Jim Goodwin has lauded the returning Ross Docherty, insisting the Dundee United captain makes the Tangerines tick and drives lofty standards.
Docherty, 30, has been absent since limping out of the Terrors’ 2-0 victory against Airdrie on October 31 .
United’s record in the three games without their influential skipper reads: one win, one draw and one defeat. A four-month, 17-game unbeaten run was ended by Falkirk in the SPFL Trust Trophy last week.
And Goodwin’s delight at Docherty resuming full training, bringing him into contention for Saturday’s Scottish Cup showdown against Queen of the South, is palpable.
“He influences the players around him, which is why we made him captain,” lauded Goodwin. “He leads by example and puts demands on people. Those are all things that I want from my skipper.
“And technically, he is a very good player. He makes us play, demands the ball from the lads at the back and has a really good range of passing.
“He has endured a very frustrating start to his Dundee United career, with the little niggles picked up. But hopefully that’s all behind him and he can look forward to a sustained period in the team.”
Frustration and hard graft
Docherty’s spell on the sidelines was his third different muscle issue this term, having previously suffered strains on both hamstrings.
It has been a maddening period for an ordinarily durable pro who has played more than 40 competitive fixtures in each of his last two campaigns – but Goodwin hopes those woes are now firmly in the rear-view mirror.
“I looked back at Doc’s career because, prior to signing players, you always look at their injury history,” continued Goodwin. “You’ll sometimes take calculated risks, like with Louis Moult when he hasn’t played a great deal in the last year.
“But Ross Docherty has often played the majority of games, every season.
“We think we’re over the worst of it. He’s worked really hard with Marcin (Szostak, physio) and the rest of the medical team, and he seems to be in a really good place, mentally.”
Bartley blast response
Meanwhile, the trip to Dumfries will see United face a Queens side reeling from an astonishing blast from their manager Marvin Bartley (below).
The former Hibs midfielder called out several players for costly errors after last weekend’s 3-1 defeat against Kelty Hearts, while questioning mammoth gaming sessions and carrying out unauthorised coaching elsewhere.
Despite the pressure mounting, Bartley remains in post for the visit of the Tangerines.
“They’ve had a difficult start to the season and it’s not been what Marvin was looking for,” continued Goodwin.
“But we played them in a pre-season friendly at St Andrews and we could see what Marvin was trying to get out of the players. They played really well that day.
“They’ll probably enjoy being underdogs this weekend. The onus is on us to get the job done.”
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