 Normally featuring as a right back at this stage of his career, he was given his first team début for United away to Hibernian in December 2000.Despite McCunnie being aged only 17 at the time, manager Alex Smith was sufficiently impressed by his performances to keep him as a regular first team player for the rest of that season, helping the club climb successfully out of relegation and reach a Scottish Cup semi-final.McCunnie's successful season culminated in him signing a new three-year contract with the Tannadice club, while also making his début for Scotland under-21 side against Poland.