Dundee United

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Football can be all about momentum - either the lack of it, or being able to get some going.

After edging out Ayr in the Scottish Cup, Dundee United will have been desperate to try to register back-to-back domestic wins for the first time this season.

So the postponement of last weekend's Premiership visit of St Mirren was the last thing they wanted.

Next up is a Saturday night Tannadice clash with league leaders Hearts – where victory would be a real statement to suggest United's season is back on track.

While United haven't beaten Hearts at home for 10 years, they ran them close in both previous meetings this season, conceding in the 90th minute to lose 3-2 at Tannadice in August before a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle in November.

The stat about United - who are eighth in the table - still having to put together back-to-back wins highlights the inconsistency that has marred their campaign.

That inconsistency is shown by the fact they have won just five, and drawn 10 of their 22 league games.

While beating Hearts would suggest the Tangerines' ship has been steadied, a defeat would simply reinforce the stop-start nature of a season that has yet to catch fire.

Dundee United have agreed a pre-contract agreement to sign Auckland winger Jesse Randall, with the 23-year-old New Zealand international joining in the summer on a two-year contract with an option of a further year. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Thursday's gossip.

Image source, Getty

Dundee United have signed "terrific" goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer from Charlton Athletic for an undisclosed fee on an initial six-month deal.

Maynard-Brewer, 26, helped Charlton win promotion from League One last season but has made just one appearance this term.

The academy graduate spent almost a decade at Charlton and had various loan spells, including helping Ross county to a sixth-place Scottish Premiership finish in 2021-22.

Born in England and raised in Australia, Maynard-Brewer played at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with the Socceroos Under-23s.

He will compete with Dave Richards for the starting spot at United following Yevhen Kucherenko's departure earlier this month.

"He is a terrific young goalkeeper as far as we are concerned, he knows the league having spent a loan spell at Ross County four seasons ago," said United manager Jim Goodwin.

"He is a lot more experienced now for the opportunities he has had at Charlton and we believe we are getting a really good goalkeeper to come in and compete for that first-place slot.

"We were light in that department anyway, it is a position we have been working hard on since the beginning of the window. I am delighted to get Ashley over the line."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for Saturday's visit of league leaders Hearts.

Here are the main points:

• After their home game with St Mirren was postponed last weekend, Goodwin says the groundstaff have been "working tirelessly" to make sure this weekend's match is on, adding "with the change in the weather now I am confident the game will be fine".

• Amid speculation over a move for Charlton's Ashley Maynard-Brewer, Goodwin says United are close to getting a new goalkeeper in. Beyond that he is not expecting much more business in this transfer window, stressing he was "really pleased" with the business they did last summer.

• On reports linking United with a possible pre-contract with New Zealand winger Jesse Randall, Goodwin admits "he is a player we admire" and one that will be "on a lot of clubs' radars at the moment".

• He also admits "these pre-contract negotiations are ongoing with a number of players".

• With so many fixtures coming up, including a visit from Hibs and a Scottish Cup tie against Sparts after the Hearts game, Goodwin stresses "it could be a season-defining couple of weeks for us".

• The 44-year-old insists his side need to start winning league games "to chase down the pack above us in that top six".

• The United boss knows his side have "given ourselves a bit of a mountain to climb" but believes they are capable.

• Goodwin is expecting a tough game against "a really good team" in Hearts and has highlighted the strength and depth the Tynecastle club have to continue to perform well despite being without several key players .

• Team news: Other than Vicko Sevelj and Isaac Pappoe who are out injured, "we are in a good place".

Dundee United have approached 23-year-old New Zealand winger Jesse Randall, who plays for A-League leaders Auckland, about a pre-contract agreement for next season. (The Courier)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

Ronny Costello
Fan writer

This week hasn't been particularly eventful. Saturday just disappeared following the news the postponement of our game with St Mirren.

The Tannadice pitch needs some TLC, it's certainly patchy in places and the rain last week was relentless.

We could only watch the results from other games and hope for a positive outcome.

Now all eyes are on Saturday. Hearts at home at 20:00 GMT. I'm not a fan of that time, but this game feels like a big deal.

Hearts are top of the league and have been going great guns. While a good performance is important, the right result would be huge.

Ronny Costello can be found at the Dode Fox Podcast, external

Dundee United have made a move for Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer and have agreed a deal to sign the 26-year-old on a permanent basis. (Daily Record), external

Manager Jim Goodwin says Dundee United's ground staff will be working round the clock to try and ensure Saturday evening's Scottish Premiership meeting with Hearts at Tannadice goes ahead, with more rain expected this week after last Saturday's match with St Mirren at the ground was postponed. (Sun), external

Goodwin admits United can scarcely afford another call-off. (Courier - subscription required), external

Tuesday's Scottish gossip

Image source, SNS

Dundee United's Vicko Sevelj is set to remain sidelined along with Isaac Pappoe (knee).

Kion Etete will go straight into the St Mirren squad after signing on loan from Cardiff until the end of the season. Oisin Smyth, recalled from a loan spell at Partick Thistle, has returned to the Jags on loan until the end of the season. Saints remain without Jonah Ayunga (tendon), Mark O'Hara (ankle) and Keanu Baccus (hamstring tendon).

Image source, SNS

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin says St Mirren's current League Cup-winning hangover is reminiscent of when he captained the Buddies to glory in the same competition 13 year ago.

On Saturday United host Stephen Robinson's side, who have won only one of their seven league matches since defeating Celtic in the final last month.

Goodwin was captain of the Paisley side the previous time they lifted the cup before failing to win any of their following seven top-flight matches.

"I think it's difficult after the highs of winning the cup then to refocus and get back on to the league programme. I've seen that numerous times," said Goodwin.

"It actually happened to my own team back in 2013. We really struggled to get any momentum in the league after the cup final.

"Stephen Robinson has had lots of injuries to key players as well to contend with, but they've still got a very good, strong squad available to them. We will certainly be preparing for a very difficult fixture.

"They gave us a really difficult game in Paisley last time out and deserved to win the game and we need to make sure we don't have a similar type of performance on Saturday because we can't afford to be on the wrong end of the result."

United are five points off sixth-placed Falkirk after winning just two of their past 13 league games.

"We have to put a run of wins together, something that we haven't been able to do up to now," added Goodwin.

"We're going into that last block of 11 games now prior to the split and we have to start picking up maximum points on a consistent basis."

Dundee United, Gillingham and Oldham Athletic are among a number of clubs eyeing a move for 27-year-old Forest Green Rovers winger Kyle McAllister. (Peter O'Rourke on X), external

Dundee United are exploring a pre-contract agreement with 23-year-old defender Evan Weir, who is out of contract with Walsall this summer. (Mark Hendry on Substack), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Image source, SNS

• Alex Gogic, who scored St Mirren's equaliser against Livingston last time out, is set to make his 250th Scottish Premiership appearance (currently 249). He will be only the second non-British/Irish player - after Canada's David Wotherspoon (295) - to reach that figure since the top flight was rebranded to the Premiership in 2013-14.

• Dundee United have lost their past two league games without scoring, last losing three in a row without reply in the Premiership in December 2021 (run of four).

• St Mirren are winless in eight away league games (D2 L6) since beating Falkirk 2-1 in September. Only bottom side Livingston have fewer away points this season (four) than the Buddies (six, level with Dundee).

• After their 3-1 win in October, Dundee United are looking to beat St Mirren twice at home within a single Premiership campaign for the first time since 2013-14.

• St Mirren have won two of their past three league meetings with Dundee United (L1) after losing three in a row without scoring beforehand.

Image source, SNS

Jim Goodwin is "not surprised" by interest in Dundee United wing-back Will Ferry and says it is "part of our strategy" to develop players then sell them on.

The 25-year-old has become a key man since moving to Tannadice from Cheltenham 18 months ago and - with a contract until the summer of 2027 - United would be looking for a seven-figure fee if they were to sell.

Vancouver Whitecaps are reportedly planning a move for Ferry after a failed bid to buy him last summer, while Real Salt Lake have been credited with an interest, along with clubs in the Netherlands and England.

"As a manager, of course, you never want to lose any of your good players," manager Goodwin said.

"Will Ferry has been a great signing for us. I brought him in from Cheltenham Town in the lower leagues of England, gave him the opportunity to play in the Scottish Premiership and raise his profile.

"Off the back of his consistent performances over the last 18 months, he's obviously starting to gain the attention of one or two clubs, not just here in the UK, but all over Europe and obviously in the States as well, so I'm not surprised by that at all.

"It's part of our strategy. It's part of our business model. We've got the youngest squad in the Scottish Premiership. We want to bring in good young players, develop them and hopefully one day we'll make good money on them.

"But of course, from a selfish point of view, from a manager's point of view, I don't want to lose my best players."

After adding wing-back Neil Farrugia from Barnsley last week, Goodwin's next priority is to bolster his goalkeeping department following Yevhen Kucherenko's move to Greek club Panetolikos earlier this month.

"I think in terms of the goalkeeping situation, that's still something that we're monitoring at the moment," he said.

"We've only got two senior goalkeepers available to us, in Dave Richards and Ruairidh Adams. We need to try and add a third one to that group just to make sure that we cover ourselves in case of any injuries or suspension."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Dundee United have their first win of 2026, an edgy 2-0 victory over Championship side Ayr in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

It wasn't a vintage display but they got through and in the cup that is all that matters.

Sometimes in a season there can be turning points and manager Jim Goodwin will be hoping this is it.

His players showed plenty of character amid what has been a rollercoaster season for them so far.

Tannadice was viewed by some as the venue for a potential cup shock but Goodwin's side diligently got the job done.

They kept a clean sheet, ending a six game-run without one, while Nikolaj Moller and Panutche Camara netted their first goals for the club.

United have also been rewarded with another home tie against lower-league opposition, this time League Two leaders Spartans.

All in, there were plenty of positives to take from the win, even if it wasn't the kind of sparkling display Tannadice fans would have wanted.

The challenge now is to channel that positivity to reinvigorate a league campaign which has been marred by inconsistency.

Paul McNicoll
Fan writer

Scottish Cup fourth-round weekend used to be sacred. A date ring-fenced on the calendar of every top-flight supporter because this was when the romance lived. Or at least it used to be.

Down Tannadice way last Saturday, that romance looked like it had texted to say it was knackered and stayed in.

Only around 4,000 souls turned up for Dundee United v Ayr United, and judging by attendances elsewhere across Scotland, this wasn't an isolated case.

It's disheartening.

As a United supporter, I begin every season with a refreshing dose of realism. Winning the league? Not happening.

But a cup? A cup is different. A cup is real, tangible hope. It's the reason we still convince ourselves in August "this could be our year".

The League Cup… well, the League Cup is the League Cup. I still care deeply about that competition, but it's been chipped away at. Early-round kick-offs in July, group stages that feel like a pre-season fitness drill.

But the Scottish Cup? That's different. That trophy has never been devalued. Winning it is still massive, especially for a so-called 'provincial' club. It is history, folklore and generations of "I was there" stories rolled into one battered old piece of silverware.

Which is why falling attendances are so worrying. It suggests the Scottish Cup doesn't feel the same any more even if, on paper, it still is.

So why are fans staying away?

Cost is the obvious culprit. Football is no longer a cheap habit and when you add transport, food and the luxury of a Bovril, something has to give. For many supporters, cup games are the first thing sacrificed.

There's also a creeping sense of predictability. While upsets still happen (and bless them when they do), many fans have been conditioned to expect the same outcomes year after year. Romance is great, but romance with a 90% chance of heartbreak tends to lose its shine.

Then there's the general apathy toward cup football itself. Modern football culture is obsessed with leagues, form tables and 'projects'. Cups are messy. They are gloriously inconvenient and maybe that's part of the problem.

So how do we fix it?

First: pricing. Make Scottish Cup tickets meaningfully cheaper. Not "£2 off if you buy before Tuesday" cheaper, but family friendly why would you stay home cheaper. Treat the competition like the national treasure it is.

Second: scheduling. Stop treating early rounds like an afterthought. Give them proper kick-off times, breathing space in the calendar, and a sense of occasion. Saturday at 3pm still works wonders. Who knew?

Third: sell the chaos. The Scottish Cup should be marketed as football's antidote to predictability. Big clubs hate it for a reason. Lean into that. Remind fans this is where legends are made, giants wobble, and lower-league keepers turn into temporary demigods.

And finally: clubs themselves need to buy in. Rotate less. Respect the competition. Fans can smell indifference a mile away and if the club doesn't look bothered, why should they?

The Scottish Cup deserves noise, hope and that uniquely Scottish belief that maybe, just maybe, something ridiculous might happen.

Because one day it just might. And wouldn't it be a shame if no one was there to see it?

Paul McNicoll can be found at the Dode Fox Podcast, external

Vancouver Whitecaps are among Major League Soccer clubs interested in Dundee United defender Will Ferry, 25. (The Courier - subscription required), external

Football agent John Viola has recalled how he stood firm over personal terms for Ray McKinnon's £750,000 transfer from Dundee United despite receiving the hairdryer treatment from legendary manager Brian Clough before Nottingham Forest came back with a deal four times their original offer plus a big signing on fee. (The Courier), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

We asked for your views on Dundee United's 2-0 win against Ayr United which sealed them a spot in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.

Here's what some of you said:

Kenny: We got the win, defence looked much better with Sam Cleall-Harding and Ross Graham together but Jim Goodwin just doesn't seem to know his best starting 11, especially in midfield with too many wide players. Another experienced centre forward would be a great addition.

Dave: The first half wasn't a great watch but we were totally dominant in the second. Ayr were a decent team on the day so a clean sheet and two good goals from open play will do me.

Rayaan: It was a scrappy game but we got the result we needed and two players off the mark for United.

Eddie: Glad to get through but that first half was a hard watch yet again. Why oh why can't this team be at it from the first whistle? Three at the back against lower league opposition? It once again begs questions of Goodwin doesn't it? Professional players that can't find a teammate with a pass and can't hold onto possession, quite simply we need to be better.

Goals from Nikolaj Moller and Panutche Camara sealed Dundee United's spot in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup at Ayr United's expense.

Read the match report

Have your say

Image source, SNS

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin tells BBC Scotland: "The cup games are about getting the result and making sure your team is in the hat when the draw comes around.

"We never expected today to be easy or straightforward. Ayr United are a good team, well organised with experienced players.

"Scott Brown has recruited really well and we found it difficult to break them down.

"Second half there was an improvement in the tempo of the game and we deserved to win the game in the end.

"We had enough control in the game, but didn't do enough in the final third.

"We scored a couple of good goals and Dave Richards had very little to do. The longer the game goes on without the first goal, you can feel the tension, but the players deserve credit for staying calm and finding that all-important first goal.

"I'm delighted for Nico and Pan. Nico came into the squad late in the summer - he's been working ever so hard to get that sharpness and that goal will give him a lot of confidence.

"We all want to get to Hampden, not just to the semi-final, but you've got to take it one game at a time. What we can look at is past winners who have managed to find a way.

"It was important to get back to winning ways - we've got a really difficult fixture coming up against St Mirren at home."