Nothing was pinned on the Dundee United dressing room wall.
Times have moved on.
However, Tannadice captain Ross Docherty insists he was acutely aware of the naysayers tipping the Terrors to toil upon their return to the Premiership.
With complete confidence in the quality and character of the group assembled by boss Jim Goodwin, Docherty had no such fears – albeit any public utterances remained modest – and those relegation tips were simply additional fuel to the fire.
United are now safely ensconced in the top six and sitting in fourth spot, above Aberdeen on goal difference. A blockbuster finale is in store, with European football an increasingly likely possibility.
“When we won promotion, a lot of people tipped us to be fighting relegation,” said Docherty. “But we were quietly confident.
“We were never going to say “we are definitely going to finish in the top six” or anything like that. But we’ve achieved that and are now nine points ahead of sixth.
“We want to solidify that and chase the teams ahead of us. There’s absolutely no pressure on us. We are not a small club, by any means, but there are big clubs ahead of us spending big money.
“So, we want to go and put pressure on them.”
Asked whether those naysayers provided an additional source of motivation, he smiled: “You’ve got to use it. We’re not daft; and whoever comes up this season will get the same things.
“People will say they’ll struggle to adapt and all that. So, you’ve got to use wee things like that.
“It’s not like it’s pinned on the dressing room wall or anything like that, but you let it drive you as a team. We were confident in the squad that the club built.”
Proving a personal point
While happy to silence a few doubters regarding United’s eventual fate, Docherty takes personal pride from proving to himself that he is capable of shining in the Scottish Premiership.
This is the experienced midfielder’s maiden top-flight campaign and, while fitness travails have been a source of frustration, he has been a standout performer whenever available.
Given his aptitude at this level, it is remarkable to consider that he was playing in League One with Ayr United as recently as the 2017/18 season.
“It’s been frustrating (the injury issues) at times but, touch wood, we’ve got to the bottom of it now and changed a few things recently,” explained Docherty.
“For me, it’s not proving anybody wrong, personally. You’re proving it to yourself and proving it to the people who brought you to the club and stood by you. I think I’ve done all right when I’ve played.
“I want to keep doing that now and help the team finish as high as we can.”
Conversation