Micky Mellon has credited Dundee United supporters for inspiring their sensational Scottish Cup win over Aberdeen by giving their heroes a boisterous Saturday send-off.
The Tannadice boss hailed the 3-0 triumph at Pittodrie as United’s finest performance under his stewardship, with Marc McNulty notching a double and Ryan Edwards thundering home a clinical header to secure a semi-final spot at Hampden.
The visitors could, and perhaps should, have recorded an even more handsome triumph, with Nicky Clark, Jeando Fuchs and Ian Harkes all coming close to turning proceedings into a rout in the Granite City.
And Mellon was quick to praise the impact of those United fans who gathered with flares, scarves and flags on Saturday in order to wish their heroes luck as the team bus departed.
Indeed, he revealed that it was mentioned in their pre-match briefings.
Dundee United fans gave their team a send off as they head to Aberdeen for tomorrow’s Scottish Cup quarter final pic.twitter.com/zt6EELgn90
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“The send off we got from the supporters was terrific – socially distanced and in an orderly fashion, of course!” He smiled.
“That really did set the tone for the mentality coming up here.
“We spoke about it before the game and how important it was to do it for the supporters. The players did it for them, for their families and for the club; they were fantastic.
“It will be a special moment for me to be able to say I’ve been there [Wembley] and been to Hampden.
Sunday’s represented just the second time United have scored three or more goals against a Premiership opponent this term, and their display was packed with the panache that many have argued has been missing for much of the campaign.
“It would be tough to argue against that being our best performance of the season,” added Mellon. “But we knew they were capable of that.”
“We were good at the things we know we’re good at and without the ball, they delivered on what we asked them to do. They deserve an incredible amount of credit for that.”
He laughed: “We will enjoy the easing of lockdown on Monday – you can trust me on that!”
‘Greedy bugger’
Mellon, no stranger to Wembley following back-to-back playoff victories with Tranmere in 2018 and 2019, can now look forward to his trip to Hampden and joining the band of Scottish bosses who have overseen fixtures at the two most prestigious arenas in the British game.
“When you are a wee boy going to Hampden is all you want to do,” adds Mellon. “It will be a special moment for me to be able to say I’ve been there [Wembley] and been to Hampden.
“It will be a very proud moment for me and for the family — but that will pass in a few days because I’m a greedy bugger and I want more.
“Now we’re in a semi-final, I want to attack it and get to a final.”