Goodwillie joy at Young Player gong

David Goodwillie expressed his gratitude to Dundee United manager Peter Houston before collecting the SPL Young Player of the Year award. The 21-year-old has shone under Houston and has been a regular since the turn of the year.The award capped a memorable 24 hours for United after they clinched a return to European football with a 3-2 victory at Motherwell.Goodwillie has scored 12 goals this season and hailed the influence of Houston, who took over from Craig Levein in December."He has shown faith in me and I have really enjoyed working with him," the Scotland Under-21 international said."I like it because he can talk me through things in the good times and the bad times."He tells me to keep the head up if we are not playing well."And at half-time, he doesn't just shout, he will tell you what to do. You just want to play for him, 100%."Houston's future beyond the summer has yet to be confirmed with Levein's former assistant putting off contract talks until after the Scottish Cup final against Ross County."We would love him to stay and I think he will, because he'll want a crack at Europe," Goodwillie said. "Everyone wants to travel the world! "I'm looking forward to it. Last year we missed out on the last day and it hurt a few of the boys so it's great to know we are going to play abroad."Goodwillie has endured some difficult times off the park with disciplinary issues but he has come through them to make a major impact in the SPL.He admitted he could not have foreseen his rise in the last few months and thought the prize would have gone to Rangers defender Danny Wilson."I couldn't have even dreamed it," he said. "I've had a dream season for what is basically my first season all in. It has been brilliant."It helps that we've just got such a strong squad just now, and everyone wants to play for each other."It's nice for people to notice your hard work and it is paying off."I thought Danny Wilson maybe deserved it because he has played Champions League football, but I'll take it."

Source: Team_Talk