Peterhead ace Si Ferry praised Dundee United boss Micky Mellon and No2 Stevie Frail for being gracious in defeat.
Jim McInally’s League One outfit stunned United in the Betfred Cup at the weekend, with Steven Boyd grabbing the winner.
And Open Goal podcast star Ferry – speaking on the latest instalment of Keeping the Ball on the Ground – insists he knew the Blue Toon could shock the Tangerines.
He said: “This is what I said to the boys after the game, ‘We only beat Dundee United’.
“We’ve got good players, I fully expected us to give Dundee United a game.
“Our boys are good players, right. The problem I’ve got with them is trying to get them to do it all the time.
“They don’t have any belief in themselves.
“What I said to them before the game was, ‘See when you look at Dundee United’s team, there are decent players but not players you should fear’.
“Our boys have played [at that level]. Gary Fraser at Thistle in the Premiership, Andy McCarthy same, Scott Brown at St Johnstone.
“We’ve got good players, they just need to believe in themselves.
“They actually went out and played really well.
“And fair play to Micky Mellon and Stevie Frail. After it they came round every single one of us and said, ‘Fully deserved lads.’”
The former Dundee midfielder – who came through the ranks at Celtic – played as a central defender for most of the game and admits he expected more from United in attack.
He said: “This is modern football. I’ve went to centre-half after 12 minutes. If I’m the other manager I’m sticking the 6ft 3ins [striker] up front and battering balls onto me.
“Not a thing. I loved it. Centre-half is easy. It’s a slog playing centre midfield.
“I want to be the guy that gets on the ball all the time but when I was there I just gave the ball to the centre midfielders and let them do it.
“I’m delighted for the boys.”