Dundee United will go for broke against Slask says Peter Houston

PETER Houston remembers the days when Tannadice used to pulse to the beat of European nights. They were the kind of evenings which caused heart-rates to quicken as excitement and a sense of anticipation filled the air.

He was an interested spectators in those days, but despite having a 1-0 deficit to overhaul from their opening Europa League tie against Slask Wroclaw, he promises that his team will deliver the kind of passionate performance that could yet extend this season's European sojourn.

Forget any caginess, the United manager is adamant that his team will not turn in their tickets to further travels this term. Certainly not without a decent fight. For him, the greatest regret would be to meekly submit and exit the competition with merely a whimper.

"As a person and as a coach, I would hate it and I would kick myself if we didn't have a go. I played up front and scored goals, albeit at clubs like Falkirk and places like that, but my philosophy is different from others; I would rather have a go and get beaten 5-0 than be happy with a 0-0 and be out knowing we were beaten over there by a sh**ty goal.

"I want to have a go and I can guarantee the United punters that we will be putting the ball in the box and we will have players in there."

In the away leg last week the approach was more cautious. There was a strict structure and a reticence to send too many forward. Yet still there were chances. Both David Goodwillie and Johnny Russell could have given the Dundee side the advantage long before substitute Johan Voskamp's deflected effort gave the Polish league runners-up a narrow lead to take into this evening's tie.

Houston is willing to gamble that if his players can create chances again, there will be a greater conversion rate.

"We will have midfield players going in - we didn't ask them to do last week - so it will be a whole lot different in that sense.

"But, in the same breath, we have to make sure that we don't give anything away early because that could kill the tie. It would leave us needing three and the fans would go flat so, yes, we have a job to do when we don't have the ball, but it will be going forward quicker, and a lot now depends on whether they allow us to do that. But the biggest thing for me is just getting the ball in the box and then seeing what happens."

There is a confidence in the Polish ranks that the job has already been done. Talking up their chances ahead of the first leg, they are buoyed further by their 1-0 lead and the fact that United failed to get an away goal.

But Houston is not willing to concede defeat. He says his side have the quality and the mental fortitude needed to bounce back. Having beaten both Rangers and Celtic in recent years on home turf he does not believe that tonight's opposition are as good, but is wary of the defensive tactics they may adopt in the hope of seeing their way through to then next round where the winner meets either PFC Locomotiv Sofia or Metalurg Skopje on 28 July.

"We will have a go and we remember we were 3-1 down to Rangers in the Scottish Cup a couple of seasons ago at Ibrox and we fought back and had a go and got the draw and the rest is history as we all know what happened that year!"

United went on to win that trophy and Houston says a positive approach is vital again if they want to extend their involvement in another knock-out tournament. "I remember watching the European nights here when I was younger and that was a fantastic United side full of more seasoned campaigners than we have now, but those European nights showed what it is like when Tannadice is rocking and we would like the fans to get behind us and get it rocking again.

"Because, if we can put them under pressure and do our jobs and make sure we don't lose an early goal then we have everything to play for. We will certainly have a go because I'm a great believer that as this is cup football, if you don't have a go then you are out, simple as that.

"What's the point in us being happy with a 0-0? I can almost guarantee it will not be 0-0. I know it won't be for the want of us trying.

"We know we have beaten Rangers and Celtic here, but they don't come and get everybody behind the ball; Slask will."

Houston does have to hope Danny Swanson and Gary Kenneth will be available to play some part, thereby offering greater options than last week. Both players missed out the 1-0 defeat in Poland, but Swanson managed 30 minutes against Cowdenbeath on Saturday, while Kenneth has resumed full training and is in line for a start if there is no adverse reaction.