McDonald gets kick out of Sturrock

SCOTT McDONALD last night revealed that a pre-match pep talk from Paul Sturrock had provided him with a necessary kick up the backside.

The former Celtic striker was the scorer of a distinctly fortunate equaliser in United’s 1-1 draw with Dunfermline, a game that marked the first since Sturrock was brought back onto the club’s coaching team alongside Csaba Laszlo.

Although manager Laszlo was keen to play down Sturrock’s influence, McDonald revealed that the club’s former star player and manager had provided dressing-room advice to the players before kick-off.

None welcomed his guidance as much as the 34-year-old Australian. McDonald said: ‘He (Sturrock) was great. He came in this morning, saw the boys and gave us some information.

‘He is a well-respected and highly-regarded man. To have him here and speaking to us is a good thing. A lot of the young players won’t remember him, but I do. I had a chat with him this morning in terms of what is required of me in terms of leadership.

‘You might know it already but when someone like that tells you, it’s a kick up the a***, isn’t it?

‘You need to look to your senior players to show the right attitude and deal with the pressure.’

Although these latest dropped points saw United slip to fourth in the Championship table, McDonald insists second-placed Livingston remain a realistic target with United having two games in hand.

‘We definitely believe we can still get second. That has to be the goal.

‘The good thing is we play again Tuesday, so we have a chance to make up ground.’

McDonald also spared a word for the Tannadice support.

He added: ‘You have to give the crowd some credit for sticking by us. We are just making stupid mistakes and being punished for it.

‘They are staying with us and we appreciate it.’