Ross Docherty has been ruled out of Dundee United’s Championship showdown against Queen’s Park on Friday night.
However, Declan Glass could feature in the match-day squad at Hampden, as Jim Goodwin lamented the number of “defensive players” on the bench during the Tangerines’ defeat against Raith Rovers last weekend.
Goodwin will make a late decision on Glass’ availability following Thursday’s training session, with the Tannadice gaffer keen to have his attacking mindset and eye for a pass available.
When chasing a 1-0 deficit against Rovers, a semi-fit Tony Watt and Mathew Cudjoe – the latter gaining praise for “doing well and trying to impact the game in a positive way” – were his only viable creative sparks.Â
“Friday is going to come too early for Doc (Ross Docherty),” said Goodwin.
“He has a slight knock and is probably another week away, perhaps two. Archie Meekison will be a couple of weeks as he recovers from a knee injury.
“But Declan Glass will be assessed through Thursday. If he gets through training, then we will include him.
“Other than that, the boys will be fine.
“We have missed the creative players, with Declan and Archie out.
“We had a lot of defensive players on the bench and, when chasing a game like last Saturday, we had Tony (Watt) and Matty Cudj (Cudjoe). Other than that, we had two full-backs, two centre-halves and a goalkeeper.
“So, hopefully Glassy comes through it okay and gives us another attacking option.”
Deal with it
While United expect to bolster their ranks in January, and will soon be aided by the return of key players, Goodwin was keen to emphasise that he is making no excuses after slipping five points behind the Rovers.Â
“We are no different to any other team out there at this time of the season,” he added. “Everyone has played a lot of games and squads are tight.
“Sometimes you are missing key players at moments, but you’ve just got to deal with it. We have a squad for a reason and there are opportunities for other people.”
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