Declan Gallagher expressed his belief that Dundee United showcased remarkable resilience during their 1-1 draw against Rangers on Saturday, especially considering the challenging circumstances leading up to the match.
The Tannadice outfit faced a tumultuous start to their day. They boarded the team coach at 9:30am, but their journey to Ibrox - which should usually take around 1 hour 30 minutes - was significantly disrupted by traffic delays caused by Storm Bert, which had wreaked havoc on the Scottish football schedule.
It was revealed by Rangers manager Philippe Clement that an offer was extended to Dundee United which could've saw the Taysider's use the Ibrox facilities instead of heading to a nearby hotel.
But they chose to stick closely with their normal routine, and as a result, the kick-off, originally set for 3pm, was pushed back, eventually getting underway 55 minutes later.
Despite the delayed start and a brief warm-up, Dundee United managed to maintain control of the match and opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a powerful header from Sam Dalby.
Rangers made two alterations at the break as Ianis Hagi and Danilo were introduced into the action, and they improved throughout the second half.
Winger Vaclav Cerny managed to equalise for Rangers, bringing the score to 1-1 just beyond the hour mark.
Despite the pressure from the home team, Gallagher and his Dundee United teammates demonstrated their defensive strength and composure, ultimately securing a valuable point. This result allowed them to maintain their position in fourth place in the Scottish Premiership, sitting just three points behind Rangers.
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“With preparations, with the accidents on the road, we were obviously on the bus for a lot longer than we would want to be," the Dundee United centre-back told DUTV.
“Obviously pre-match and stuff is disturbed and then kick-off times so I think there was a lot preparation wise that didn’t go our way.
“But I think that the character of the boys in this changing room showed on the park, they never let it affect them. And they were right up for it right from the [first] whistle.
“I think [the performance] was excellent. Each player to a man was superb.
"Obviously it was kind of a game of two halves. I think first half, we really imposed ourselves in the game.
“Our game plan worked well, getting down the outside, getting crosses into the box, and obviously Sam gets his goal, and the big man’s on fire just now. So it was great. And then obviously, second half, we knew that Rangers would come out and throw everything at us and that is exactly what they did. But I think we stood up to that challenge very well.
“I think the manager said in his [pre-match] interview that he wanted to kind of change the atmosphere, to get [Rangers fans] on their backs. So I think we managed to do that. And it’s good to hear that at times.”
