Dundee United’s young stars are being backed to cope with the considerable challenge they will face in Poland.
Injuries combined with a tighter budget have meant the Tangerines will be relying heavily on youth when they take on Slask Wroclaw in the away leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie on Thursday.
Boarding the plane from Edinburgh Airport will be 21-year-olds Johnny Russell, Keith Watson and Barry Douglas and 19-year-olds Stuart Armstrong and Scott Allan, while star striker David Goodwillie is just that little bit older at 22.
All are likely to either start or be on the bench against Slask but, rather than be worried about how they will handle the pressure, one of United’s more seasoned campaigners, 32-year-old Scott Severin, has full confidence in them.
He said, “They are all confident in their own ability and so they should be.
“That kind of self-belief is what you need going into a game like this.
“Some of them haven’t played any European football before but they have bags of ability, which they will hopefully show on the night.”Discipline vitalHe added, “Of course, some of the older guys like myself can play their part as well.
“I, for one, will be keen to pass on valuable little words of advice during the match to help them through certain situations.”
Severin said, “Discipline on the park is essential in this kind of tie.
“For example, we don’t want to commit too many bodies forward when we don’t have to so I will be having a word here and there.
“We have to stay big and strong as a unit and try to come back to Scotland with a good result.”
Severin has fond memories of his past European exploits and was at Hearts when a side managed by former United boss Craig Levein, assisted by Peter Houston, stunned star-studded French outfit Bordeaux 1-0 in the UEFA Cup in 2003.Hearts in mindsThe Jam Tarts triumphed against all the odds in their second round, first leg tie in southern France thanks to a sensational winner from Dutch ace Mark de Vries another former United employee late in the game.
Severin points to the events of that night as proof that anything is possible with the right sort of belief.
He said, “At Hearts we beat Bordeaux away from home after nobody had given us a hope of doing anything.”
United have strived to find chinks in the Slask armour, with management and players dissecting video footage of the Poles.
Severin said, “Our coach Paul Hegarty was over watching them recently and said to us they are very similar to a Scottish team.
“Basically once they lose the ball they work ever so hard to get it back right away but also have a lot of creative players who can make things happen.”
He added, “We are under no illusions about how tough it promises to be but, in saying that, we know what we can achieve.”