Dundee United captain Fraser Fyvie and manager Robbie Neilson have teamed up to applaud the Tangerines’ travelling army.
United had an extremely impressive 1,823 fans roaring them on to a 2-0 win over Dunfermline at a bitterly cold East End Park on Saturday from a total attendance of 6,349.
Neilson has been quick to pile praise on the faithful since his appointment, going out of his way to thank the 1,000-strong support that attended his first game in charge at Partick Thistle and mentioning how they still clapped the players off the Tannadice pitch despite only drawing against Inverness in his second match.
He was at it again following what was a comfortable victory over the Pars and this time he was joined by an extremely appreciative Fyvie.
The midfielder said: “Probably the most important thing for us is having our fans there with us.
“At Tannadice last week against Inverness, we didn’t win but they were right behind us and they also came out in their numbers down at Partick.
“It gives you that extra yard or two when you have that.
“It’s nice when you hear them singing or clapping you off the pitch at the end.
“You really appreciate that as players and I think the supporters are appreciating the effort we are putting in.”
Neilson believes that the ‘12th man’ can really help third-placed United as they try to catch Championship leaders Ross County, who currently sit five points better off than them.
The Tangerines boss added: “One of the big things for me is that we took over 1,800 fans to the game which is phenomenal.
“We took a thousand to Partick and then in our next away game it was 1,800.
“That shows that the United fans are desperate to come and enjoy their football.
“That reflects on to the players as well because they can see the reaction and, at the end, they can show their appreciation for that support.
“We can build momentum together and remember that we are only three games in.”
