DOC’S ORDERS
Ross: Play off woe a gutter... we HAVE to win title
ROSS DOCHERTY is determined to take the direct route to promotion this season as he admits only a title triumph will be good enough for Dundee United.
The midfielder returned from injury to help the Terrors fight back against his former club Partick Thistle to earn a draw, edging them a point ahead of Raith at the summit.
Docherty suffered the agony of missing out in the most dramatic fashion in last season’s play-off final with the Jags when they lost on penalties to Ross County.
And he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance this time around as United target a return to the top flight first time around.
Docherty, 31, said: “Last season was gutting for me in the play-offs with Thistle but our aim at United is to win the league.
“We’re not going to butter it up – we have to win the title. That’s always been the case and I’m not going to hide from that.”
Docherty was frustrated United could not take full advantage of Rovers’ shock defeat at Arbroath on Friday night.
They had to settle for a point as Brian Graham’s second- minute opener for Thistle was eventually cancelled out by Louis Moult midway through the second half.
He said: “We killed ourselves with our start to the game. If we want to win the league, we can’t start games like that.
“But the character we showed in the second half was brilliant. We’ve done that a fair few times throughout the season. It’s about starting games better. We know we’ve got to be better and give ourselves a chance to win.
“We should have maybe scored in the second half towards the end but we can’t give ourselves a mountain to climb like that.
“In hindsight, looking at the bigger picture, we gained a point on Raith Rovers who are second.
“It could be a lot worse, especially the way we played in the first half. Some choice words were said in the dressing room.
“We were frustrated, hugely frustrated, but know it could still be a huge point at the end of the season. Hopefully that’s the case.”
Jags’ winless run was extended to six games but they remain in third and on course for another crack at promotion via the playoffs. Kris Doolan’s side were much improved defensively, rewarded for his decision to move Lewis Neilson into midfield and have Wasiri Williams partner Aaron Muirhead in central defence.
And there was an impressive return in goal for David Mitchell who made his first appearance since his injury in the League Cup tie against Hearts in August.
Mitchell, who had to wait patiently to reclaim the No.1 position held by Jamie Sneddon and recruit Ross Stewart, was disappointed not to mark his comeback with a victory.
But he added:“The work rate from the boys was incredible.
“We need to keep that going and we’ll be fine. We’ve got some big games before the end of the season, so bring it on.”