No rush to sell Boyce

United keeper reckons fatigue won’t affect side

“Over two legs, the important thing in the first game is making sure you are still in with a chance come the second one. That’s where Rangers failed against Motherwell.”

And while he’s already admitted second spot is where United want to be, in some ways finishing third would make what lies ahead simpler.

“Going back to Rangers two years ago, we finished third and went straight into a play-off against Queen of the South. Then we faced Hibs, who’d had 10 days off because they finished second.

“After we beat them, I wondered if that break had been a good thing for them. For the manager of the secondplaced team he’s left having to decide whether to keep his players working during their break or give them time off. What works, he’s only going to know when the game comes round.”

Bell even believes Morton, already confirmed in fourth place, could suffer because they’ve known for some time that’s where they would be.

“They rested players last week and will probably do the same against us tomorrow. That’s an unusual situation for them to be in. It’s the right thing to try because they know they’re not going to go higher but it won’t be something they’re used to.”

What encourages the man who’s arguably been United’s most consistent player is the momentum his team have been building.

“We should have won a few more games than we have but we’ve been unbeaten for a while now and, if we keep that going, it’s in our favour.” ROSS County manager Jim McIntyre has stressed they are not l ooking t o sell in-form striker Liam Boyce this summer.

Boyce took his tally for the season to 21 when he hit all four goals in County’s Highland derby victory over Inverness last Friday.

The 26-year-old has another season left on his contract but his Northern Ireland manager, Michael O’Neill, this week stated there had been a “huge amount of interest in him in Scotland and in England”.

McIntyre said ahead of t o m o r r o w ’s visit to Motherwell: “It’s his job to score goals and when you score lots of goals teams may show an interest in you. That’s part and parcel of football.

Liam Boyce “We’re not l ooking to move Liam on. We are delighted with what he is doing here and we want him to stay as long as he possibly can. “Liam has been fantastic this season and he will be the first t o salute his team-mates as well.”