Dundee United

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• United have won their past three games in the Premiership, their last joint longest winning streak was from 26 December 2024 to 2 January 2025.

• United have scored in their past seven games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 7 games from 30 October 2024 to 14 December 2024.

• United have kept a clean sheet in each of their past three games in the Premiership, a run of 304 minutes without conceding a goal.

• St. Johnstone attempted 17 crosses in this match, higher than their season average of 16.7 in the Premiership.

Dundee United edged out St Johnstone to strengthen their bid for European football as they moved level on points with third-placed Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.

Defender Emmanuel Adegboyega profited from some slack set-piece defending to tap in what proved to be the winner in the first half.

What did you make of that United fans? A deserved victory?

Where was the game won? And who impressed you most?

Let us know your thoughts.

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin tells BBC Scotland: "It pretty much panned out how we thought it would prior to kick off.

"We spoke about trying to press high up the pitch and be aggressive and I think we forced them to go longer than they would have liked a lot of the time.

"There are things we could do better, we could be better on the ball and in possession, we didn't really create enough clear cut chances from open play.

"Our defensive record this season has been really good and the last three weeks in particular, three back-to-back clean sheets.

"Of course we'd like to score more goals and make it a little bit more comfortable than what it has been but the group has shown great resilience. In the dying moments St Johnstone threw everything at it and we got some great blocks in.

"The objectives have changed as the season has gone along. There's no easy games in the top half of the table but we want to push Hibs and Aberdeen as much as we can for the top four places and maybe with an eye on third as well."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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On current form, United are more than worthy of their place at the top end of the table.

The players are showing a confidence that has been evident for the vast majority of the season and it's clear to see the fans, who are turning up in great numbers, are enjoying the work ethic and quality on show.

The only worry is that Sam Dalby, United's top scorer this season, went off injured in the second half. He will be a huge loss if he misses any of the remaining games.

The emergence of Sam Cleall-Harding has soothed injury worries in defence and the 19-year-old looked solid in just his second outing.

The final five games will ultimately decide if Europe awaits for United but, regardless, this season is one to remember for the Tannadice club.

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Ross Docherty. Won more fouls and duels than anyone else on the pitch. Covered the midfield completely with Luca Stephenson.

It's a shame he's not been able to stay fit this season but United have managed well in his absence.

On-loan Norwich City defender Emmanuel Adegboyega, 21, would be open to another spell at Dundee United. (Record), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Dundee United pair Ross Graham and Vicko Sevelj remain doubts after missing the victory over Hearts.

St Johnstone are without Drey Wright after the versatile midfielder suffered ankle ligament damage. Uche Ikpeazu has done some training with the ball, while long-term absentees Bozo Mikulic (knee) and Sam McClelland (Achilles) remain out.

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Jim Goodwin believes his Dundee United side have "exceeded all expectations" this season as they secured their top-six finish with a game to spare.

United, only promoted back to the Premiership at the start of the season, mathematically sealed their fate with a win over Hearts and are now just three points behind third-placed Hibs.

"The objectives have changed as the season's went on," Goodwin said. "Pre-season, it was about getting enough points to stay in the league.

"Having been in the top six all season pretty much, it was about 'can we achieve that target of top six?' and now that we're there, sitting fifth in the table, not a million miles off third place, we have to keep pushing."

The win over the Jambos at Tynecastle also pushed them eight points clear of sixth-place, meaning a top-five finish is almost a certainty.

"We have to keep believing and that will be the objective between now and the end of the season but I don't want to put too much pressure on the group.

"I don't want to make it look like a failure if we don't get there because I think what the group have done up to now is remarkable.

"We've exceeded all expectations, we've punched well above our weight and we've shown what togetherness, character and a good positive culture can do and we want to build on that."

Goodwin's side can strengthen their European ambitions with a win over St Johnstone on Saturday, although he is wary of the threat of the league's bottom side who beat Celtic last weekend.

"It's definitely not going to be easy," he added. "The past couple of fixtures that we've had against St Johnstone certainly haven't been a walk in the park for us, albeit we've picked up a couple of good positive results.

"I have to take my hat off to [Simo] Valakari, I love the way he has his team playing, it's quite a refreshing way to see the game being played.

"Real bravery in the back areas to try and play away through trouble, defensively they seem to have a better shape about them, they look a lot more organised."

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Jack Walton says Dundee United will "put all the energy and effort" into trying to "achieve something amazing" as the club targets a European place this season.

The keeper, who is in his second spell at Tanadice on loan from Luton, also says he had to prove himself upon his return to Dundee United but reckons he can be pleased with his individual performance this season. Walton was part of the United squad that won the Scottish Championship last season.

United sealed a top-six spot thanks to their win at Hearts last weekend and are now pushing for a third-place finish.

The 26-year-old said: "I feel like I've had another really good season myself. I did well last year, and people can say 'it's the level,' so when I came back up here, I had to prove myself again, and on the whole, I've been happy with what I've done.

"I've kept quite a few clean sheets, and my performances have been really good.

"There's a big difference – last year we were the biggest club in the league comparable to what Celtic and Rangers are in this league in terms of having to go out there and win every game and if we didn't it was deemed a failure, even sometimes a draw wasn't good enough – those are the expectations of being a massive club in the Championship.

"This season, we've come up against bigger clubs and better opposition, but we've held our own and had some really good results.

"We had the goal of trying to get in the top six and we've got that completed, but we've now a great chance to achieve something amazing. We'll put all the energy and effort in, to try and finish as high as we possibly can."

The former Barnsley goalkeeper is out of contract in the summer but is putting decisions on his future on hold.

"I just want to put all my energy into this season. It's not over, so I like to just concentrate on my football and make sure I have a good finish to the season and the rest will take care of itself after that," he said.

Celtic could still win a 13th Scottish top-flight title in 14 seasons this weekend, despite their shock defeat away to St Johnstone last Sunday.

Victory at home against Kilmarnock on Saturday would be sufficient to confirm the arithmetic should Rangers lose at Aberdeen the following day.

The Ibrox side are almost certain to clinch the second Champions League place, but four points from their final six matches would confirm it.

Whoever finishes third and fourth will also be in Europe, as will the division's fifth-placed side should the Scottish Cup winners be one of the Premiership's top four.

The fight for the final top-six place will go to the final game before the split, with one of Hearts, Motherwell or St Mirren claiming it.

Hearts visit Fir Park one point in front of their hosts and the Paisley side, who take on Ross County.

The two teams missing out could yet be sucked into a relegation battle.

Bottom side St Johnstone are now five adrift of Dundee and six behind Kilmarnock and Ross County. Motherwell and St Mirren are a further three points ahead.

With the teams all playing each other again post-split, there is still plenty scope for movement between now and 18 May.

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has been previewing his side's match against St Johnstone this weekend.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• "We have to keep pushing, we have to keep believing," Goodwin says when asked if Europe is now the target, but he was keen to stress that it wouldn't be a failure if they didn't, given they have "exceeded expectation and punched above their weight" already this campaign.

• Goodwin says he is pleased with the discipline shown by his players against Hearts and with their organisation across the last couple of games, giving them "crucial" points to be in the position they are now.

• On 19-year-old defender Sam Cleall-Harding, who came in for his debut at Tynecastle, Goodwin says the club have "real high hopes" in the player who has "a lot of potential," adding he "ticks a lot of boxes" for a modern-day centre-back.

• The manager says previous fixtures against the Saints "haven't been a walk in the park," with Goodwin full of praise for the "refreshing" and "brave" way Simo Valakari sets his side up.

• Now is not the time to "take it easy," and they will try and "put more pressure" on teams above them and possibly extend the gap to the sides below them.

• Goodwin emphasises they have a duty to "perform to a high standard" for the home fans.

• He says it would be "unbelievable" to reach the 50-point mark with a win this weekend, adding that it would "put them in a really strong position going into the games after the split to grab a European spot".

• Ross Graham "had to be patient" this season but has now "performed consistently" since his return to the side. He will be "touch and go for this weekend," but Goodwin expects him back for the first post-split game. Vicko Sevelj is "50-50" for the St Johnstone game.

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• Dundee United have won both of their league meetings with St Johnstone this season, but haven't won three in a row against the Saints in the top-flight since January 2002 under Alex Smith (run of four).

• St Johnstone have lost each of their past four league games against newly-promoted opposition (two v Dundee last season, two v Dundee United this season), as many as their previous 29 beforehand (W10 D15 L4).

• Dundee United have 47 points in 32 Scottish Premiership games this season (W13 D8 L11); since the competition rebrand in 2013, only four newly-promoted sides have had 50+ points from 33 games when the division splits into the top and bottom halves: Hearts in 2015-16 (60), Rangers in 2016-17 (58), Hibernian in 2017-18 (59), and Hearts in 2021-22 (57).

• After only winning four of their first 23 league games this season (D3 L16), St Johnstone have since won four of their past nine (D2 L3), beating league leaders Celtic 1-0 last time out.

• St Johnstone have 29 points in 32 Scottish Premiership games this season (W8 D5 L19); since the competition rebrand in 2013, only four sides have had fewer than 30 points when the league splits into two halves after 33 games and avoided relegation: Hamilton Academical in 2018-19, St. Mirren in 2018-19, Ross County in 2020-21, and Ross County in 2022-23.

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin plans to open talks with his soon-to-be-out-of-contract players next week, with Declan Gallagher, Louis Moult, Glenn Middleton and Allan Campbell among them. (Courier - subscription required), external

Read the rest of Thursday's Scottish gossip.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Football can be as much about timing as anything else - have Dundee United got theirs bang on this season?

The top division new boys made a brilliant start to life back in the top flight, amassing plenty of points in the opening few months.

A run built on grit, determination and solid foundations - more on the latter shortly.

The inevitable wobble followed, but not enough to derail them. Top division survival was comfortably secured, followed by their top-six status, and it would be brave, or foolish, to bet against them going on and snaring a European spot.

Now back to that the issue of timing, and the observation that their impressive run in the first half of the campaign was forged on solid foundations.

One of the key characteristics behind United's success has been a rock-solid defence - the stats back that up.

Behind Celtic and Rangers, no team has had more clean sheets in the Premiership. But, since the turn of the year, it is a defence that has been breached more than manager Jim Goodwin would have liked.

However, it looks like any holes that may have been starting to emerge have now been plugged, with United registering back-to-back clean sheets in their past two games in away victories to Ross County and Hearts.

There couldn't be a better time for them to get back to doing what has served them so well earlier in the campaign.

And that could spell bad news for Aberdeen and Hibs, who are just a few points above United in the table as they aim to secure their place in Europe.

Dundee United defender Declan Gallagher was certain his season was over when he hit the turf and heard a crack during a bounce game at Hibernian Training Centre. (The Courier)

Paul McNicoll
Fan writer

Well, who would have thought it?

In August, when we glanced around nervously at coming back to the top division, the talk was survival, whether could we handle it and were we going to beat the dreaded drop?

And now, in April, a top-six finish was guaranteed before a ball was even kicked on Saturday, with two pre-split games to spare.

It's not so much about exceeding expectations; it's a vindication of the work put in by the club, the players, and the die-hard fans who stuck by the team through thick and thin.

To switch from Championship title winners to a top-half finish in our inaugural season back is a massive achievement that should be celebrated.

It signifies progress, ambition, and a statement that United aren't here to just make up the numbers.

But let's not just settle for that sixth place. There are still important games to be played, points to be won, and European qualification to be chased.

Complacency does not come here; this is the time to push the team on even harder. Every tackle, every pass, every shot matters.

Tannadice's atmosphere for these last few games might well be the difference maker.

To finish in the top six is great, but to finish the season needing to dust off the passport would be magnificent.

Paul McNicoll can be found at The Dode Fox Podcast, external

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"Old-school" Jim Goodwin says the defensive solidity of his Dundee United team cannot be underestimated.

United won 1-0 at Tynecastle on Sunday to strengthen their case for a top-five finish in the Scottish Premiership.

It is their 11th clean sheet in 32 league matches this season and Goodwin insists being "organised and disciplined" is a central factor in any successful campaign.

"I'm a little bit old school and sometimes get criticised for it but I really do believe in doing the basics as a team," Goodwin said.

"I think setting a team up to be organised and to be disciplined and to keep harping on about concentration levels and decision-making is a huge part of the game.

"If you look at any league all over Europe, the teams that tend to be up there near the top of them have got very, very good defensive records.

"Of course we want to score more goals, we'd like to be more creative, we'd love to be involved in 4-3 thrillers every now and again. But at the same time from a manager's perspective, clean sheets are vital."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Sam Dalby bagged his 14th league goal of the season in Dundee United's 1-0 win at Tynecastle on Sunday and he is picked in my team of the week.

His match-winning header was a thing of beauty, arcing past a helpless Craig Gordon in the Hearts goal.

United fans, we asked for your views on Sunday's 1-0 win over Hearts.

Here's what some of you said:

Dave: The good: another terrific three points on the road, top six secured and hopefully the end of a tricky period for us. David Babunski getting some minutes - don't know why he's not been featuring of late. The bad: a referee that clearly doesn't understand the game. James Wilson's red card was marginal, but probably right, but the yellow cards and non-fouls that were penalised on both sides were ridiculous. When will the authorities get a grip on refereeing standards?

Mat: A great result for the Terrors but being honest another poor performance against a Hearts team that didn't look that great either. Our players look mentally tired and have definitely lost that spark and sharpness from earlier in the season. But we can recover and we can push on in the last six games to make this not just a very good season, but a great one.

Kieran: Much like last week, the game had no real quality. That was until big Sam Dalby, our talisman, popped up with one of the best headed goals I have seen for a while. Another crucial three points and although Hearts were by far the better side, this team has shown all season we can claim a result without playing particularly well.

Kenneth: We've been grinding out wins like this all season, they're no flukes we're just hard to beat. Kudos to Ross Docherty, Dalby, Jack Walton and the whole team for another good shift. Glenn Middleton and Dalby's play for the goal was class.

Jim: Considering we had a couple of main defenders missing, a great result! Our passing at the back was very dodgy in the first half, gifting Hearts chances but Wilson's sending off turned the game and Dalby's goal was a cracker. Now it's onward and hopefully upward.

Stephen: Jim Goodwin has got two away wins on the bounce after a bad run, win next week and all is rosy again, fair play Jim! A good performance against a far better Hearts than the one we faced early in the season in Gorgie. We keep in touch with Aberdeen and Hibs while sealing top six. Blip aside I'm delighted with the first season back in the top flight.

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• Dundee United have scored in each of their last six games in the Premiership, scoring eight goals in that run.

• Hearts attempted 15 shots in this match, higher than their season average of 12.6 in the Premiership.

• Dundee United have kept a clean sheet in 11 of their 32 games, only Rangers (13) and Celtic (20) have done this more often in the Premiership this season.

Watch highlights from Dundee United's 1-0 win over Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

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Dundee United took a significant step towards a top-five Scottish Premiership finish and reignited their hopes of finishing third with victory over 10-man Hearts.

Were you at the game or following along from elsewhere?

Give us your views on the match here.

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Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin told Premier Sports: "I thought the game was very much in the balance as it had been in the previous two fixtures.

"I knew it was going to be a game decided on who defended the best, and thankfully, we did with another clean sheet. That's back-to-back clean sheets for us.

"Disappointed with how we managed the game, especially in the second half.

"I don't think we managed it well enough, but at the same time, I can't be too critical of the players. At this stage of the season, it's about getting results.

"It's such a tough place to come with everything Hearts are still playing for. I've managed to do my old club St Mirren a slight turn as well today."