By Graeme Dey

WILLO FLOOD wants his season-long loan to be only the beginning for him at Dundee United.

Flood, who has been outstanding for the Tangerines, is due to return to Cardiff City in the summer. But after helping United go clear third in the league—two points ahead of Hibs and three in front of vanquished Motherwell— the Irishman revealed he wants to remain at Tannadice.

“It’s not definite that I’ll be leaving at the end of the season,” he said.

“What Cardiff says will go as I’ve still got a year left there.

“But if United can agree a fee for me then we would sit down and talk because staying here appeals to me.

“I’ve settled in well, I like the lads, the manager is good and this is a club that’s going forward.

“Obviously since I’ve been at United, Cardiff have reached the FA Cup semi-finals.

“But I’m not wishing I was there because I’m loving it here.

“At United I am playing every week and that’s what brings you happiness. If you don’t get games you get so annoyed with yourself and start doubting your ability.”

A further inducement for Flood to stay on is the possibility of United qualifying for the UEFA Cup by finishing best of the rest in the SPL—a prospect which looks a good deal more realistic following Saturday’s defeat of Euro rivals Motherwell.

“It’s been a strange week after playing so well in the CIS Cup final and not bringing the trophy back,” admitted Flood, who was named man of the match at Hampden.

“But we’ve still got third place and Europe to play for and we’ve just got to kick on.

“This result is a great boost for us.

“We’re three points ahead of Motherwell now and although they’ve got a couple of games in hand I still think we’ll be thereabouts for third place. We’re certainly good enough to get it.

He continued, “It was a bit flat in the first half. Last Sunday we were playing in front of a full house at Hampden with both sets of fans buzzing.

“Today the stadium was half empty and the fact the wind was all over the place and the pitch a bit bobbly didn’t help.

“But at half-time the gaffer lifted us and I thought in the second-half we were the better team by some distance.”

Entirely so, but it wasn’t until boss Craig Levein unleashed Danny Swanson with 15 minutes left that United stretched away from Well.

Up to that point the visitors had enjoyed the best chance when Ross McCormack capitalised on a Garry Kenneth slip to send Chris Porter away only for Lukasz Zaluska to pull off a fine block.

But 40 seconds after replacing Jim O’Brien, Swanson waltzed through the middle of the Steelmen’s defence, leaving Stephen Craigan and Bob Malcolm trailing in his wake, before finding the net, via the inside of a post, with a fantastic finish.

And from there on it was all United—and Swanson.

The former Berwick Rangers player—who Levein is confining to a subs role while he attempts to bulk up—set Noel Hunt up with a chance he ought to have taken. Then, with two minutes left, he found Flood who released Mark de Vries to sprint clear, round Graeme Smith and fire into an empty net.

“Because he’s a little lightweight just now, when Danny starts games he finds it too hurly- burly. He doesn’t get time to turn and run at people which is what he does best,” said the manager.

“But when people tire he can come on and have a real impact.

“He needs a bit of work done so he can cope with the physical demands of SPL football. But undoubtedly he is the most talented player I have worked with.

“He can do amazing things with the ball and he is an excellent finisher—as we saw today.

“He’s an entertainer, someone with an old-fashioned approach to playing, and that’s why the supporters here love him.

“This was a game where nothing was happening. The football was two out of 10. But he came on and made a difference.

“As a manager you make substitutions all the time. Some of them are rubbish. This one paid off, but I didn’t put him on expecting that sort of impact.”

If Levein was pleased with Swanson’s contribution then he was delighted by that of Mark Kerr, who he felt stood out after his Hampden blunder handed Rangers a way back into a CIS Cup final they were on course to lose.

“I thought Mark was absolutely brilliant,’’ he said.

“To have the courage, after what happened last week, to keep getting on the ball and try to make things happen said so much for him.”

Levein expressed sympathy for the plight of Darren Dods who, after being an unused substitute in the final didn’t even make the bench on Saturday.

“I feel so sorry for Darren,” he said. “But the reason he wasn’t in the 18 is that I already had Danny Grainger and Sean Dillon, both of who can play centre-back as well as full-back, whereas Darren can only play in the middle.

“It’s no slight on Darren but he’s no good to me on the bench when I’ve already got double cover for his position, and including him would have meant leaving Craig Conway or maybe Danny Swanson out.”

Motherwell boss Mark McGhee had no issue with the result but was unhappy with the display of referee Dougie McDonald who booked five visiting players but not one United man.

“Dundee United obviously played some sort of joker that meant they couldn’t get booked,” said McGhee

“We seemed the only team against whom fouls and yellow cards would be given.

“That’s not the reason we got beat though. We lost because there wasn’t enough urgency and determination throughout the team not to lose the game.”

“That’s as much my fault at the players because it comes from my philosophy. I’ve never majored on the importance of not conceding. The priority has been about possession, playing three up front and attacking.

“Now we have to think about another way of playing.

“This is a good result for Dundee United but we still have to play them at Fir Park and we’ve got those two games in hand.

“However, we have to do better than we did today. Something has to change or we won’t get third spot, but we believe we are still well in the hunt.”