Paul Dixon is remaining remarkably philosophical after being ruled out of the Scottish Cup final.
The Dundee United left-back’s season is over after he broke a metatarsal in Sunday’s semi win over Raith.
However, rather than wallowing in self-pity, the former Dundee player accepted such misfortune goes with the territory.
“It’s obviously a massive blow but these things happen,” he said.
“I’ve not had much luck with injuries over the past few months — I’m trying to remember if I’ve run over any black cats.
“But in this job you get injured and you’ve just got to deal with it.
“With us being in a final the timing is terrible, but I’m not the first player to suffer this way.
“I’ll still be around the boys in the build-up and I’ll hopefully travel down with them so I should feel part of it.
“It will probably hit me more on the big day but there’s no point in worrying about it.”
Dixon said the news on his injury came as no surprise as he knew the damage was serious as soon as he sustained it.Feared worst”I kicked the underside of someone’s boot after about five minutes and although I tried to play on, it got worse and worse,” he said.
“To be honest I feared the worst when I was coming off — I suspected it was broken.
“The X-rays confirmed it and the doctor says I will be out for six weeks.
“I’ve been a quick healer in the past but it’s just a month to the final so I’d imagine that’s a step too far even for me.”
Boss Peter Houston admitted the loss of Dixon will be felt by United.
He said, “It is a major blow for us and the laddie himself. He has been unlucky in the last few months with injuries and now he is going to miss a cup final.
“He has been in the international squad and is a top young defender but we will just have to get on with it as there is nothing we can do about the situation now.
“We also picked up a couple of other injuries on Sunday. Danny Swanson has a tight hamstring and Morgaro Gomis has a knock on his knee, however, I have not ruled either of them out for Wednesday’s game against Rangers.”Tribute to fansSunday’s win has set up a cup final date against Ross County and Houston paid tribute to the part that United’s fans played in helping them overcome John McGlynn’s brave Raith side.
“The fans were different class at Hampden,” he said.
“Great credit to them as they have travelled quite a distance to Glasgow and been disappointed at times in the past.
“We passed many buses on our way back to our base at Cumbernauld and it was nice to see the fans with smiles on their faces.
“The noise they made throughout the game helped us, especially in the first 25 minutes or so when we were not at our best.
“They were right behind the team as always and I am delighted for them.
“I only managed to speak briefly to John McGlynn after the game as we were both tied up with media stuff, but I will make a point of chatting to him later in the week on the phone.
“Johnny can look back on his side’s run in the cup with pride as he has done a magnificent job and I felt his team played really well against us.”
After the cup heroics, there is now a change of focus back to league business, starting tomorrow night against champions-elect Rangers.
United look to have third place in the SPL table sewn up and are now setting their sights on second-top Celtic but after his players’ exertions at the national stadium, Houston admitted he may have to freshen things up.Changes”I am thinking of making a few changes for the Rangers game,” he said.
“That’s because the sunny weather and the size of the Hampden pitch took it out of the players.
“The same group have put a lot into games recently and come out with good victories and it might be time to see what the others have to offer.
“They are champing at the bit and want to impress as we have a cup final to look forward to and we are still trying to finish as high as possible in the league.
“Damian Casalinuovo has been injured recently, Fran Sandaza’s groin is all right but he is still working on his fitness levels, while Danny Cadamarteri has been out for the last few months.
“They will come into contention for the Rangers game along with one or two others like Jeno Myrie-Williams, who has had to be patient because of the form of Swanson and Craig Conway.
“So they might be given an opportunity against a top team like Rangers and it is up to them to take it.
“We are only five points off second-placed Celtic and we still have to play them.
“We are on a good run but as I have said before, we are only taking things one game at a time.
“We know that at the end of the season, we have a lovely cup final to look forward to but now we can focus fully on seeing how high we can finish in the league.”