Dundee United midfielder Danny Swanson has revealed how his superb strike against Aberdeen put a smile on his face on an otherwise sad day.
Before gracing Tannadice with a fantastic third goal for the Tangerines in their 3-1 win over the Dons on Monday night, Swanson had attended the funeral of family friend Ian “Mac” McGregor in his native Leith.
Swanson grew up in the same neighbourhood as the McGregor family and remains good pals with Ian’s son Darren, the St Mirren defender, to whom he dedicated his spectacular scissors kick.
“I want to dedicate my goal to Darren McGregor, whose dad has just passed away,” said Swanson. “I was at the funeral earlier in the day and it was a sad time for a lot of people.
“We were brought up together and they stayed close to our house. Indeed, I used to see Mac every day.
“It was a difficult occasion for a lot of people but that was a positive way for me to end the day.”
Swanson’s strike lit up the game and he also picked up the sponsors’ champagne as man-of-the-match. However, he wouldn’t be surprised were he to be rested for Thursday night’s Tannadice clash with Hamilton Accies.
“We have a lot of games coming up but there are a lot at home so we should look to win them,” he added. “I am quite glad all these games got cancelled because I want to play as often as possible between now and the end of the season.
“Mind you, the gaffer (Peter Houston) has said that he might want to change things so I may not start against Hamilton. We’ll just wait and see. But I will play as many times as he wants me to.
“It was great to hear the fans chanting my name again on Monday and it was a good performance from the whole team. We had been drawing too many matches but hopefully that result is the start of a run of wins.”
And if Swanson does get the nod to play against Accies, he will be a man in tights once again.
“They are here to stay precautions, keeping my legs warm,” he said. “I wore them once and came through the game so I am just going to keep wearing them.”
United fans are reminded that current season ticket holders can take a friend to the game against Hamilton for a fiver.