Dundee United can afford no more false dawns, according to midfielder Willo Flood.
The Tangerines’ 1-0 win over Dunfermline at Tannadice on Tuesday night has given them renewed momentum going into the final stage of the Championship season.
Their aim is to finish in second spot behind champions-elect Hibs and thereby lie in wait to face the winners of the first play-off round between the third and fourth-placed teams.
The value of playing as few games as possible during the promotion decider has been all too evident in recent seasons, hence the importance placed on being runners-up.
United currently look well positioned just a point behind second-placed Falkirk but their supporters have seen it all before when it comes to their team looking as if they have turned the corner only for them to slip up once again, usually away from home.
Looming large on the horizon is a tricky-looking trip to Somerset Park on Saturday evening to face an Ayr United side battling to stay in the division.
The Tangerines won down there earlier in the season but it was by the skin of their teeth.
So little wonder, then, that Flood is emphasising the need to keep motoring after such a vital victory over the Pars.
The Irishman said: “We’ve got to make it a turning point.
“There are no ifs and buts now.
“This is the business end of the season and we need to push on.
“I thought when we played quite well against St Mirren in the Irn-Bru Cup final that that was a turning point but we let ourselves down against Queen of the South, where we didn’t play well at all and gave away bad goals.
“So hopefully this is the turning point…no, not hopefully, it simply has to be.
“It is vital to finish second because we have probably played the most games in our league.
“We have had runs in both cups, reaching the quarter-final of the League Cup and the other cup we won obviously, so I think we have to deal with it.
“To be honest, I’m sick of talking about how we need to do this and we need to do that.
“We just need to go out on the pitch, do what we need to do, get second place and see where it takes us.”
Flood highlighted the resilient nature of the display against Dunfermline, with the team holding on for a clean sheet unlike when they caved in under pressure from Falkirk in the previous match.
He added: “It was a good result and what was really pleasing was that we were under the cosh a little bit in the second half but kept a clean sheet, which we haven’t had in a long, long time (the 3-0 win over Raith Rovers on February 4).
“When you hit the post and have a few chances like we did, you are thinking: ‘Here it comes like Saturday, we’re not going to kill the game off with a second goal.’
“To be fair we invited pressure because we were probably a bit too deep but the lads dug out in the end and I thought we deserved it.
“We showed a bit of resilience which we haven’t been showing the last couple of months.
“Now we need to get back on form going into the play-offs and let’s see where it takes us.”
Flood was more like his usual busy, bustling self against Dunfermline after a couple of below-par displays.
He was joined in that improvement by other experienced players like William Edjenguele and Tony Andreu, while a real bonus for United just now is the form of frontmen Mikkelsen and Simon Murray, who both look like they will have goals in them for the run-in.
Flood said: “I felt good out there.
“You do that in your career, have good patches and bad patches, but one thing I always do is give 100%.
“No matter what happens on that pitch, I would like to think that I am a good teammate.
“The whole team needs to hit form going into the play-offs because you can’t just depend on one or two.
“We need to all hit form individually and collectively and if we do that then I’m sure we’re a match for anyone.”
United’s remaining matches are away to Ayr at teatime on Saturday, home to St Mirren on the 22nd, they have another home game against Dumbarton on the 29th, then finish off with a trip to Cappielow to play Morton on May 6.
Falkirk face St Mirren (h), Dunfermline (a), Queen of the South (h) and Dumbarton (a), while the Greenock men play Raith Rovers (a), Ayr (h), Dunfermline (a) and United (h).
