Winger Neil Heaney may have secured himself the chance to win a future at the club. Manager Alex Smith revealed earlier this week that Heaney-a £125,000 buy from Darlington in the summer- had come close to being told he could go and that there remained a possibility of his being offered a free, such had been the impact made by him at Tannadice. However, the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Southampton player’s performance in Monday night’s under-21 derby, coupled with the fact that he has improved his fitness markedly, may be enough to win him another first-team chance.

"When I came to the club Neil, in my opinion, was neither mentally nor physically fit," said Smith, "but for the past month he has been doing intense conditional training and is much sharper for that and I thought he looked good in the under-21s against Dundee."

Recent signings Jim Lauchlan and Jamie Fullarton both came through Monday’s fixture unscathed and look certain to start against St Johnstone this weekend. ©The Courier