Smith still confident United can stop rot and win promotion

Young striker left devastated by Livi winner but remains positive that Tangerines can pick themselves up off floor

Dundee United’s winter of discontent continued with a devastating defeat to Livingston and now they have to pick themselves up off the floor to face Queen of the South.

The Tangerines were left reeling after a last-minute winner for Livi at the Tony Macaroni Arena on Friday night supplied the latest in a long line of miserable results.

They host the Dumfries men at Tannadice tomorrow night and it is absolutely essential that they stop the rot.

It wasn’t too long ago that they were favourites to lift the Championship title.

Indeed, as they travelled through to Paisley on December 29 to face St Mirren, the United players knew that victory that night would see them go a point clear of the Buddies at the top of the table with a game in hand.

They were even handed a golden chance to take the lead in that match, only for Paul McMullan to miss a penalty before Lewis Morgan scored a double for the home side.

Fast forward a couple of months and United now find themselves languishing in fourth spot in the table and an incredible 17 points behind the leagueleading Saints.

They have won only one of their last six league games – against bottom team Brechin City – and have also been knocked out of the William Hill Scottish Cup by Aberdeen.

So the flag won’t be flying at Tannadice and their winter of woe even robbed 20-year-old Matty Smith of the joy of scoring his first league goal for the Tannadice club on Friday.

His excellent equaliser looked to have tipped the balance in the visitors’ favour but up popped Ryan Hardie to slam home a 91st-minute winner to make it 2-1 to Livi.

Smith said: “I was absolutely devastated and the whole team were too.

“It kind of takes away from what was my first league goal for United. “These things happen, don’t they? “We were trying to press and looked like scoring a second but then there was the long ball and we lost that goal.

“We were throwing boys forward and it did look like we were going to win it.

“This result was really gutting and stuff is not really going our way.

“But we are still positive and, going forward, we still think we can get promoted.

“I think we should look at ourselves just now, not the league table.

“We have to be confident in the way we play.”

Smith revealed he was right in line with the 90th-minute shot fired in by Stewart Murdoch that came close to sealing the points for the Tangerines, only for Hardie to go up the other end and break their hearts.

Smith said: “I was standing behind Murdo’s shot and thought it was going in the bottom corner.

“I didn’t think the keeper was going to save it but he did and then they got that goal.

“We went for it but it didn’t happen for us.”

Ithinkwe should look at ourselves just now, not the league table. MATTY SMITH

Picture: SNS Group. Stewart Murdoch congratulates Matty Smith on his frst league goal for United.