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Dundee United now eyeing Premiership return ahead of Hamilton crunch

They seem intent on doing it the hard way — but do it they just might.

After a night of drama at the Falkirk Stadium on Friday, Dundee United sit just two games away from a Premiership return.

So, come Thursday and Sunday, Ray McKinnon’s team will face Hamilton Accies to fight it out for the right to be playing at the highest level next term.

If for no other reason than the Premiership team involved usually wins these play-offs, United will be underdogs.

They’ll also go in feeling a tad weary following a hectic schedule of four games in under two weeks to get this far.

On top of that a couple of players will be missing through injury and a few others will play carrying knocks.

Despite all that, anyone betting against this team right now does so at their peril.

Tangerines fans applaud their team at full-time.
Tangerines fans applaud their team at full-time.

Because as a stunning victory in the semi-final second leg at Falkirk demonstrated, while the Tangerines don’t often do things the easy way, they are capable of getting the job done.

Having squandered a lead twice in the first leg at Tannadice, they looked to have paid the price when they fell behind to a James Craigen strike.

Even with just seven minutes on the clock, you could not help but worry that would prove a fatal blow to promotion hopes.

It was hard to see how those tired legs in the ranks could haul them back into the tie but what followed was a quite awesome performance.

At a ground where they struggled badly in two league visits during the course of the season, losing six goals and managing just one in reply, they proceeded to dominate the proceedings, particularly in the second half.

Yes they left it late to turn the tie round with the excellent Simon Murray not grabbing the equaliser until the 76th minute and that rarest of sights — a Paul Dixon winner — coming three minutes from the end.

The timing of those goals along with the fact they came at the end of the ground behind where the travelling support was packed, made for great dramatic effect.

And the sight of life-long Arab Dixon saluting his fellow fans before heading for the dugout to ensure everyone from starters to kit men joined in the celebrations, will live long in the memory.

In truth, the game could have been won much earlier. They were desperately unlucky not to be level at the interval and, in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, created enough clear-cut chances to have been ahead.

Paul Dixon celebrates grabbing the late winner for Dundee United in the play-off semi-final.
Paul Dixon celebrates grabbing the late winner for Dundee United in the play-off semi-final.

That they weren’t meant the mix of fatigue and frustration could easily have taken its toll and the season could have finished there and then.

To their credit, the players stuck to the task and, roared on by a 2,000-strong travelling support, got what they deserved — a place in the final.

And there has to be a decent chance they will emerge from those finishing-two games of this mixed bag of a season back where they feel they belong.

That’s because United are going in with real momentum and players who now believe what their gaffer has been telling them for weeks — they are good enough to go up.

If that’s not enough reason to feel optimistic, in Murray they also have a striker whose form is red hot.

Right now he would be a handful for a much more solid defence than Hamilton’s.

Accies come to Tannadice on Thursday boosted by an emphatic 4-0 win over Dundee to close their league programme.

Top-flight safety already secure, the Dark Blues might just have been on their holidays. Their neighbours over the road most certainly are not.

This article originally appeared on the Evening Telegraph website. For more information, read about our new combined website.