ONE BUTCHERING IS ENOUGH
Calum: Trip to Tannadice is final for foes so Ayr flop can’t happen again
CALUM BUTCHER wants Dundee United to prove their Ayr agony was nothing more than a minor blip by bouncing straight back today.
The Championship leaders hit a bump in the title race as they dropped points for the first time in the league against the Honest Men last weekend.
Butcher knows every one of their rivals will raise their game because playing United is like a cup final – but he’s determined to get back on track against promoted Arbroath today.
He said: “The first four results delighted us but in this league you are always going to hit bumps.
“Ayr are a good side and a lot of teams will struggle down there over the course of the season.
“There is no need for doom and gloom, it’s still positive here and it’s a reminder of what can happen in this league.
“We have to turn up every week and make sure we’re at it, otherwise we’ll fall short.
“A lot of teams will come to Tannadice like it’s a cup final for them – they want to beat United. So that is something we have to learn to cope with.”
United don’t need any warning about the threat of the Red Lichties after they knocked them out of the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Cup on penalties at Tannadice.
Butcher said: “Arbroath have been used to winning games most weeks for the last few seasons and you can see that confidence.
“They have a winning mentality. They have some really good players and in the cup they beat us on penalties. Arbroath have a way of playing, they are good at it and we have nothing but respect for them.”
Arbroath striker Greig Spence has warned his team to be wary of a backlash from United.
And the ex-Celtic youngster also believes their earlier win at Tannadice will have little significance this time around as they look to move within a point of the table-toppers today.
He said: “Any team that is coming off the back of a defeat will be trying to avenge that. They will expect to beat us and we need to prepare for a tough 90 minutes.
“It will be a totally different game. There were so many changes from both teams in the cup game. There will be a bigger incentive.
“We are just trying to get to the target of points we have been set for the season – and for the first quarter we are well on target for the tally to keep us in the league.
“It is a tight league and any team can beat anybody else, maybe with the exception of United. We go in as underdogs and will work as hard as we can to pick up points.”
Gavin Swankie misses out while the showdown also comes too early for Scott Stewart.