A year has certainly been a long time in football for Dundee United and Blair Spittal.
Twelve months ago, Tannadice was cloaked in festive gloom and doom, with Spittal and his teammates stuck at the bottom of the Premiership table.
With just 10 points to their name and a goal difference of minus 21 heading towards Christmas, they were already seven points adrift of second-bottom Kilmarnock.
Now they hope to sit down to their turkey and trimmings having beaten St Mirren at Tannadice today to go 14 matches unbeaten at the top of the Championship.
Dropping down a division was traumatic for young players like Spittal but he has learned from the experience and is enjoying life as United go head to head with Hibs for promotion.
He said: “I’m stronger for what happened last season.
“It was a huge disappointment – everyone knows that – but you learn a lot as well.
“The new manager has come in and that has been a fresh start.
“He’s got new ideas and everyone has bought into it.
“There is no point dwelling on the past and you have to put it all behind you.
“Now there is a real solidarity among the boys.
“We have a lot more experience around the team this season.
“William Edjenguele, Willo Flood, Stewart Murdoch, Frank van der Struijk, Nick van der Velden and Lewis Toshney have all come in to help us out this year.
“There’s a real mix of youth and experience about the place now and that’s what the manager said he wanted.
“It’s about trying as hard as we can to get back to the Premiership at the first attempt.
“The last few months have been great and since the Morton game in the cup we have been on a good run.
“The momentum has been building up and we have to keep that going now.
“The key to that has been just focusing on each game at a time and then seeing what happens.”
Key to the success so far has been United’s vastly-improved defence.
At the heart of it has been Edjenguele and Mark Durnan, with Paul Dixon expected to return at left-back today and Sean Dillon to take over from the suspended Toshney on the right.
The goal for the backline against the Buddies is to keep what would be an impressive seventh successive clean sheet.
Spittal said: “We have been a lot more solid this season.
“If we’re not scoring then at least we are not conceding so we’re still picking up points.
“The manager has been very big on keeping clean sheets.
“He made that clear from the first day he came in.
“A lot of the games we have got through this season we would have lost last year, so that is a massive change.
“Last weekend against Raith was a prime example because we were down to 10 men but still got out of there with a point.
“They all add up at the end of the season and hopefully it will be enough.
“St Mirren will be tough this weekend, though, because they have good players and they have picked up a lot recently.
“Some people have been talking about the Hibs game in a few weeks’ time but nobody here is even thinking about that yet – it’s all about St Mirren.”
On a personal note, Spittal is desperate to stay in the team over the hectic festive period and beyond.
“I have been in and out of the team compared to last season because I have had a few niggly injuries and stuff,” he said.
“But I am in the team at the moment and I know what the gaffer expects of me.
“I’ve put in some decent performances.
“I’ve not had much luck in front of goal yet – I had one cleared off the line at Raith – but you just have to keep at it and the goals will come.”
