Swanson justifies faith

The midfielder went some way to repaying the Tannadice boss by grabbing a goal as United snatched a dramatic late win at St Mirren in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.

Swanson has now vowed to continue his own impressive form and show he deserves to remain in Houston's plans.

He said: "This is the longest I've had in the team. I've been in and out of the team and I've found it hard to nail down a starting place because of the players we've got here. But I think I've been playing well and the manager has stuck by me. Even when I've had a few poor games. He has kept me in the team and I'd like to thank him for that. Hopefully I can keep going."

The 2-1 win in Paisley kept United in the hunt for third spot and Swanson insists the race is still wide open.

He said: "We have shown we are as good as Hibs. We beat Hibs already, we just need to get the consistency going."

He added: "Hibs are expected to finish third with the players they've got and the players they have brought in. We are just happy to sneak in."

Swanson struck with only seven minutes to go to cancel out Michael Higdon's opener before substitute David Goodwillie snatched the winner deep into injury time.