Jim Goodwin insists Dundee United must heed the lessons of their Viaplay Cup defeat against The Spartans when they travel to Peterhead this afternoon.
The Edinburgh outfit stunned the new-look Terrors in mid-July, with Blair Henderson making them pay for a sloppy, sleepy start at Ainslie Park by notching the only goal of the game.
It was Spartans’ first ever match as a League Two club and, mercifully for Goodwin, was NOT a sign of things to come.
My boys are in a good place, physically and psychologically.
Jim Goodwin
While United lost their next fixture against Partick Thistle, an 11-game unbeaten run has followed for the Championship table-toppers, including seeing off Dunfermline 3-0 in the previous round of the SPFL Trust Trophy.
And as United seek to book their place in the last-eight, Goodwin knows there is no room for complacency.
“That’s the beauty of any cup competition — if you underestimate the opposition then it can come back and bite you,” said Goodwin.
“We saw that in the first Viaplay Cup game away to Spartans. We were slow to start the game, found ourselves a goal behind and Spartans defended for their lives and took the victory.
“It’s about taking the learnings from that, showing respect to Peterhead — a difficult place to go — and making sure we are ready.
“My boys are in a good place, physically and psychologically.”
Blue Toon reunion
Indeed, United’s current unbeaten run began with a 3-0 victory over the Blue Toon at Tannadice — albeit a futile one as they exited the Viaplay Cup at the group stage.
Louis Moult opened the scoring on his United debut before Kevin Holt bagged a brace of penalty-kicks.
Since then, League Two Peterhead have emulated United by soaring to the top of their own division.
Kevin Holt netted two spot-kicks in quick succession to send #DUFC on their way to victory over Peterhead back in July 🎯 pic.twitter.com/q33RAwsLjH
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) October 12, 2023
“I’ve watched a couple of Peterhead’s games over the last few days in the build-up to this game,” continued Goodwin.
“They seem to be playing a similar style to what they did at Tannadice in the early part of this season; a possession-based team. And they are doing great at their own level.
“We’ll be favourites, of course, but they have players in their team that can cause problems. Their front players are dangerous and we need to make sure we are at our best.”
A crack at first managerial trophy
While Goodwin makes no apologies for prioritising the Championship title, there is a palpable desire to take advantage of a realistic crack at silverware for United.
Indeed, Goodwin — a League Cup winner as St Mirren captain in 2013 — is yet to lift a trophy as a manager.
And the motivation to maintain the Terrors’ momentum is another huge factor ahead of the televised showdown.
“It would be great to go all the way to the final and to win it,” said Goodwin. “It is very hard in this sport to pick up winners’ medals.
“If that opportunity arises — albeit we have a very difficult game against Peterhead — then we have to approach it with a really good frame of mind.
“The league is our main objective. I’m sure nobody would mind me saying that. But we are in this cup and we want to win it. It’s as simple as that.
“From an immediate perspective, we are on a great run of form with momentum and confidence within the group. We want that to continue.”
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