Sam Dalby has refused to rule out extending his stay at Dundee United after bagging the goal that sealed fourth place in the Premiership for the Tangerines.
Dalby, 25, was ice-cool from the penalty spot against Aberdeen to make it 2-1, slotting home his 15th goal of a magnificent campaign.
The rangy striker, who was named United players’ player of the year on Sunday evening, has already turned down an extended contract with Wrexham and is a free agent this summer. United will table a contract offer.
The Terrors are far from the only interested party – however, they may be the only suitors who can offer a regular starting berth allied with continental competition.
Asked whether the lure of European football will factor into his decision, Dalby said: “Of course.
“We’ve put so much effort into this season to get the club into European football next year.
“If it (a permanent move) does happen, that would be great. I’ve loved my time here.
“If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t. You never know what’s going to happen.”
He smiled: “I’ll probably rest up for a little bit and just let my agent do his stuff!”
Regardless of the ultimate decision on his future, Dalby’s affinity with United will not wane.
“Even if I’m not here, I’ll be watching,” he continued. “I’ll be supporting the boys and looking forward to all their games.”
Composure from the spot
With the score level at 1-1 and St Mirren beating Celtic in Glasgow (he wasn’t to know James Forrest would level in injury time), Dalby’s spot-kick was a season-defining moment.
Yet, he was the calmest man in the stadium.
“I didn’t really feel too many nerves,” he continued. “Those are more for when you’re waiting around for VAR to faff about!
“Once I stepped up, I just took a deep breath. You’ve just got to stay in the moment.
“If you score, you score. If you miss, you miss. There’s no point getting too worried about it.”
“It was an unbelievable feeling when it hit the net.
“We still had a big 20 minutes to prevent them from scoring, but we knew how much it meant to the club and the fans. It’s a massive deal and thankfully we pulled it off.”
He added: “Fourth place is some achievement.
“We’re a newly promoted side, but we had the top six in our minds throughout the season. Publicly, we said if we stay up then we’re happy. But we knew the type of team we are, and the quality we’ve got. So, we were always looking for that top six.
“That was especially true when we came to crunch end of the season and those European spots for grabs. We’re just buzzing that we’ve done it.”
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