Jim Goodwin watched Dundee United take a dunt and insisted it is now a three-way scrap for Premiership survival.
It was a game of fine margins and it was Saints who came out on top, thanks to Liam Gordon’s winner at McDiarmid Park. It ended United's three game winning run but Ross County’s win and Kilmarnock’s defeat at Motherwell means the bottom three are separated by just one point. Goodwin said: “If we’d gone down without a fight then I would be very disappointed, but the character is there in the group.
“We are in a decent position if you consider where we were prior to the Hibs game. If I was sitting here still five points adrift, I’d be very concerned. But we’re not. We are still level on points with Kilmarnock, albeit Ross County have closed that gap. It looks like it will be between the three of us at the bottom and we have great belief in the group.”
United weren’t helped when experienced defender Charlie Mulgrew was sent off for a late challenge on Melker Hallberg. Goodwin hadn’t seen any replays and was reluctant to make comment until that was the case,
The United manager claimed: “If we’d gone down without a fight then I would be very disappointed, but the character is there in the group.
United could have rescued a point in stoppage time but Fletcher’s shot came back off the bar. Goodwin added: “I think if Fletcher’s effort at the end goes in then, over the piece, a draw would have been a fair outcome.
"I don’t think it was a particularly good game of football and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the last game on the highlights show!”
