Dundee United’s Cammy Smith admits it will feel “weird” if he helps to relegate his former club St Mirren.
Smith was a Buddie until the January transfer window, when he made the switch to Tannadice.
He was, of course, trading the Premiership for the Championship but that could be all change on Sunday, depending on the outcome of the two-legged promotion play-off final.
Smith admits it does feel rather odd to be plotting the downfall of the side he started this season with and also helped get up as champions a year ago.
He said: “Yes, it is a weird one.
“I helped St Mirren win promotion last year and I loved my time there.
“Now I am trying to put them down and it’s different.
“I suppose that’s football.
“Mind you, I can’t see any of my old teammates thinking: ‘It will be a shame if we beat Cammy because Cammy won’t get promoted.’
“There is no room for sentiment.
“In football, this happens all the time.
“I actually had a feeling the longer the season went on that they might escape it because of their form.
“For a long time, it was either going to be St Mirren, Hamilton or Dundee and then it was down to two then one.
“It has ended up as St Mirren and we just need to take care of them.
“My job on Thursday and Sunday will be to help the team get the win whatever way possible.
“I had a great two years at St Mirren and I really enjoyed it but from August to January it was stop-start and it was frustrating what was going on.
“But it’s a great club with a great fanbase and it’s a shame they have ended up in this position.
“Now, though, I am a Dundee United player and I want to get us promoted.”
The Buddies have been stringing good results together but their losing out on automatic survival to Hamilton on the final day of the regular season at Dens must still have come as a blow.
However, Smith argued: “I’m not so sure. The teams at the bottom in the Premiership know that if don’t get that 10th spot they will be in the play-offs so maybe mentally they have prepared for it being a possibility.”
