Dundee United striker Simon Murray is viewing the arrival of new signing Thomas Mikkelsen as an opportunity for him rather than an obstacle.
The forward took his season’s tally to 11 goals with United’s first and last strikes in the 3-3 draw with Queen of the South at the weekend.
The starting formation gave Murray a partner up front in the on-loan Dane, and the ex-Arbroath man believes having a sidekick will bring out the best of him in the remaining months of the season, and help him reach his 20-goal target.
“I’m happy to play in a two,” he said.
“That’s the first time I’ve played with Thomas. In the first half I thought it was alright with the flick-ons and stuff.
“I’m just trying to work hard and keep myself in the team. Hopefully with the two goals the manager will have seen that.
“I played a lot of my career with a partner. At Arbroath I played with Paul McManus. I’m crying out to play with someone else. That is more my game than a lone striker.
“I see the other strikers as someone to work with rather than compete against.
“I’m trying to work as hard as I can and it is a good feeling to score goals.
“I made a target at the start of the season and I’m just over half way there.
“My aim is 20 goals and I think I can do that. More than that would be a bonus.”
You wouldn’t have predicted it would take an 89th minute Murray close-range finish to salvage a point for United after the start they made.
The Tangerines were fast out of the traps and their man of the match lashed a shot high past Lee Robinson after knocking the ball over a flat-footed Andy Dowie.
Between those two strikes it was a story of a side which first lost control and then lost its way.
By the time Stephen Dobbie made it 1-1 – another clinical finish – United had let slip their grip on the game.
They peppered the Queens box before the break but the next two goals were for the visitors – a Joe Thomson shot that went through the legs of Mark Durnan and Cammy Bell, and a 25-yarder from Dominic Thomas.
Credit to United for eventually finding a way back after Scott Fraser reduced the deficit but, in the context of the title race, this was undoubtedly two points dropped.
“It’s mixed feelings,” Murray said. “I’m happy to get two goals but disappointed not to get three points.
“We’ve not been playing that well in the last couple of games and I thought we could change that.
“It’s a disappointing result.
“We’re six points behind now but we’re just concentrating on ourselves. We were eight points behind at one point.
“We need to pick ourselves up.”
We’re now entering the stage of the season when promotion places are decided.
For Murray, who remembers spending cold Saturday afternoons like the one just past working on a building site as a plumber, trying to score goals and win points is a challenge he is loving.
“Going for the title doesn’t faze me,” he said. “I love every minute of it.
“I worked as plumber before this so I know what it is like to have a real job.
“There is a pressure but it is a good pressure to have. I enjoy it because there are more worrying things in life than playing football.
“I don’t take anything for granted and I don’t want to go back to what I was doing.
“I worked for my family business in Dundee and all my mates are still doing it.
“I worked on site, kitting out houses.
“I used to work on Saturday mornings and then drive over to Tayport in my van for a 1.30 kick-off.“
United boss Ray McKinnon reflected: “We’ve given up two points in my opinion.
“At 1-0 up we should have gone on to control the game and we didn’t do that.
“We lost a sloppy goal to go 1-1 and fair play to Queens – they hit us with two goals on the counter and we found ourselves 3-1 down.
“I’m happy to get a point in the end.
“At 3-1 down I didn’t see us getting a point out of the game.”
It was Mikkelsen’s first start for his new club and McKinnon doesn’t want anybody to rush into a snap judgment.
He pointed out: “I don’t think Thomas had the service he needs. You can’t judge him on that, and it was his first game in a while.
“He’ll be good for us if we give him the right service.”
