REYNOLDS REVELS IN SINKING HIS HOMETOWN CLUB
MARK REYNOLDS earned Dundee United their first win back in the Premiership with his first goal for almost three years — and cursed his luck he couldn’t rub it in to his old pals from Motherwell who always give him hell on his home patch.
The United captain, born and bred in the old Lanarkshire steel town and a product of the Fir Park academy, ghosted in at the back post to net the winner early in the second half and instinctively turned towards the fan section where his friends still sit to this day to be met with empty seats.
That still didn’t spoil the joy of his first strike since scoring for Aberdeen in a 2-1 win over Ross County in August 2017 and keeping his current side ticking over nicely following an openingday draw with St Johnstone.
‘I’m Motherwell through and through, born and bred in the town, but it’s nice to come back and score,’ smiled Reynolds.
‘It’s just nobody was here to see it!
‘I’ll need to tell everyone to stop coming to games because I obviously don’t score under pressure. My pals all sit in the “Motherwell Bois” section and give me dog’s abuse.
‘It was actually disappointing because I’d have gone over to celebrate in front of them because they give me absolute pelters.
‘I’m sure I’ll have a few texts but it’s all friendly banter.’
United manager Micky Mellon was pleased with his side’s display — particularly a more adventurous second-half performance — and admits adjusting to Premiership life for them is all about not fearing the top-tier opposition.
‘I have managed teams that have come up levels and some of the traits that you see are not unusual,’ he quipped. ‘They think the monster in the wardrobe is bigger than it actually is when you open it.
‘You maybe saw a wee bit of that, but they grow in confidence as they go along and realise: “Well, it’s not really that frightening, is it?”
‘I thought we were very, very good against a good Motherwell team and answered all the questions asked of us.’
Star striker Lawrence Shankland missed out yesterday, but Mellon insists he will be fit for Tuesday’s visit of high-flying Hibernian.
‘He has a bit of a recurring ankle problem, but he should be okay for Tuesday night,’ he said.