Dundee United

BBC Scotland's Tyrone Smith

Dundee United "have done nothing yet" after moving four points clear of bottom place in the Scottish Premiership, says Steven Fletcher.

Fletcher scored United's second in Saturday's 2-0 win over Livingston and the Tangerines and Kilmarnock go into the post-split fixtures two points below St Johnstone and four points better off than Ross County.

"Not at all, the manager said that, we have done nothing yet," said Fletcher, 36. "We have got a big task ahead of us and we know that and we will keep taking each game as it comes."

Jim Goodwin took over as manager in March and has won three and drawn two of his seven games in charge, including winning his past three matches.

"You have seen the lift the place has had since the manager came in, it has been great, the players and the fans, we just want to keep that run going," added Fletcher.

"Sometimes it is just a different voice and the manager has brought that and he has brought some enthusiasm, which has been great for us.

"You have heard it from a few players now, the training is intense, you can see that we keep going all the way to the end and it is good."

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin told Sportsound: "I'm very pleased. It's the first time in a long time that we've had three wins back-to-back in the league.

"Sometimes managers get plaudits for tactics or different parts of the game. There was nothing to do with me out there in terms of tactics or systems. It was all down to the players and the characteristics they showed.

"A really gritty, determined, fully-committed performance. They were defending the box as if their lives' depended on it. All of the characteristics that as a manager, you want from your team.

"As a supporter as well, you want a team full of passion and desire that shows 100% effort. The players left absolutely nothing out there.

"Jamie McGrath scored a brilliant goal - something I've been criticising him for a lot. He needs to score more from open play. Today, he fully deserved that.

"The most pleasing thing for me was the willingness to keep the clean sheet. You've got to go back to the beginning of January for our last clean sheet. I'm over the moon for them."

How are you feeling after that, United fans? Feeling safe yet?

What do you make of Jim Goodwin now, and how important has Steven Fletcher been?

Send us your thoughts here.

Andrew Petrie, BBC Sport Scotland

The appointment of former Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin looks increasingly shrewd, with three United wins a row for the first time since November 2021.

They are gathering confidence and momentum at the perfect time and, although they didn't blow Livingston away, they showed far more desire than their visitors.

Players are finding form at the right time - Fletcher, Niskanen, Behich, Sibbald. All were instrumental today.

They must continue with that level of commitment and energy if they are to stay safe - as Kilmarnock look to be showing signs of life, too.

However, the same cannot be said of Ross County or St Johnstone.

Livingston: George, Devlin, Fitzwater, Boyes, Montano, Holt, Shinnie, St Kelly, Bradley, Nouble, Anderson.

Substitutes: Hamilton, Brandon, de Lucas, Parkes, Se Kelly, Penrice, Pittman, Bahamboula, Guthrie.

Dundee United: Birighitti, Freeman, McMann, Mulgrew, Ayina, Behich, Niskanen, Sibbald, Harkes, McGrath, Fletcher.

Substitutes: Newman, Graham, Djoum, Edwards, Sadat, Fotheringham, Cudjoe, Thomson, MacLeod.

Mark Birighitti admits it was a kick in the teeth when Dundee United tried to bring in a new goalkeeper but the experienced Australian shot-stopper has used it as a motivation under new boss Jim Goodwin. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.

Image source, BBC Sport

Back-to-back wins have catapulted Dundee United from last place to 10th and Steven Fletcher has played a key role in that timely revival.

The veteran striker has earned penalties, converted by Jamie McGrath, in both matches and scored the opener against former team Hibs a fortnight ago.

Against a Livingston team in need of victory to have a chance of making the top six, Fletcher will be aiming to find the net for the third successive home match, something he hasn't done since he was at Easter Road back in 2008.

Top-six day of drama? Check. Relegation scrap intensifies? Check. Managerial debut? Check.

The final round of games before the split also features a humdinger at Pittodrie between Aberdeen and Rangers, plus Motherwell attempting to stun champions Celtic.

We've got all six games covered in the big weekend preview as pundit Stephen Craigan joins Amy Canavan and Alasdair Lamont. Listen in here.

Image source, SNS

United boss Jim Goodwin has no fresh injury concerns. Glenn Middleton (hamstring) and Dylan Levitt (knee) remain out as do Peter Pawlett (hamstring) and Liam Smith (ankle).

Livingston defender Tom Parkes is close to returning after a long-term knee injury but he is unlikely to be in the squad at Tannadice. Ayo Obileye is out for the rest of the season.

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has hailed the work done by his players in climbing off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership, but has called on them to improve further still in the final six games of the season, starting at home to Livingston on Saturday.

“I can’t emphasise enough how good the players have been to work with," he said. "They want to make amends for what has been a difficult and challenging season. There’s a lot of football still to be played - we can’t take our eye off the ball and I won’t let that happen.

“A lot of teams at this point in the season start to wind down, and the players start to have one eye on where they’re going on their summer holidays but we haven’t allowed that to filter into the group.

"We want to be going to the games after the split fitter than we were eight weeks ago, and our curve going up rather than declining, and I think we’re starting to see that.

“There’s a really good atmosphere about the place given recent results. It was important that we got that momentum and that we showed we’re able to put a run of positive results together. The important thing now is that it’s in our hands. We can’t get carried away, we can’t rest on our laurels, we have to keep working hard in training and keep our foot on the pedal.

"We’ve put ourselves in a good position, but one bad result in our favour and one good result for the teams below us can flip it all on its head again. We have to approach every game in the right manner."

Image source, SNS

Jim Goodwin has been talking to the media before Dundee United's Scottish Premiership clash with Livingston this weekend.

Here are the key lines from his press conference:

• Goodwin praised the attitude and application of the players since his arrival at the club, and stressed the importance of momentum: "We showed we’re able to put a run of positive results together."

• While succcesive wins against Hibs and Motherwell have improved the mood in camp and lifted United off the bottom of the table, he will not allow complacency to creep in: "We can’t rest on our laurels, we have to keep our foot on the pedal."

• Wants the team to improve in every game and finish the season with "our curve going up rather than declining".

• He is hoping for an "open, entertaining game" against Livi, with David Martindale's side needing a win to keep their top-six hopes alive.

Image source, SNS

The Dundee United revival under Jim Goodwin began when they last faced Livingston.

It was the Irishman's second game at the helm and United headed back to Tayside after last month's rearranged clash with a hard-earned point, halting a run of six straight league defeats.

United have kept the momentum going since to haul themselves off the bottom, with their only defeat in five coming at Ibrox.

As Goodwin's side prepare to host Livi on Saturday, relive the previous meeting below.

Image source, BBC Sport

• Dundee United have won their last two league games, as many as their previous 15 beforehand (W2 D4 L9). Not since October 2021 have the Tannadice men won three in a row.

• Livingston have lost their last four away league outings, all without scoring. They last had a longer top-flight losing run on the road within a single season in 2005-06, when they lost their last 11 away fixtures en route to relegation.

• Since their promotion to the Scottish Premiership in 2020, Dundee United have only won one of eight meetings with Livingston in the competition (D2 L5), a 3-0 victory in February 2021.

• Livingston have won three of their last four top-flight away games against Dundee United (L1), including each of their last two (both 1-0 wins).

• Steven Fletcher has scored in both of Dundee United’s last two home league games; the last player to score in three appearances in a row at home for the club was Dylan Levitt in May 2022, while Fletcher himself last did so in the Scottish top flight in February 2008 as a Hibernian player.

Manager Jim Goodwin says there is significant interest in Rory MacLeod but he wants to keep the 17-year-old forward at Dundee United. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish Gossip

Two wins on the bounce, and off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership - things are looking up for Dundee United.

Would you go with the same team that beat Motherwell against Livingston?

Put yourself in Jim Goodwin's shoes and choose your United XI here.

Tyrone Smith, BBC Sport Scotland

Jim Goodwin hasn’t just steadied the Dundee United ship, he has very much got it sailing in the right direction once again.

After losing his opening game in charge, to his old club Aberdeen, United have gone on to put together a very solid run of results.

In fact of the five games since, they have lost just one, and have been victorious in their last two outings.

And the significance of their last win, a 2-1 success at Motherwell, appears obvious, an outcome which has elevated them off the foot of the table up to 10th.

However, while the good ship United may appear to be heading towards calmer waters, no one at the club will be thinking they have left the potential storm of the relegation battle behind.

There is still plenty to do over their remaining six games - half a dozen fixtures which will ultimately determine their Premiership destiny.

And that will be the message Goodwin will be hammering home to his players – good work so far, but you have achieved nothing yet.

At least United’s fate now lies in their own hands – a situation that would have been grasped by all those associated with the club a few weeks ago, when their potential plight looked a whole lot gloomier than it does now.

Image source, BBC Sport

Paul McNicoll, Dode Fox Podcast, external

As a Dundee United fan, I have felt dirty this past weekend.

No doubt, Saturday was a great day, but Friday and Sunday were uncomfortable. What was the reason for this I hear you ask?

Well, on Friday I was the biggest Aberdeen fan in the country as the Dandy Dons travelled up to Dingwall to face Ross County. I wanted them to win. I needed them to win. By hook or by crook, it had to happen, and it did.

Then on Sunday Celtic took their multi-talented squad to the fortress that is Rugby Park for another important clash. I didn’t have to hope for too long in that one as Celtic bulldozed their way into an unassailable lead after about half an hour.

Again, as a United fan, cheering on other teams and hoping they do you a favour isn’t something that sits well with me, but here we are.

Now to Saturday, the main event for United fans. We headed en masse to Fir Park to take on a very much in-form Motherwell side. By the time we had got to half-time the home side were one goal to the good, a controversial one to boot.

After reviewing the goal, VAR official Colin Stephen had deemed that James Furlong wasn’t interfering in the play. Furlong was only doing what anyone in his position would do. He put himself in the way of defender Kieran Freeman and the ball, thus blocking him from getting to it before the excellent Kevin van Veen fired it home.

Of course though, that’s not interfering with play. At least in Stephen’s eyes. But enough about the first half, let’s get to the second 45.

The team in mint green that returned to the pitch definitely had that little something extra. If truth be told, we rode our luck at times. Some slack defending was only bailed out by excellent goalkeeping and then it was over to the happiest man at Tannadice to get himself on the scoresheet.

Ilmari Niskanen is a player that splits opinion among United fans. Even in Saturday’s game he had good and bad moments. The good, however, would most certainly outweigh the bad this time as he timed a run into the box to perfection and tucked Ian Harkes' cutback into the far bottom corner.

Immi’s celebrations also told anyone who witnessed them exactly what that meant to him. It was the same in the stand behind the goal.

After the goal, there was no thought from Jim Goodwin to hold on to what we had, he went for it. Just three minutes after the equaliser the manager withdrew a right-back and put on our young, potential star striker, Rory McLeod. It was a brave move, but it paid off.

Just a matter of minutes later Steven Fletcher would find himself going through on Liam Kelly, getting to the ball first, and then being wiped out by the goalie. As clear a penalty as you’ll ever see. Jamie McGrath proved once again that he is the coolest man in the stadium in these moments and it was 2-1.

The last act was Fletcher again going through on Kelly and again being upended. Now I don’t want to say that the two penalty incidents were identical, but they were very, very, similar.

This time, however, Fletcher would pick up a yellow for simulation. Ref Nick Walsh was quick to make his decision and once it went to VAR I don’t think there was a United fan in the stadium that believed that Stephen would ask the ref to go and have a look at it. Fortunately for United, it didn’t matter.

They saw the game out, lifted themselves from the foot of the table, and once more injected belief into Arabs everywhere that they might just survive this season.

There is now a cautious optimism and that can be attributed to the impact Goodwin has had since his arrival.

Image source, BBC Sport

We asked for your views on Dundee United 2-1 win at Motherwell, here's what you said:

Steve: I don't know where Jim went wrong at Aberdeen as manager but he seems to be getting things in order at Tannandice, just keep it going Jim, please.

Andrew: Fantastic result for the team, Jim Goodwin has turned them around. If we can continue this, we have every chance of avoiding the drop. More strange/poor refereeing decisions with a penalty and a booking for diving in very similar circumstances. Plus the strange VAR offside for Motherwell’s goal.

George: I don’t know what Jim Goodwin has found in these players but let’s hope they continue the improvement and secure our place in the top flight.

Jarrod: Credit to all. Belief and confidence sorely lacking this season, there for all to see. Another unbelievable decision from VAR at the end. Six more of those please.

John: I am a life long United supporter - 45 years. I was a season ticket holder when we won every domestic trophy and got to the European Cup semi-final and UEFA Cup Final. There seems to be a curse on the club these days. It's an annual struggle against relegation. This season is probably the worst ever, we go into every game scratching for the points.