Dundee United are racking up the points.
And David Babunski is stacking up the fines.
The Tangerines’ team spirit has been evident during a superb start to the season, with Jim Goodwin’s charges turning in a host of gutsy displays, while showcasing laudable resilience to regularly notch late goals.
And Declan Gallagher reckons that camaraderie shines through in the way the squad largely manages itself, with captain Ross Docherty running the teams’s tongue-in-cheek disciplinary committee.
Among the rules “ruthlessly” enforced is one relating to phone usage and Babunski is paying the price – literally – as he stays in touch with his family.
“Doc hands out the fines but I help as much as I can,” smiled Gallagher.
“We have a committee. Doc is the chair of it, Craig Sibbald is there as a vice-captain and one of the foreign boys gets asked to be the spokesperson.
“That means there’s no bias, nobody can say they’re getting picked on. We have a decent pot building up because of the fines.”
He added: “David Babunski is responsible for lots of it. We have a rule that you need to be off your phone for 1.30pm but he’s always out on the pitch phoning home, so it’s costing him a few quid.
“The boys are ruthless about it. He’s been a great contributor to the cause – and he’s taken it in good spirits. He’s not a big drinker either so he’ll do well to get it back!”
Gallagher: Goodwin has ‘eye for a player’
While Babunski has contributed heavily to United’s next team bonding session, he has also brought plenty to the pitch for the Tangerines.
He was among 13 summer signings brought to the club and, aside from Richard Odada, Meshack Ubochioma and Dave Richards – all of whom have seen limited game-time – the vast majority have been hits.
Gallagher reckons that is testament to Goodwin’s judgement of talent.
“You look at his recruitment at St Mirren, he signed some great players like Jamie McGrath and Connor Ronan,” said Gallagher. “At Aberdeen he signed a lot of very good players – (Bojan) Miovski, Duk and (Ylber) Ramadani.
“It’s been proven here how good he is with his recruitment; he’s brought in some really good players from across Europe.
“He’s not afraid to look at Macedonia and other places, where guys like Trapa (Kristijan Trapanovski) and David (Babunski) have come from. They hit the ground running.
“He’s definitely got a really good eye for a player.”
The real Jim Goodwin
Indeed, Gallagher now reckons players and supporters alike are seeing the best of Goodwin as a manager, having worked with the United gaffer briefly at Aberdeen.
It was an ultimately unhappy spell for both men.
But the reunion has proved far more enjoyable, with Gallagher a mainstay in the Tangerines side that won promotion from the Championship and a standout upon their impressive return to the top-flight this term.
Goodwin, meanwhile, last week penned an extension to his deal as boss until the summer of 2026.
“Although I worked with the gaffer before at Aberdeen, it was only seven games,” added Gallagher. “We had a lot of midweek (games), so it was a bit stop-start.
“It’s only when you work with someone for longer – get a summer with them and a run of Saturday-to-Saturday games – that you see the full benefit of it.
“He’s put his stamp on things from last season in the Championship to now. He’s got his own team and a calmness because of that, he brought most of the players to the club and it’s his team now.
“When he came in here, he had to change a lot of things but it’s a process and it takes time. I think you’re seeing now just how good a manager he is.”
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