Dundee United captain Ross Docherty has been ruled out of Saturday’s Championship showdown against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Tannadice boss Jim Goodwin has confirmed that Docherty sustained a groin strain against Airdrie on Tuesday evening, hobbling off after just 19 minutes of the 2-0 victory in North Lanarkshire.
Goodwin stated his confidence that the damage is “nothing too serious”, but could keep the combative midfielder out of contention for around a fortnight.
It is the third different injury Docherty has suffered this term, having endured spells on the sidelines due to issues with both hamstrings.
Goodwin said: “He (Docherty) won’t make this weekend, unfortunately.
“It’s nothing too serious. It is a groin strain which could be anything from a week to two weeks.
“It is frustrating for us because, when he is in the team, you can see how influential he is. Doc has had one or two niggles from pre-season and he is very disappointed not to be available. He is such a key player for us.”
“Top, top professional”
Although gutted for Docherty, Goodwin was circumspect regarding the blow and emphasised the quality of deputy United can call upon in Jordan Tillson.
The on-loan Ross County man was excellent after entering the fray against the Diamonds and, with more than 100 Premiership appearances under his belt, Goodwin reckons he is more than capable of joining Craig Sibbald in the engine room.
Goodwin continued: “To have someone like Tilly on the bench to come on and play as well as he did against Airdrie is really good for us going forward.
“It doesn’t matter if we get and injury or suspension because we have players waiting in the wings who are desperate for the opportunity.
“Tilly hasn’t come here to be on the substitutes bench. He has come here to play football. He was frustrated by a lack of game-time at Ross County and his come here to be a regular in the first-team.
“It is only because of how well the partnership of Sibbald and Docherty has been doing that Tilly has had to be patient — but he is a very grounded individual and a top, top professional.
“No-one has a bad word to say about him and he fits into the culture we are trying to develop here; honest, hard-working people with no ego.
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