Dundee United manager Jackie McNamara says he was delighted to see striker Brian Graham rewarded for his patience at the weekend.
The 26-year-old forward has found himself in and out of the first team at Tannadice since joining from Raith Rovers in the summer but staked yet another claim for a regular starting berth with his last-gasp leveller against Hibs on Sunday.
It was his fourth goal for United since making the switch from Stark’s Park and McNamara reckons the goal will do Graham’s confidence a power of good.
McNamara said: “Brian deserves a lot of credit. He’s had to be patient since he came here.
“There’s obviously a bit of a step up from the lower division and that means there’s a bit more pressure to perform. That’s how it works because when he comes into the team, he knows he has to try and take his chance.
“But he showed what he’s capable of when he came off the bench against Hibs on Sunday. As well as his goal, he held the ball up really well, and works very hard for the team.”
After a string of three defeats, United found themselves under severe pressure to get a result on Sunday and drew on all the character they had to salvage a draw against Hibs.
Coming from 2-0 down could well be an important turning point in United’s season and McNamara hopes the players can take heart from what could prove to be an important point in the league campaign.
McNamara said: “It’s important the players relax as much as possible.
“I think because of the results in the three games leading up to Hibs, we had become a bit uptight. That was reflected in our play which isn’t what you want.
“We want the players to express themselves on the park because that’s when they’re at their best. So hopefully we can get back to that and do the things that we’re good at.”Brian