Louis Moult is adamant the goals will soon flow as the Dundee United striker endures an uncharacteristic barren spell.
Moult, 31, cut a frustrated figure as the Tangerines slipped to a 1-0 defeat against title rivals Raith Rovers on Saturday, with Kevin Dabrowski thwarting a fine raking effort from distance.
A last-ditch challenge by Ross Millen also robbed the former Motherwell hero of a gilt-edged chance while, in United’s previous game, Moult saw a wonderfully deft finish ruled out for offside.
The Tannadice No.9 has now gone seven matches without finding the net.
“It (goal drought) frustrates me massively,” he told Courier Sport. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt.
“I look at every single game and say, “could I have moved a little quicker?” “Could I have got a shot away, there?”
“But I’m convinced that it can’t go on like this forever. The ball will hit the back of the net before we know it.”
Remaining level-headed
It should be noted that Moult hasn’t exactly been presented with a swathe of golden opportunities of late.
He has notched six league goals from a Championship xG (expected goals) of 5.13.
There is little doubt he will convert opportunities if they come.
He added: “The past three or four weeks haven’t quite been good enough.
“Going out of both cups shouldn’t have happened and it’s maybe been a bit of a knock-on effect. We need to work together as a club and fix it.
“I remember saying after the first game of the season at Arbroath (4-0 win), “let’s not get carried away, it won’t be like this every week”. When we were beating teams four, five, six, I was still saying that.
“And that’s been proven.
“We’ve had our highs, but we’ve always been level-headed, and these are the moments when that’s important. That’s what ensures that when the lows come, you don’t get too low.”
Moult: We let the fans down
Moult’s frustration was only heightened by the bumper 10,334 in attendance at Tannadice on Saturday. In front of the third-highest crowd in Scotland at the weekend, things fell flat for the Tangerines.
Rovers now boast a five-point gap at the summit of the Championship, albeit United have a game in hand.
“To get more than 10,000 at Tannadice is just incredible – and I feel like we let them down,” continued Moult. “I feel responsible for that; we feel responsible, as a group.
“I’m hurting, and we should be. But we need to bounce back. We have no choice. I’ve got total faith that we will. You wipe the slate clean and go again.”
Taking care of business
United’s reverse against the Rovers – courtesy of a fine solo strike by Dylan Easton – was the hosts’ maiden Championship defeat of the season and, while it could barely have come at a worse time, Moult is remaining calm.
And he is adamant boss Jim Goodwin has assembled a squad with the experience and quality to claw back the deficit at the top of the Championship.
“We need to keep our heads high and stick together,” said Moult. “We would have loved to go unbeaten through the season but, realistically, it had to end at some point.
“Fair play to Raith, they were right on our tails and have managed to go ahead of us.
“But if you look throughout our squad, there is a fantastic balance in terms of age and experience. It’s up to the more senior boys to keep us all together.
“It’s time for us to take care of our own business.”
Familiar venue
A response will be demanded when United travel to toiling Queen’s Park on Friday night, with Moult returning to a very happy stomping ground – albeit there is unlikely to be a 50,000 crowd in attendance at Hampden Park, this time.
In his final season as a Motherwell player, Moult produced one of his finest showings as he notched a clinical double to down Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.
His sumptuous, dinked finish over Jak Alnwick lives long in the memory of all ‘Well fans.
Remember this? Louis moult’s stunning goal against Rangers to put us forward into the Betfred cup final. @louismoult pic.twitter.com/nArC3valpG
— Matt 🏴🧡 (@Tonsofbull) September 22, 2019
Moult smiled: “I’ve got some nice memories at Hampden, absolutely. I’ll take a similar goal. That’s for sure!”
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