McGRATH’S EURO PEDIGREE CAN LEAD UNITED TO DUTCH JOY
JAMIE McGRATH is hoping to lean on his previous European experience when Dundee United attempt to finish the job against AZ Alkmaar in their Conference League qualifier tomorrow night. The Tangerines travel to the Netherlands with a one-goal lead following last Thursday’s thrilling victory over the Dutch side at Tannadice. McGrath, 25, got the assist for Glenn Middleton’s winner on what was his debut for the club, having arrived on loan from Wigan Athletic last Wednesday. It was the Irishman’s 15th appearance in European competition, having previously turned out for St Patrick’s Athletic and Dundalk. The midfielder was not short of suitors before joining United, with Aberdeen also interested, but the opportunity to again test himself against foreign opposition was a key factor in him deciding to move to Tayside. The Tannadice side now face AZ in the second leg at the AFAS stadium tomorrow, with United fans snapping up all of their 1,300 ticket allocation for what is the club’s biggest European match of the 21st century. Should they get the job done, Jack Ross’s side would face either Portuguese outfit Gil Vicente or Riga, of Latvia, for a spot in the group stage of the Conference League. McGrath said: ‘These big European nights are something I missed. I had a few of them with Dundalk and, when you look back at the memorable games, those are the ones you reflect on. Last week was one of the best, result-wise and in terms of the atmosphere. But we’re only halfway there and can’t get carried away. ‘It’ll be a different challenge in the Netherlands — we know that — but we’ll take so much confidence from the game at Tannadice. I think back to Slovan Bratislava (a Europa League qualifying defeat in 2019) and beating Riga on penalties (in the first round of Champions League qualifying in 2019) — I’ll never forget the scenes out in Latvia — and I hope there’s another really big night to come. ‘The gaffer told us pre-match: if we’re on it, we’d probably get a result. We had that belief and proved that we can play and fight. We weren’t out of our depth at all.’
It was a quick turnaround for McGrath, with his arrival at United confirmed just a day before he made his debut. He was brought on as a substitute before recording his first start on Sunday against Livingston. McGrath said: ‘I only trained for the first time last Wednesday but the gaffer gave me the nod that I might be involved if everything went through on time. ‘When I got word that I might be in the squad, I was buzzing. The atmosphere was absolutely unbelievable. This tie was the main reason I wanted to get it done in good time. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and I was able to get a night I’ll remember for the rest of my career. ‘Those are the games that are so special and stay with you.’ Meanwhile, United have warned supporters that they could be arrested if
they travel to Alkmaar without a ticket. With over 2,000 Tannadice fans expected to make the journey to the Netherlands, the club last night indicated that supporters without tickets who are intent on travelling should consider Amsterdam as an alternative destination. A United statement said: ‘Supporters who do not have match tickets are advised not to travel to Alkmaar itself. ‘It is a small city with small bars not set up for football fans and laws in Netherlands mean there is a possibility that fans attending the city on matchday without a ticket will be arrested. ‘Amsterdam has a lot of large sports bars that can accommodate football fans and fans without tickets are encouraged to stay in Amsterdam where they can watch the game in a safe, welcoming environment.’