Dundee United are in a crucial point of the season.
A brilliant start has them flying in third but form has tailed off recently.
And Saturday’s trip to Kilmarnock is an important one.
The Tangerines have done more than enough good stuff this season to earn the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a wee bad spell.
After Sunday’s loss to Rangers that’s now four defeats in five.
Nothing to get too worried about because of the excellent work done already this term.
But not something Jim Goodwin will want to see continue.
Every team goes through bad spells.
What sets them apart is how they handle them and how long they last.
This United squad have shown already they can bounce back from bad days.
They are a mentally tough side.
But the more the season goes on the more you are asking of boys like Declan Gallagher, Kevin Holt and others who have been there every single week.
It’s tough to keep up that level of consistency throughout a whole campaign.
It feels like a long season when defeats start coming.
I fully expect United to rally, though.
Kilmarnock
The weekend trip to Kilmarnock will be tough, no doubt.
Rugby Park is one of those places where visiting teams know they are going to have to fight for everything.
It’s a tough place to go and there’s also the pitch to contend with.
They will fancy their chances, though, if they can start this game like they did against Rangers on Sunday.
It was a strong start to the game and they deserved their lead through main man Sam Dalby.
And it could have been more.
They couldn’t, though, keep that level up.
The second half wasn’t at the same intensity as the first.
They tried to throw new players on to get things going but Rangers had the game by the throat in the second period.
Docherty and Sibbald
Games like these are where you miss guys like Ross Docherty and Craig Sibbald.
No harm to the boys in the team on Sunday but United will be stronger once they get those guys fit.
Even having them on the bench for that came, there would have been a big boost for the team to see them back on the pitch. But we’ll have to wait for their return.
No worries on the Dalby front, though.
What brilliant news.
For both club and player. They’ve been a perfect fit this season and I can’t see anything but continuing to score goals between now and the end of the season.
He’s a nightmare for defenders to deal with. He has so many attributes and his goal on Sunday showed true striker instinct.
There is still loads to be delighted with at Dundee United this season – stopping this wee run of defeats is crucial now, though.
Conversation