Glenn Middleton is adamant every day is a new opportunity to grab a Dundee United jersey as the battle for places at Tannadice hots up.
The winger concedes that a mounting sense of frustration is entirely natural after falling out of favour during the opening months of the campaign.
A key man in United’s romp to the Championship title last term, he is yet to play a minute in the Premiership this season.
But rather than sulk or agitate, Middleton has vowed to redouble his efforts in training in a bid to impress boss Jim Goodwin and snap at the heels of those currently occupying a starting berth.
And he was rewarded for his hard graft with an outing against Motherwell last Friday night. Despite United ultimately succumbing to a 2-1 defeat, Middleton – along with fellow substitutes Louis Moult and Sam Dalby – changed the game.
Goodwin has subsequently acknowledged that the impact of those climbing from the bench has given him ample food for thought.
“Every day is a chance to get myself back in the team,” Middleton told Courier Sport. “You are only going to kill yourself if you don’t do things properly.
“Everyone wants to play and there is good competition at the minute. So, it’s about taking your chance when it comes.
“I hope those opportunities come. You can only do the right things day-in, day-out to get yourself in the best shape and the best position for when you do get that chance.
“Then it’s over to me.”
Goodwin message
He added: “The manager has just told me to keep going; everyone is in the same boat, really. It’s good that we have that competition, and it’ll hopefully put us in a good position going forward.
“It can be easy to get frustrated. That’s only natural – I think that shows that you care. When you have a squad of 20-odd players, who all have the same mindset of wanting to play, that can only be good for driving standards.
Strong B team showdown
Following a bright cameo at Fir Park, Middleton was immediately back in action on Monday afternoon as United’s B side crossed swords with their Dundee counterparts, winning 3-0 on penalties following a 0-0 draw.
Middleton was arguably the standout performer for the Tangerines.
And while second string run-outs can sometimes feel inconsequential, respective club bosses Goodwin and Tony Docherty spoke ahead of the fixture and agreed to field strong sides, affording valuable minutes to some senior stars.
As such Kevin Holt, Vicko Sevelj, Moult, Dalby, Meshack Ubochioma and Miller Thomson lined up for United, with Scott Fraser, Clark Robertson, Seb Palmer-Houlden, Josh Mulligan and Fin Robertson featuring for the Dark Blues.
“You can sometimes play in games like that, and they can be a little false, but that was a really good test,” continued Middleton. “I thought everyone was brilliant in the way they went about it, going at it from the first minute – both sides.
“There was respect from both teams with the quality the teams both put out.”
Tough Killie test
Whether it gave the watching Goodwin further food for thought regarding Middleton’s place ahead of Saturday’s trip to Kilmarnock remains to be seen, as the Terrors seek to arrest a run of two successive defeats.
“Hopefully, I’ve given myself a chance,” added the former St Johnstone and Rangers flyer. “I’ve been working as hard as I can – as all the boys have – and that’s all you can do.
“It’ll be a good game but a tough one. It’s always difficult going there (Kilmarnock) for several reasons – the way they set up; the pitch; the conditions you can sometimes get down there.
“But it’s over to us on the training pitch to work on our game-plan and, come Saturday, we’ll be in the best shape possible.”
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