Dundee United were “killed” by an early goal from Partick Thistle in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Firhill.
That is the assessment of Terrors midfielder and captain Ross Docherty, who was a surprise inclusion when he was named in the starting line-up to face his former side.
Docherty challenged his side to start matches better after Saturday’s draw followed a poor showing versus Airdrie at Tannadice.
It could have been a worse weekend for United had title rivals Raith Rovers held on to their 2-0 lead against Arbroath the night before.
Instead they lost 3-2 and as it stands, the point gained at Partick gives the Tangerines the thinnest of margins at the top of the Championship.
“We’re not going to butter it up, we want to win the league, we want to win every game that we play,” he said.
“Saturday was frustrating, we killed ourselves by our start. If we want to win the league, we can’t start games like that.
“But the character we showed in the second half was brilliant. We’ve done that a fair few times throughout the season.
“It’s about starting games better. We know we’ve got to be better in future and give ourselves a chance to go and win the game.
“We should have maybe scored in the second half towards the end, but we can’t give ourselves a mountain to climb like that.
“In hindsight, bigger picture, we gain a point on Raith Rovers who are second.
“It could be a lot worse, especially the way we played first half. There were some choice words said in the dressing room.
“The way we reacted in the second half, the squad as a whole, we were positive towards the end of that game.”
The 31-year-old United midfield added steeliness in midfield and a calmness when progressing the ball through midfield.
He insists his withdrawal in the 71st minute was planned and had nothing to do with a booking that had Partick Thistle supporters chanting for his dismissal.
With another game on Tuesday night, away to Morton, he was unlikely to play 90 minutes after returning slightly ahead of schedule.
“We tried to push it to get back,” said Docherty. “We had a big game on Saturday and we have a big game on Tuesday. I suppose they’re all big at the moment.
“Once it cleared and we knew the thigh was going to be OK, the manager spoke to me yesterday and chucked me in, pretty much.
“It was OK, a wee bit niggly. It’s fine, just a case of getting on with it and managing it. I was still annoyed at coming off, but I think that’s natural.
“I think they were going to take me off anyway [and not because of the yellow card].
“I understand, it was a big game and we have a big game on Tuesday. So he probably has a wee half-eye on that as well.
“It’s been stop-start for me the whole season, so I’m hoping to get it right. We’re going to need everyone, we’re going to need the squad.
“You see the boys coming off the bench, they made a huge impact. If I can be there and help the team, then it’s huge.”
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