trying to play our strongest team, but also getting guys game-time.
‘We’re using this as a tool to be ready for the Championship because we know how difficult it will be.’
Having also triumphed in a shoot-out against Arbroath, Bell is clearly revelling in the new format of the League Cup.
He admitted: ‘The structure of it is exciting for the fans. Everyone wants a game to finish with one team winning and one losing.
‘It keeps everyone interested, right to the end, plus it keeps teams going right to the end. They want to win because they know there are penalties coming.
‘Obviously, it has been good for me as the goalkeeper. I’ve had a bit of success in two games so far.
‘Every penalty save is a good save because I think you should always score a penalty — it’s not far out and the goals are very big!
‘But, don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of pressure. It was pleasing for me to get the saves. The first one took a strong hand to get it around the post.’
On a warm day in Inverness, there was also plenty to enthuse the home support.
Richie Foran’s imprint on the top-flight team’s style of play was immediately apparent as the hosts fizzed the ball about at a higher tempo than fans were accustomed to under John Hughes.
It was a very decent contest, with United also impressing in possession but failing to make any real inroads through a defence bolstered by the calm presence of former Scotland international Kevin McNaughton alongside Gary Warren at centre-half.
After early close calls for Caley Thistle, Scott Boden made the deserved breakthrough after 35 minutes.
A long throw from Carl Tremarco had Warren flicking the ball on with his head and there, a few yards out, was Boden to nod across the line. Young Cameron Mackay, in the home goal, had been without a save to make in the first half but, with the hosts caught cold, he was picking the ball out of his net 32 seconds after the restart. United’s rapid attack ended with striker Simon Murray feeding the ball across to Stewart Murdoch at the edge of the box. The summer signing from Ross County executed a lovely, curled first-time finish. From Liam Polworth’s measured pass, Boden then sliced wide from inside the right of the penalty area. Moments later, again from Polworth’s supply, Boden’s acrobatic volley was clutched by Bell in the visitor’s goal. The winner eluded Foran’s men, and saved penalty-kicks from Draper and Tansey assured United of a triumph which sees them remain top of the pile in Group C ahead of Dunfermline.
“We will prove that our squad should be in the top flight”