Steven Fletcher wants Dundee United relegation pain used as fuel to make sure it NEVER happens again

The Tannadice club started the season in the Europa Conference League, only to end it out of the Premiership.

Steven Fletcher has urged Dundee United’s kids to use the pain of relegation as fuel to never endure it again.

The Tannadice club started the season in the Europa Conference League, only to end it out of the Premiership. Fletcher, who still has a year left on his contract, said: “We spoke to the younger boys about it and gave them some advice on how to handle it. It’s easy for us to say, ‘Stay off social media’ but it’s part of their lives, they have grown up with it. We didn’t have that when we were younger so it wasn’t as bad back then.

"Now it’s easy for people to give their opinions across to you. For a young player it’s especially difficult, so all they can do is get their head down and work as hard as they can. They have to react the right way to the experience. It is an experience and you have to use it. The way they’re feeling, you don’t want that again in your career.

"Hopefully a lot of them will have a good, long career ahead of them and they have to use what’s happened as motivation.” The disappointment is raw as he added: “We know it has been down to us.”

Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond.

You can also follow our dedicated Rangers and Celtic podcast pages and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.

READ NEXT