If some at Dundee United have been left wondering what they have to do to be considered genuine contenders for automatic promotion from the Championship, they could hardly be blamed.
Tuesday night’s hard-earned victory over Dunfermline was their fifth consecutive in the league and sixth in all competitions.
You have to go back to September for their last defeat — in the Betfred Cup at Morton — and in all there have only been two reversals in 20 competitive games this term.
Just to round off those positive statistics, the Tangerines are also second in their division — only on goal difference — and are top scorers with 23 goals from 13 games.
Yet, despite all that pointing to a side that must be regarded as serious players in the second tier, most pundits and bookies are steadfastly sticking by pre-season predications Hibs will be the team on top come the end of the season.
While it goes without saying he doesn’t share that view, if people want to continue to think that way, Tangerines midfielder Willo Flood is content to let it pass without complaint.
That’s because the Irishman is more than happy for the fine form of late to pass under the radar.
“To be honest about it, I’ve not been taking much notice of what people are saying about the Championship,” he said.
“If people want to say Hibs will definitely finish top it’s up to them and we’ll see how it turns out at the end of the season.
“All I know is the way we’ve been playing and the way the team is coming together and improving, we have a serious chance of winning promotion.
“That’s six wins in a row we have now, the last five of them in the league, and that shows we have what it takes.
“We’re right up there with Hibs right now and I know we are capable of staying there right until the end.
“Whether people are saying that or not doesn’t really matter to me but it might not be a bad thing if people are not taking notice of us.”
Flood’s confidence in making that statement has only been strengthened by the contrasting nature of the last couple of wins.
Down in Dumfries on Saturday, he and his team-mates oozed class as they swept aside Queen of the South in a 4-1 victory at Palmerston, a ground that is normally regarded as one of the most difficult away venues in the league.
On Tuesday night, it was about battling hard and grafting for the three points as Simon Murray’s late effort earned the three points against a dogged Dunfermline.
“On Saturday we showed we can play good football and win well, then on Tuesday we had to scrap for the three points. Sometimes you have to grind out results like that and credit to Dunfermline for the way they made it difficult for us.
“I thought they went about it very well and, as well as working hard, they have some good players. I know they are down near the bottom just now but I would expect them to be up in the top six by the end of the season.
“For us, it wasn’t the first time we’ve won a game like that. We’ve done it a few times and that’s what you need to be able to do if you are going to do well.”
He concedes the fans helped get United over the line on Tuesday by staying patient. Grateful as he was for that, in typical forthright fashion he adds after similar tight wins against the likes of Dumbarton and Falkirk over the past few weeks, he believes the team has earned that patience.
“The fans were very good but I think we’ve shown they can trust us in those kind of games because of the good results we’ve had.”
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