Boss backs striker to be bang on target

Dundee United striker Pavol Safranko will be right on target now that he is getting extra ammunition.

That is the view of manager Robbie Neilson, who is backing the Slovakian striker to finish the season with a bang.

His record so far is not exactly shabby – 11 goals in all competitions for the Tannadice side – but it could get even better during the run-in.

Safranko will lead the line again for the Tangerines when they face Falkirk on Saturday and he will get by with a little help from his friends, especially Nicky Clark.

Neilson said: “I think we are getting deliveries into Pavol now and that is making all the difference.

“The balls in are better and the link-up play is better.

“Nicky has also made a difference to him because he is very clever with his movement.

“Previously, we were playing with guys who are more inclined to run in behind and central midfielders who were happy to sit there.

“Pavol was isolated a lot so was dropping deep and doing a lot of running himself.

“But now Nicky is that link between the two and that has helped.

“Pavol is a young guy who has scored a lot of goals for us but you can’t expect that to happen every week.

“He is new to Scottish football and it takes time to adjust properly but I have seen a fair bit of improvement in him.

“He has definitely come on as a player. “We have been doing a lot of work with the whole team – not just Pavol – on linking things up.

“I think getting more players around him and getting closer to him has helped.”