Armstrong has many positives to look back on

DUNDEE UNITED’S Stuart Armstrong will not let a calamitous end to his season spoil an otherwise positive campaign.

The 22-year- old midfielder took his game up another notch with the Tannadice side and 11 goals underpinned his nomination for the PFA Scotland young player of the year award.

However, the Scotland Under-21 skipper was still smarting from United’s 2-0 William Hill Scottish Cup final defeat by St Johnstone at Celtic Park earlier in the month when further distress came in the shape of a 6-1 hammering by the Netherlands Under21s at St Mirren Park on Wednesday night.

The defeat effectively ended any hopes of qualifying for next year’s European Championship finals, but Armstrong will not allow any negatives to linger as he begins a wellearned summer break.

“Obviously it is disappointing to end the season on such a low but that’s football and there are lots of ups and downs,” he said.

“A couple of games doesn’t make a season so overall I am very pleased with my contribution.

“It has been a tough season certainly, I have played a lot of games but overall I look back on the season and I’m pleased with how I did.

“I scored more goals which I wanted to do.

“Next season? Keep adding goals to my game, try to beat this season’s tally and then try to get to a cup final again.”

However, it may take Armstrong, like the rest of Billy Stark’s youngsters, more than a few weeks to get over their crushing defeat by the Dutch.

Stark accurately described the Netherlands as “bigger, quicker, stronger” before he even touched on the gulf in talent between the two sides.

The Scots, who had to win their final three fixtures to give them a chance of qualifying, started brightly enough but found themselves 3-0 down at the break thanks to a hat-trick of impressive finishes by FC Twente winger Quincy Promes.

Manchester City defender Karim Rekik — who spent last season on loan at PSV — made it 4-0 early in the secondhalf and a quick-fire brace from substitute Hakim Ziyech made it six before Stevie May scored a late consolation.

Scotland remain in fourth place in Group Three, six points behind the Dutch, who also beat Stark’s side 4-0 when they played in September, and Slovakia.

The Scots could still make second place but with a points tally unlikely to give them a play-off place as one of the four best runners-up.

Picture: SNS Group. Scotland’s Ryan Gauld under pressure from Nikola Vujnovic during last night’s Uefa U19 Championship clash with Montenegro at Banks’s Stadium, Walsall. The young Scots lost 1-0.