Flu Bug Cripples Cup Preparations

Dundee United have hit a major set back in their Scottish Cup preparations with half of the 1st team squad off with the flu.

The whole of the SPL has been hit by the bug, with Aberdeen's Jimmy Calderwood taking the usual step of banning several of his squad from training this week, in a bid to stop it spreading any further through the ranks.

Some of the United squad were feeling under the weather on Monday, but that might have just been their despair at being beaten 5-1 by Falkirk.

However, at least 7 of the first team players have now caught the flu bug, which has meant disruption to Levein's preparations for this weekends Scottish Cup match against St Mirren.

Derek Stillie, Garry Kenneth, Greg Cameron, Grant Smith, Craig Conway, David Goodwillie and Margaro Gomis are all the players affect so far, but Craig Levein isn't too concerned at the moment because they have an extra day to recover - since the match isn't until Sunday afternoon.

"One or two of them began feeling unwell on Monday so they may be coming to the end of it," Levein told the Courier.

"Goodwillie, Conway and Gomis have only gone down with it today, but because this is only Thursday and we don't play until Sunday I am not too worried at this stage."

"Unfortunately the nature of these things is you might feel better, but you don't appreciate how much it has taken out of your body."

"It really just is a case of waiting to see how things pan out, although having the extra day this week will certainly help."

"If it was a similar story come Saturday, we'll be in trouble."

Christian Kalvenes missed the Celtic(a) and Aberdeen(h) matches with the flu and was expected to make his comeback in the match against Falkirk, but missed that one also with a knee injury.

With the Falkirk match on New Years day, the Dundee United squad were given 2 days off to celebrate the New Year with their families and only returned to training this morning.

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