Dundee United boss Peter Houston says a half-time pep talk with his centre-halves Gavin Gunning and Garry Kenneth helped his side keep a clean sheet and take all three points against Hearts on Saturday.
The Tangerines went in 1-0 up at the interval but Houston was so concerned about the threat posed by Jambos striker John Sutton that he had a few choice words in the ears of his defensive duo.
His words of wisdom certainly had the desired effect, with Kenneth and Gunning producing great second-half performances to snuff out Hearts as they pressed for an equaliser.
Houston said: ”I didn’t think Gavin did all that well in the first half. In fact, I had a go at the two centre-halves at half-time because I thought Sutton was getting the better of them.
”In saying that, I thought Gavin was brilliant in the second half. And if he carries on playing like he did in the second half then he can do anything he wants in the game.
”In the first 45, I thought him and Garry Kenneth were a bit sloppy at times and weren’t very clean with their headers but they were a lot better after the interval.”
United beat crisis-hit Hearts thanks to a Scott Robertson bullet header his first counter for nearly three years. With the midfielder finally ending his goal drought, Houston is hoping that he can now start hitting the back of the net again on a regular basis.
He added: ”It was great for Robbo to get on the score sheet. Now hopefully we can maybe get a few more from him and the rest of the midfielders.
”We always encourage Robbo to get forward in search of goals and John Rankin and Willo Flood should be taking heed of that too. I did mention in the pre-match talk that when you’re playing the system we’re playing, you’ve got to get a midfielder into the box.
”When I first came to the club, I knew Scott Robertson was capable of getting on the end of things and chipping in with some goals. He’s scored goals for United in the past. He’s been hampered by injuries in recent seasons but hopefully that’s the turning point.”
Robbie Neilson, who signed for United last week, came through his debut with a win under his belt against his old side and Houston was delighted the 31-year-old lasted the entire 90 minutes.
Houston added: ”Robbie found it hard at the start because the tempo of the game was very fast and furious. He found it tough and I said to him ‘if you’re tired after an hour, let me know’.
”But I actually thought he got stronger as the game went on and much of that is down to his experience. That’s 90 minutes under his belt so he can only get better.
”It says a lot for his fitness. Robbie’s a fit boy and, to be fair, he’s always been like that throughout his career. He looks after his body so much that some younger lads could take a lesson from that.”
United face Arbroath in a Forfarshire Cup tie at Gayfield on Wednesday night. Kick-off is at 7.30pm and admission is £5 for adults and £2 concession.
Both teams will be predominately made up of under-19 players but United’s Sean Dillon and Red Lichties player/manager Paul Sheerin are expected to feature as they continue their recoveries from injury.