Dundee United Vice-Captain, Will Ferry spoke to the broadcast media to preview our UEFA Conference League Second Qualifying Round clash with FC UNA Strassen.

Our number 11 discussed his excitement ahead of his European debut, shouldering the responsibility of leading the group alongside Ross Graham, the impact of a raucous Tannadice atmosphere and more!

ON TASTING EUROPEAN FOOTBALL FOR THE FIRST TIME

We're not going to go into it treating it any differently. Personally and as a team, it's a big game. It's something I and a lot of the changing room probably haven't experienced, so it's a big moment and we want to want to make it a day to remember.

A year ago, I'd never thought I'd be in this situation - playing in a European game. I just want to take the opportunity, to perform

as an individual, as a team and hopefully get through the tie. 

ON THE SQUAD COMING TOGETHER THROUGHOUT PRE-SEASON

We feel very ready. We've done everything we can in terms of preparation, whether it’s trying to get some team bonding when we've been away in the Netherlands, there’s been plenty of meetings discussing how we want to play and getting to know how each other play on the pitch. 

We have those individual relationships between certain positions and it's come together well. You've seen with each pre-season game, we've got better and better and certain patterns of play coming out.

ON OUR OPPOSITION AND WHAT TO EXPECT

They are an organised team - we’ve watched plenty of clips. They look really well-coached, well-organised and they're obviously in European competition for a reason. We're going to take it as serious as we would take any league game. 

We back ourselves in that, if we perform, then we can go and take a positive result and get through the tie.

It's so easy to take your eye off the ball if you’re complacent. You see in the cup competitions in Scotland the last few weeks that there have been upsets all over. 

We're all very focused and ready to go out there with 100% effort and concentration.

ON EUROPEAN FEVER IN THE STANDS

It's going to be amazing walking out to a big crowd - it’s going to the type of atmosphere that gives you goosebumps. It helps massively and we want to put on a good performance, but at the end of the day, we just want to win - that's all that matters really.

Everyone knows that it makes a massive difference. It is the type of thing that gets you so pumped and hyped up. Sometimes we almost have to take a breath and take a step back so you don’t get too invested in the atmosphere. 

The noise and everything that the fans can do tomorrow will all be appreciated and will hopefully get us over the line. Everyone needs to bring their A-game when it comes to shouting and screaming tomorrow to help us on the park.

Everyone's made well aware of the history the club has when we come here. It's part of the reason you want to come to such a big historic club.

It would be good to repeat nights like Dundee United have had in the past and we’ll take inspiration from them, but we just want to focus on the present and get the job done. 

ON BEING NAMED VICE-CAPTAIN

It's something that will be a proud moment for me and my family. Again, it's something I want to remember it for the right reasons. It won't mean anywhere near as much if we don't have good performances to match it.

It feels like just yesterday I arrived! We've had all sorts of ups and downs. Last season, we had some good periods and some not so good ones which we all went through together and we kind of stuck together as a unit.

That’s what’s got us to where we are today. Hopefully, we reap the rewards from last season and we get through this first round.

I feel it's been natural how I've kind of came, settled in and become a bit more vocal as the year went on. It's been a big turnover of players and Ross and I have taken on that responsibility.

I know what the fans’ expectations are and what the gaffer wants. It's important I project the standards onto the next group that have come in.

ON THOROUGHLY ENJOYING HIS TANNADICE ADVENTURE

These last two years have been the best of my career. It'll be the years I look back on and say, ‘I loved that.’

Hopefully, we push through this season and have a good year again. 

We're not taking anything for granted. We want to enjoy our time in the European tournament here and we want to progress, but then when it comes to the league, we want to get back into it.

We don't want this to be a one-off and a token gesture, we want to make it a consistent baseline.

ON WHAT EXCITES HIM MOST ABOUT HIS EUROPEAN DEBUT

Probably that first walkout. When you watch these European competitions at home and you've got the songs when the players come out of the tunnel - it's cool, isn’t it!

When you were playing at the park as a kid  you'd play the Champions League music pretending you're playing in Europe. So, for me, that's a little sentimental thing that I'm looking forward to.

ON LONGER-TERM EUROPEAN AMBITIONS

Just to progress as far as we can. We believe we can get through this round if we perform to our own standards. That's what we're going to focus on.

We're going to give them respect but it's about whether we do our jobs. We're always going to take the individual ties as they come if we get to the next stage. 

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