Loick Ayina watched parent club Huddersfield Town complete their great escape after veteran boss Neil Warnock worked his timeless magic.
Now, the Dundee United loan star hopes lightning can strike twice at Tannadice.
Warnock returned to management, aged 74, on February 14 and sparked a Terriers revival — losing just once in their last nine matches, picking up five wins in the process.
As recently as March 11, they were SIX points off safety.
Jim Goodwin, meanwhile, was named United boss on March 1, with the Tangerines toiling four points adrift at the bottom of the Premiership. Despite defeat against St Johnstone on Saturday, he has guided them out of the drop-zone.
And Ayina is desperate to celebrate double delight at the end of the season.
“I was happy that Huddersfield stayed up — I watched the last game they played,” smiled Ayina.
“I was happy for the players there, although my focus is always on Dundee United. I want to help this club stay in its league, too.
“Huddersfield was a similar situation to Dundee United, they changed manager and picked up results. It can happen.
“We still believe and need to be confident. I think we have good quality; players with experience.
“When I see this team, I know we need to stay up.
“Saturday was a setback but we can come back. We have had good results before and we can definitely do it again. Hopefully, that will be against Ross County.”
Influence
Such has been Ayina’s influence, his own place in the United defence is now inarguable.
However, there is uncertainty regarding who will line up alongside the gifted Frenchman when County visit Tannadice next Saturday following Charlie Mulgrew’s dismissal in Perth.
United will decide whether to appeal the decision on Monday after Mulgrew was deemed to have denied Melker Hallberg a clear goalscoring opportunity.
St Johnstone have taken a huge step towards securing Scottish Premiership safety after a hard-fought 1-0 win over 10-man Dundee United ▶️ pic.twitter.com/8AQ0iZawOq
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 6, 2023
“Did I think it was a red card? No,” said Ayina. “It was a bad tackle but, for me, it could have been a yellow.
“The ref gave his decision and you have to just take it.
“It’s difficult because Charlie is a big influence on the team — but we have Ryan Edwards.”
Must-win
And Ayina is hopeful of a crackling atmosphere at Tannadice when the Highlanders make the trip south.
United have been well backed all season, but the arrival of Goodwin — aided by the upturn in performances and results — has brought a renewed optimism to the stands.
“We are at home so that hopefully gives us an advantage with the fans behind us,” added Ayina.
“The supporters have been great, the stands they were in (at McDiarmid Park) were full and they backed us.
“They are going to be very important in the games we have coming up.
“It is very close at the bottom and we have to win against Ross County — it is a very big game because of how tight everything is.”
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