JIM GOODWIN remained coy on a Dundee United deal for Declan Gallagher after reported interest in the Scotland defender.
The Tannadice manager gave little away in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s Viaplay Cup win over Falkirk, earned thanks to a first-half Kai Fotheringham goal. United still look set to exit the competition after losing their opening two ties, but have since won two consecutively to build some momentum.
Goodwin is still putting finishing touches to a side relegated from the Premiership last year. He insists United still need to bolster their defensive options and, despite keeping his counsel on whether a deal is imminent, admitted he is an admirer of the 32-year-old.
“Deccy’s a player I worked with in the past and still admire. I’ve said that we still need to strengthen in the backline and we are working on one or two things. He’s a very experienced defender and we’ll just need to wait to see what comes tomorrow.”
Fotheringham pounced on a glaring Tom Lang error to open the scoring, as the Falkirk defender paid the price for playing a square pass across his own box. But the United academy graduate then pulled up with a thigh strain and was replaced by Declan Glass.
“That’s probably the big negative on the night,” said Goowin. “It’s disappointing to see him limp off with what looks like a thigh strain. It’s too early to diagnose it but hopefully it’s nothing too serious.”
Nevertheless, Goodwin remained pleased with his side’s work on the night, especially in standing up to Falkirk’s second-half push for an equaliser.
“We’re obviously pleased to win any game of football. There are no easy games in this competition. You saw two sides to our group tonight. In the first half the shape of our team and the press was very good and that was where the goal came from. In the second half, especially in the last 25 minutes, Falkirk started to go a bit more direct and our centre halves had to stand up and be counted. We showed a gritty side to the team that we’ve maybe not seen in the previous three games which was pleasing for me. It was a collective effort from the team with everyone putting in a shift.”
