United midfielder Craig Easton hopes to surrender the "exclusive" tag accompanying his membership of a Tannadice goal-grabbers’ club. Easton will be the only visiting player on view at Celtic Park today ever to have scored against the hosts. And while he wouldn’t mind adding to the counter he grabbed in a 2-1 defeat of the Celts 14 months ago, he would be just as happy to see a team-mate follow his lead-just as long as rock-bottom United secure a morale-boosting result. Clearly, anything salvaged from today’s encounter will be welcome after one of the worst spells in the club’s history, which culminated in the controversial resignation of chairman Jim McLean last weekend. "I’ve only ever scored six times for the club and really I need to be getting among the goals much more often than that," he confessed last night.

"But I’ll settle for losing the distinction of being the only player involved for us tomorrow to have scored against Celtic especially if we come away from Parkhead with something to show for our efforts." United have gone six months since last winning a league fixture and a haul of just six goals in the SPL so far this term suggests their biggest problem lies in attack. However, Easton disagrees. "We have been creating chances-maybe not clear-cut ones but certainly half-chances," he said. "And for me first and foremost we’ve got to stop making the kind of very bad defensive mistakes we have been." United could be forgiven approaching this afternoon’s fixture with considerable trepidation given the clubs are separated by the length of the league. But Easton, poised to return following suspension, claims he has no such emotions. "I can only speak for myself but I am still reasonably confident in my outlook and aiming to get something from this particular game," he said. "We have to be positive and go to Parkhead thinking that this might be the match which kick-starts our season.

"Our luck could easily turn on a single incident. Whoever the opposition might be and whatever Celtic’s reputation and record, if we work hard this might be the day we get the break we need." David Hannah (thigh injury) is almost certain to be missing but Francisco Ramirez, Kevin McDonald and David Worrell are added to the squad. United boss Alex Smith had hoped to have a new face in the ranks-a Scottish player-in time for the trip but he revealed, "We need more time to get things worked out." Smith, who brought the whole playing squad together for a team talk yesterday, recognises the enormity of the task facing his team.

The Tangerines are as much as 14-1 AGAINST with the bookies to win today, with Celtic rated 1-8 racing certainties. But Smith said, "We are going there in a positive frame of mind. "The Celtic manager, Martin O’Neill, has put together a very consistent unit and we will have to nullify their threat. "It will be difficult but not impossible." ©The Courier