After just one game there in a month, Dundee United fans are looking forward to their team running out at Tannadice for the Championship visit of Morton.
For the players, it was a case of back home on Friday as they completed their preparation for the match on the playing surface.
And winger Billy King has revealed that’s become a regular and, he believes, crucial part of the Tangerines’ game preparations.
With many full-time clubs having their own training centres these day, players often only see their own stadium on match days.
United boss Csaba Laszlo has changed that, however, and King feels it’s contributed to the team maintaining their impressive home record.
“When we have a home game, the gaffer always has our Friday training session on Tannadice,” he explained.
“I think it’s a good idea. Our training pitches in St Andrews are very good but, because it’s not used as much, the pitch at Tannadice is better.
“It’s good to get a feel of it and on a Friday you are doing set-pieces for the game the next day and other stuff like that, so it’s good to get the dimensions of the pitch back in your head.”
And King admits after three games in a row on the road against Falkirk, Dunfermline and then Alloa, in the Cup last week, it will be good to be back in front of the home support.
Fourteen Tannadice outings so far this term have resulted in just one league defeat — against Inverness — and one suffered by a young side in the Irn-Bru Cup against Northern Irish outfit Crusaders. King is keen to maintain what’s become a winning habit when hosting games.
“If you’re going to win promotion, you have to take care of home games and that’s what we’ve been doing.
“We enjoy playing there because it’s a big pitch that suits our passing game, so it will be good to be back when Morton come.”
Today will give stay-at-home Arabs a first look at January signings Emil Lyng, Brandon Mason and possibly even young French pair Idris Kadded and Logan Martin, both of whom could be on the bench.
If he recovers from a knee knock, they’ll also be able to welcome back Thomas Mikkelsen after he joined up on loan for the second season running. These additions have given strength to the squad.
“We had been hit hard by injuries and for a few games you could see that by the number of kids we had on the bench. Now we’ve a bit more experience again and, in Thomas and Emil, we’ve added a few more options.
“They’re big lads and, with Thomas holding the ball up like he does and Emil coming in from wide, they add a different dimension to our game.
“We are a passing team and that’s the way we like to play but they give us the option of something different and it’s always good.”
King expects the new boys to help United make it three wins out of three against Morton in the league campaign but also knows he and all his team-mates will need to work to earn the three points.
“They have given us two very hard games so far and this one will be the same. Particularly down there the last time we met, they gave us a few problems but we got through it and won despite not being at our best.
“Having met twice already, both teams know what to expect from each other and that won’t make it any easier. With our record at Tannadice our aim is to get three points.”
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