Liam Smith excelled in Estonia.
He misfired in Malta.
Now the Tannadice full-back is dreaming of a return to the European stage with Dundee United.
Smith was a fresh-faced youngster when he was pitched into Hearts’ 2016 Europa League campaign, playing the full match as the Jambos saw off FC Infonet 4-2 in Tallinn.
That secured a 6-3 aggregate win and passage to a tie against Maltese part-timers Birkirkara.
“The less said about that one, the better,” Smith laughs ruefully.
Smith played the full match in Valletta as the sides drew 0-0, but was replaced in the second leg as the capital club suffered a chastening 2-1 home defeat.
Nevertheless, the experience served to whet the appetite.
And while securing top-six football is the sole immediate priority, he is adamant European qualification will always be an aspiration for a club of United’s stature.
“This club has an expectation — they’ve been in Europe before — and I know the fans really want that again,” Smith told Courier Sport. “We’d love to do that for them.
“If we can keep progressing, and stay within touching distance of a European place, then we’ve got to look to achieve that.
“I played in Europe for Hearts, in Estonia and Malta. I was younger at the time but I’ll always remember it as a great experience. Once you taste that, it’s something you want again and again.
“Every player wants to experience the biggest games and play at as high a level as possible.
“But we absolutely know how tight this league is and Wednesday [against Livingston] is a huge game.
“We’ll only get the chance to finish in those [European] places if we keep taking care of business.”
Defensive foundations
United’s stoic stalemate against Aberdeen on Saturday extended their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions.
In that time, the Tangerines have conceded just two goals.
Although often understated, Smith is a pivotal part of that defensive effort and was outstanding at Pittodrie.
Via Opta, no player made more successful tackles (five); no United player had more touches of the ball (67); no United player made more passes in the final third (16).
“We’ve built our results on a solid foundation,” continued Smith.
“There’s a determination not to give away soft goals and we feel comfortable defending our box.
“We trust that we can see things out and having Benji [Siegrist] behind us gives us confidence. He performs at such a level, that you just expect him to make big saves.”
Taming the Lions
Seeking to extend their unbeaten streak, United face an onerous trip to Livingston on Wednesday — with the Lions fresh from mauling Dundee 4-0.
“If you score four goals in any game then you are going to be confident,” added Smith. “It’s a six-pointer in terms of where we are in the league but we’ll go there with a plan and belief.”
