It has taken a month of playing and training together but Thomas Mikkelsen believes that he and the rest of the Dundee United squad are now finally on the same wavelength.
The Danish striker joined the Tangerines at the start of January on loan from Odense and the player himself admits he had to work hard on his fitness after having had a few weeks off while it has taken some time for his new team-mates to play to his strengths.
However, everything clicked into place on Saturday against Raith at Tannadice with Mikkelsen opening his account for the club with two well-taken headed goals in the 3-0 victory.
He said: “I’m very happy. It’s always like that when you get your first goals for the club.
“I’ve worked hard for them and, of course, it feels good.
“I saw the first one go in and then the second so it’s great.
“I said to the lads in training what I like. Of course, we have to learn how each other play.
“I think they now know what kind of striker I am. They know my strengths.
“And hopefully we are now near to that.”
The win over Raith closed the gap on league leaders Hibs to six points after the Edinburgh side could only draw earlier in the afternoon against Ayr.
However, Mikkelsen revealed that the United players were just fully focused on Raith.
He added: “I don’t think the boys knew the Hibs result before we went onto the field.
“We just focused on ourselves and winning the game.
“At the end of the season, we can see where we are in the league.”
The first half on Saturday was mostly a dull affair and it seemed certain to end goalless before the home side took the lead in the 45th minute.
United were awarded a free-kick on the right corner of the Raith penalty area with Scott Fraser striking a fierce effort that forced Conor Brennan to make an acrobatic save but Paul Dixon was the first to react to cross the ball back in from the left with Mikkelsen on hand to score his first goal for the club with a front-post header.
Just three minutes after the restart, United doubled their advantage.
Dixon rampaged down the left before sending a cross into the Raith box with the ball breaking off a defender towards Tony Andreu who took a touch before superbly volleying home past Brennan.
United tails were up and they made it three in the 53rd minute when Simon Murray hit a deep cross in from the left with Mikkelsen sending a header back across goal and into the net.
The striker was full of praise for full-back Dixon and his pinpoint delivery.
He added: “It was a good ball for my first goal. Paul is a good crosser of the ball.
“I talk to him in training because that’s the kind of crosses I like and he does it then as well.
“I’m happy just to be there to take the opportunity.”
Meanwhile, a disconsolate Raith skipper Jason Thomson admitted that the performance against United was simply not good enough.
The Rovers players were locked in the away dressing-room long after the final whistle as the players and management held a lengthy meeting.
However, Thomson insists the time for talking is over and the players have to show a reaction on the park when they play Morton tomorrow night.
The full-back said: “I don’t think there is anything positive to take from that.
“The boys have been saying it for weeks now that we are hurting and things like that but it is not happening on the park.
“I am a big believer in it is down to the players. I will put myself at the top of that – I have been poor.
“Things are just not going our way but we will not shy away from it – I certainly won’t.
“Ultimately it is not good enough. I have been at Raith a long time now and I know the expectations and standards at the club but we are way, way below them.
“Everyone including myself will hold our hands up and say it has not been good enough.
“We had a good talk about it afterwards and everyone gave their opinion.
“We are hurting as much as anyone and we have to try to fix it. But that’s me talking once again and we have to show it on the park.
“We will go again Tuesday. It is a huge game for us and a tough one as well.”
