St Johnstone loan defender, Lewis Neilson, hasn’t lost his affection for Dundee United.
But the boy who supported the Tangerines and then went on to play for them is determined to make sure his old club remain winless in the Premiership for one week longer.
Neilson was career-focused when he decided to swap Tannadice for Tynecastle.
And the local lad will be all business in this weekend’s Tayside derby.
“I really liked Robbie Neilson when he was at Dundee United,” the 21-year-old recalled.
“He brought me up from the under-18s and had me in and about the first team during the Championship season.
“I knew he wanted me at Hearts and I wasn’t really getting any game-time at Dundee United.
“The club was probably in a different place to where it is now. It seems a lot more settled.
“It was purely a career decision. I love Dundee United and I always will.
“I’m a fan, so I’ve got not a bad word to say about the club.
“All the off pitch stuff (a dispute between the two clubs over whether compensation was due) had nothing to do with me.
“I didn’t even hear too much about it.
“My United-supporting pals were fine with me.
“They knew I just moved to focus on the football.
“Everyone kind of understood that and just wanted the best thing for me.
“I love playing at Tannadice.
“It’s obviously where I grew up, where I made my professional debut, where I played my first games.
“It’s a great club, so I’m looking forward to going back and hopefully getting a result.”
Spoony Chop on his debut
Neilson made his United debut in Saturday’s fixture – a 1-1 draw to open Saints’ double-winning season.
“I didn’t know I was starting until the day before,” he said. “I was cramping up after about 60 minutes, right enough.
“It’s a game I’ll never forget.
“I was on the right of a back three up against David Wotherspoon.
“He was pretty sharp and he tried to chop me a few times!
“It was tough but exciting.
“I expected to go on loan that season.
“Micky Mellon was the manager and I think I played about 10 or 15 games, which was brilliant.”
Neilson has a former United academy chief to thank for his Jason Kerr-esque positional switch.
“I was coming back from a bad ankle injury, Andy Goldie was the coach and he put me at the back to get some fitness up before going back into midfield,” he explained.
“But I did well in defence so it just kind of stuck from there.
“I played centre-mid last week (against Rangers) and really enjoyed that too. It’s good to be able to do both.
“Having played in the middle of the park helps as a centre-half.
“One of my main assets at the back is stepping in with the ball and creating stuff.
“That comes from being comfortable in midfield. You obviously get a lot less time in there.
“At the back I feel like I’ve got a world of time and can create stuff from there.”
Attacking options
When Neilson lifts his head to play a pass, whether from defence or midfield, he knows there will be good options to get Saints up the pitch.
“We’ve got a real threat up front,” he said.
“Obviously, playing in the Championship last year, I hadn’t seen much of Benji (Kimpioka) or Adama (Sidibeh).
“But coming in here, they’re brilliant. They’re a great outlet.
“They work really hard, are fast and strong – everything you want in a striker.
“It makes a big difference when you go into games expecting to score goals.
“I know Adama was disheartened by the chance (to equalise against Rangers) he had last week.
“But he’s it behind him. He’s had a brilliant week’s training. Hopefully, he can show that tomorrow.”
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