Dundee Uniteed's Willo Flood was ready to bill Rangers for his summer holiday if the Ibrox side had succeeded in their bid to have the Clydesdale Bank Premier League season extended again.

It turns out that captain Lee Wilkie and the rest of the Tannadice dressing room wags were winding up the little Irishman so much at training this week that at one point he threatened to send David Murray the bill for his extra costs if Rangers' appeal had been successful.

The midfielder had already forked out £1000 to change his flights to America when the final round of league fixtures were put back because of Rangers' involvement in next week's UEFA Cup final and he was upset at the prospect of having to stump up again.

As it is, Flood will still be able to head to Florida after the final game of the season, but his frustrations have been a source of amusement all week as the United squad prepared for today's match at Ibrox.

Wilkie said: "After the season was extended, Willo rearranged his holiday. Then there was talk of another extension, and he'd already paid £1000 to change his flights. He wasn't too happy when he heard the SPL were thinking about changing the dates again. He was close to sending Rangers the bill for £1000, and that's what he wanted to do if there was a second extension."

Willo's woes aside, Wilkie believes the SPL were right to stick by the scheduled end to the season as players all over the country have already made their summer plans.

He added: "I can understand why Rangers wanted the league extended again, with a lot of tough games coming up, but that's what happens in football when you're successful. If you're doing well you play a lot of games."

With Rangers still battling hard with Celtic for the title, Wilkie added: "You could detect a lot of nerves around Ibrox during the Motherwell game on Wednesday. We have to use that to our advantage by creating a similar atmosphere on Saturday.

"We have to try and keep the ball as much as we can. When you go to Ibrox it's vital - if you don't, you get punished."

United are without a win in their last five matches but inconsistency elsewhere has ensured the teams going for Europe remain closely bunched.

Craig Levein, the manager, believes that playing Rangers and Celtic in the final two games of the season will actually help his team in their bid for third place. United travel to Ibrox today and Levein is sure the big game atmosphere can free up his players to get back to winning ways.

The Tannadice side are three points behind third-placed Motherwell, who still have a game in hand, but Levein knows a victory at Ibrox and a positive result elsewhere would go a long way to helping his side achieve their UEFA Cup target.

Levein said: "We'll be going to Ibrox with the intention of winning the game.

"In some ways I think these games are a bit better for us than the ones we've been playing recently. The expectation levels have maybe affected us, particularly in front of goal, and that's why we've not played as we should have done.

"It's a case of getting the players to relax a bit more. Until you are in these positions on a regular basis dealing with it is new. Sometimes teams tighten up a bit, like Rangers did on Wednesday night against Motherwell. They were tense and the whole of Ibrox was tense. When that happens, instead of playing with your usual freedom the players go safe and that has an impact on you attacking-wise."

Danny Swanson, the United playmaker, is doubtful with a thigh injury, but centre-half Garry Kenneth has recovered from a mystery knee complaint. Levein revealed: "Danny has a slight thigh strain, so he's not trained, but Garry Kenneth is fine and will be in the squad."