United’s strike force aims to increase gap
Lawrence Shankland’s goals have been vital for Dundee United.
But Nicky Clark insists he can shoulder Shanks’ main man mantle when he joins up with the Scotland squad.
The United strike duo were both on target in Friday’s night’s huge Dundee derby victory at Dens Park.
For Shankland, a 19th goal of the season was the reward for yet another dominant performance.
But after an injury-hit start to the season, Clark notched his third strike in four games.
And with Shanks set to join up with the national team this week, his strike partner reckons his own form is peaking at just the right time.
“I’ve shown I can score goals in the last few weeks,” said Clark.
“I picked up an injury a few weeks into the season which knocked me back a bit but I’ve worked hard, got myself back in the team and managed to score a few goals recently.
“I’m delighted with that.
“As a striker you want to score as many as possible and I’ve got a few the last few weeks, but we’ve got goals throughout the team too.
“There’s Louis Appere on one side, Paul Mcmullan on the other and Ian Harkes and Callum Butcher can get goals.
“It’s important that we keep getting goals from everywhere because we can’t keep relying on Shanks on the occasions when he’s away with the national team.
“Shanks has been a different class. His record is incredible and being in the Scotland squad is fully deserved.
“He did great when he was with them last time and hopefully he does well again this week but we’ve got Queen of the South to look forward to now.” After the shock 4-0 thumping Queens dished out to United the last time the teams met, Clark revealed the Tangerines will be out for revenge this coming Saturday.
“We were really disappointed that day. We never turned up at all,” he said.
“Sometimes it happens, but at a club this size it shouldn’t happen like that, so we’ve got a point to prove next weekend.
“Hopefully we’ll get good backing after the derby win and hopefully we can put on a good show for them and get the three points.”
United fans ought to have taken plenty of encouragement from their side’s showing at Dens Park.
They were superior to Dundee in every department – and, in being so, Clark reckons the Tangerines answered questions over their stomach for battle.
“We showed different sides to our game,” said the United man.
“We got questions asked of us after the away games we lost against Queens, Ayr and Alloa, and rightly so because we didn’t perform at all.
“But in the Inverness game last week, then Dundee, I think we showed we can battle, we can go to away grounds and compete.”
Meanwhile, Jordon Forster slammed Dundee’s gutless derby showing.
The former Hibs defender was raging over the way the Dark Blues folded after falling behind to their city rivals. They now find themselves nine points adrift of United.
But Forster called on his teammates to give everything they have to close the gap.
He said: “I can’t speak on behalf of the boys but me, for one, I’m devastated and annoyed.
“It’s rubbish. It’s not good enough. “I’m not going to talk too much about what happened in the dressing-room after the game.
“Listen, you could imagine…we got beat 2-0.
“We’re all men in there. Some words were said, the same that happens after every defeat.
“But it’s down to us as players to get back out onto the training pitch and work hard and try to claw back the gap that’s appeared again.
“We’ve kind of done it previously so we’re going to have to go and do it again.
“Personally, it’s just so disappointing to get beaten so easily in a derby.
“For me, it’s not what I’m about personally.
“I’m not wanting to be in a team that gets beat like that.
“It’s not for me to speak on behalf of everyone else and talk about people’s belief, fight or passion or whatever you want to call it.
“I will never question anyone’s desire to be a football player or win games.
“But, in my eyes, we got beat far too easily.
“It’s certainly not good enough and something I won’t accept and the boys shouldn’t accept either.”