Cammy Smith is confident he is doing all he can in order to catch the eye of Dundee United manager Micky Mellon.
Smith has been on the edge of things since Mellon arrived at Tannadice, making five appearances as substitute.
He has also seen the club recruit another attacking player in the form of Marc McNulty, who joined on loan from Reading.
However, Smith certainly made an impact on the Betfred Cup group game against Brechin on Wednesday night, scoring twice in the Tangerines’ 6-2 victory at Glebe Park.
He has also been keeping himself as fit as possible and pushed himself in training.
Now he hopes to stay in the spotlight when Peterhead visit Tannadice today in the cup.
Smith said: “It was pleasing to get a couple of goals.
“It was my first time on the pitch for a while so it was good to contribute.”
“I have been doing everything I can to keep myself right.
“I started the season well and I felt I had a good pre-season but I haven’t been on the pitch as much as I would like, obviously.
“I just had to be patient but I got a wee go on Wednesday night, when I came on and took my chance.
“I feel all the substitutes have been doing all they can when they come on.
“It is not easy sitting on the bench every week but we all push each other on.
“You can’t do much apart from wait for the chance to get on the pitch and then you know it is up to yourself.”
Smith revealed he has chatted to Mellon about his lack of game time and has been asked to be patient.
He said: “Every player wants to contribute as much as they can and that’s the case with me.
“It is frustrating and hard.
“You just have to get your head down and keep going.
“I have had a conversation with the manager and he has told me just to keep going – there isn’t much to it.
“You want the game time and there are probably another 10 or 11 in my position.
“We could probably put out another team with the size of squad but everyone just has to work hard and then it is up to the manager.”
Smith would love a Betfred Cup run and he sees no reason why the Tangerines can’t go far in the competition.
He said: “I grew up seeing Dundee United doing well in the cup competitions.
“United have always done well, gotten to cup finals and won cups.
“For the size of club we are we should be looking to have a good cup run.
“There is no reason why we can’t.”
United are likely to give McNulty more time to game-ready, which could be good news for Smith.
Tangerines boss Mellon said: “Marc is a wee bit behind in fitness but we are giving him a sort of microwave pre-season to get him up to speed.
“He has not done as much as the other players so far so we have to get him ready.
“He is a fit lad and is sharp so we will continue to do that in the coming days.”
Mellon was very respectful of today’s visitors Peterhead, who are manager by United legend Jim McInally.
“Peterhead are a good club with a good manager,” said Mellon.
“Jim is the longest-serving in the country so he knows his club inside out and he knows Dundee United well.
“We are looking forward to it and to being back at Tannadice again.
“The game gives us the opportunity to keep growing as a team and keep moving forward.”
