Gary Mackay-Steven puts nomination down to family spirit at United

Dundee United winger Gary Mackay-Steven has highlighted the relaxed atmosphere at the club as part of the reason for his PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year nomination.

Mackay-Steven and team-mate Johnny Russell both made the four-man shortlist while striker Jon Daly was nominated for the Player of the Year. The recognition was beyond what Mackay-Steven could have hoped for when he joined the club last summer from Airdrie.

The 21-year-old had seven months out of football in 2010, working as a barman in his native Thurso, as he recuperated from a hip injury after leaving Liverpool, so his success this season has been a welcome surprise.

“It’s a massive honour,” he said. “I’m absolutely thrilled. When it’s your fellow professionals who are voting, it means a lot. I was just looking to establish myself in the Dundee United team over the course of the season. I managed to do that around November and it has gone unbelievably for me.

“Being with all the boys at Dundee United has helped. We’re a close-knit bunch.”

Mackay-Steven’s outrageous piece of skill in a 5-1 win against St Johnstone in February has also helped earn him recognition, and he hinted he has more tricks up his sleeve for United’s return to McDiarmid Park tomorrow.

“It’s been kind of crazy since then,” he said. “I’m going back to the scene on Saturday so hopefully we can do a few more things.”

United’s recent form has also given them a chance of overhauling Motherwell for the Champions League spot that third place will bring. Peter Houston’s men won six games in a row but their most recent game, a 3-1 defeat by Aberdeen, has left them needing to take something from the Tayside derby.

United striker Jon Daly said: “It’s really Motherwell’s place to lose. We’re looking for them to lose maybe three games in the run-in and us to win basically all of our games.

“We were in the bottom half of the table for a long part of the season. We always knew that once we got into our stride we could get into the top half.”

Meanwhile, Steve Lomas hopes the old adage that refereeing decisions even themselves out over the season proves to be true after claiming all the big calls have gone against St Johnstone since he took over as manager.

Lomas replaced Derek McInnes in November and has guided the Perth club to fourth spot in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and to within touching distance of a Europa League berth. But the Saints boss believes their exploits are despite a number of decisions wrongly going against his side and he hopes their luck is about to change.

Lomas said: “Since I’ve been in Scotland, we have not had decisions go our way. I keep saying that referees have a really hard job. But that old saying that decisions even themselves up over the course of the year – not since I’ve been here.

“Maybe you can only take it as bad luck. Referees call it as they see it. I would never question a referee’s integrity. Never. It’s a hard enough job.”