Jim Goodwin has issued a rallying cry to Dundee United fans ahead of the Tangerines’ final pre-split Premiership showdown against Livingston.
Two successive victories against Hibernian and Motherwell have lifted United out of the drop-zone
A third league win on the trot — something not achieved by the Terrors since October 23, 2021 — would further bolster their survival bid.
Goodwin believes the continued backing of the Arabs — just shy of 1,500 punters made the 170-mile round-trip to Motherwell on Saturday — is testament to their loyalty during a testing campaign.
The fact the fans are still there with us speaks volumes about how they are.
Jim Goodwin
And the Tannadice boss, underlining the importance of the showdown, is desperate to have a sea of Tangerine roar on the home side against the Lions.
“I hope we can get great numbers out for the Livingston game this weekend,” he continued. “It would give the players a huge boost to see a big crowd at Tannadice.
“What it shows the players is they’re going some way to getting some forgiveness from the supporters, in terms of how difficult the campaign has been.
“The fact the fans are still there with us speaks volumes about how they are.
“I have been at clubs in the past where you go through a difficult time, fighting relegation, and they’ve turned their back on the club.
“That hasn’t happened here, so full credit to the supporters.”
Goodwin: I never doubted Birighitti
Meanwhile, Goodwin insists he never doubted Mark Birighitti, heaping praise on the United stopper’s unshakable self-belief — something he reckons is a typically Australian mentality.
The two-time A-League goalkeeper of the year has endured a challenging campaign in Scotland. The nadir came when he allowed Stevie May to slide-tackle him to score the winner for St Johnstone in February.
However, Birighitti, who turned 32 this week, was superb against Motherwell. His seven saves was more than any other keeper in the Premiership at the weekend, with a gilt-edged block to deny Kevin van Veen crucial to United’s comeback.
“I thought Mark was outstanding at Motherwell, it was one of his best games of the season,” lauded Goodwin. “He made some terrific saves at key moments of the game.
“He’s done well since I came in and I always believed he would. I played with a lot of Australian players during my career and they all had mental strength and confidence in their own ability. I never worried on that front.
“Mark has had some difficult moments this season but what I like about him is he has the self-belief to come back from it. You need your goalkeeper to step up when you are in our position — and he’s done that.”
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