Ross Docherty reckons pantomime season will come early when Dundee United visit Partick Thistle on Saturday.
The mouth-watering Championship showdown will see the United captain return to Firhill for the first time since leaving the Jags — where he also served as skipper — during the summer.
Moreover, big defender Kevin Holt also made the switch from Maryhill to Tannadice.
Both men have become immediate mainstays for the table-topping Tangerines and, even in light of their fine service for Thistle, Docherty fully expects a hostile welcome this weekend.
“Thistle will be right up for it; I know that, having played there for a few years,” Docherty told Courier Sport.
“It’ll be tough and I think they’ll have an extra motivation due to the players who left there to go to United (Docherty and Holt) during the summer.
“I’d imagine it’ll be a hostile atmosphere for Holty and me, but I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ve always enjoyed going back and playing against my old teammates and former clubs.
“We know their strengths and, if we can nullify those and impose our own game, then we’ll be confident about getting the three points.”
Pantomime season
Docherty certainly won’t take the jeers and jibes personally.
He remains close friends with many of the Thistle players and staff, while he hopes there is lingering mutual appreciation with the supporters following an excellent three-year stint in Maryhill — even if it will be on hold for 90 ferocious minutes.
“It think it’s a bit of pantomime,” he smiled. “And I guess I’ll be the panto villain!
“But you’ve got to thrive on that and take it the right way. A lot of the time, it’s not malicious. I’ve still got a lot of love for the club. I had a brilliant time there and there are great people at Thistle.”
However, Docherty’s sole focus will be on securing another precious three points for United and, as he gets in to the zone ahead of the visit to Firhill, there will be radio silence with his old pals.
“They’ll maybe get a few messages at the start of the week,” he smiled. “But from Friday night onwards, I keep myself to myself and stay focused on the game ahead. That’ll be the case until 5pm and then it’s smiles after that.”
End of the quarter
The Tangerines are in fine fettle ahead of the Jags challenge.
They are currently enjoying a 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Indeed, Thistle were actually the last team to beat United, claiming a 2-1 Viaplay Cup victory back in July as Jim Goodwin’s side found its feet.
United are yet to taste defeat in the Championship and this weekend will bring the curtain down on the first quarter of fixtures.
And Docherty reckons it would “send a message” if the Tannadice outfit can navigate an unbeaten start to the league season, having travelled to title rivals Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle.
“That would be an achievement and I think it would send a message,” he added. “We know our aims for the season — everybody else knows them, too — and the other teams in this division will want to have a go at us.
“But if we can come through next week with a positive result, and unbeaten in the first quarter, it bodes really well for the rest of the season.
“It’s about momentum It’s something we spoke about last week, and the longer you go unbeaten, the more noise that gets. But we’ve got to handle that pressure, and we have done that.”
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