Dundee United played their best football of the season as they all but wrapped up fourth spot in the SPL by comfortably beating Kilmarnock on Saturday.
The Tangerines dished up some tasty stuff as they gave their supporters a lunchtime treat at Tannadice.
Killie have earned a reputation for their stylish approach to the game but, truth be told, United passed them off the park for over an hour before easing off and letting their opponents score twice.
The result put Peter Houston’s men eight points clear of the Ayrshire men and now they have to wait to see how the European equation works out.
They need an SPL championship win for Rangers combined with a Scottish Cup success for Celtic in order for fourth spot to open the door to the Europa League.
Also, following Motherwell’s dramatic draw at Tynecastle, United still retain an outside chance of catching Hearts.
They are seven points adrift and host the Jam Tarts on the final day. If they can get third then that would guarantee continental competition next season whatever the Old Firm do.
United’s four goals were as slick as the rain-drenched surface on Saturday.
After they had struck the woodwork twice, through David Goodwillie then Barry Douglas, central defender Scott Severin grabbed his first counter for the club a crisp header off a Craig Conway corner on 25 minutes.
Then Conway exchanged passes with Danny Swanson from another corner on 38 minutes before picking out Goodwillie, who nodded into the net.
The third was scored by Goodwillie again just two minutes into the second half, with David Robertson laying the ball back to Conway, who sent over another perfect cross that the Scotland striker headed home.European experienceConway got the goal his performance merited just a couple of minutes later, blasting a superb shot past keeper Cammy Bell from all of 30 yards.
With the points in the bag, United relaxed too much and Killie sub David Silva pulled one back on 70 minutes before defender Manuel Pascali, who otherwise had a dismal match, made it 4-2 with three minutes remaining.
Now the Tangerines will have to see whether or not they will get a second shot at Europe in successive seasons.
If they do, then Conway believes they will have learned from the experience of their defeat to AEK Athens in August.
He said, “I wouldn’t say we are secure, but an eight-point lead over Killie with just 12 available is a great position to be in.
“Hearts would have to blow up for us to even look at third, but you never know.
“So a European place is still possible if results go for us and we would be a more experienced club if we got there again.”
He added, “Looking back on this season, we did not really do ourselves justice against AEK.
“In the home game we had a group of players who were inexperienced in Europe and did not really know how to approach the first leg.
“Losing that one made it really hard but we put up a good fight in Athens and I think if we had another 10 minutes we would have scored and gone through.”Conway on the move?On Saturday, Conway was a class act again, reminding fans just how fine a servant he has been since joining from Ayr United in the summer of 2006.
The Scottish Cup final double-goal hero will likely be on his way at the end of the campaign the player himself would not comment on his future but when he does go it will surely be with a round of appreciative applause ringing in his ears.
He is still keen to make the most of what remains of the season, saying, “Things have been stop-start for me and it’s only now I feel like I am getting back to my best.
“I had hoped to kick on this season but you can’t help it when you get injuries.”
He added, “I think that was the best from me this season.
“I am feeling really good now and I probably don’t want the season to end.”
Houston was delighted to see his team bounce back once again from a setback.
They have had a knack under both Houston and his predecessor Craig Levein of following a bad result with a good one and there was no hangover from the controversial 4-0 loss to Rangers on Tuesday, when they had three players ordered off.
Houston said, “Up until the second sending-off and penalty kick for Rangers, I was happy with the United performance.
“After the second goal the heads went down and it became an uphill battle.”United a ‘form team’He added, “Although we were disappointed to lose 4-0 there were circumstances that didn’t help us.
“So we bounced back in the proper way and I thought we worked ever so hard and merited our victory.
“Indeed, for the first hour or so I thought it was our best performance of the season as we played brilliantly.”
Killie caretaker boss Kenny Shiels was hugely disappointed after seeing his side lose four goals for the second match in a row following their midweek defeat to Celtic.
He said, “Dundee United and Celtic are the form teams of 2011.
“They have Conway, Swanson and Goodwillie firing on all cylinders, while our squad is quite depleted at the moment.
“The two goals we conceded in the first half were poor in terms of people not doing their jobs at set-pieces.
“We spoke about it at half-time. I thought we had eliminated that but then we got caught in possession in our own half for the third and then Conway scores a fantastic goal.”
He added, “However, I felt after that we dominated and we looked very dangerous every time we went forward.
“Had the game been a little bit longer we could have possibly got something, but that’s clutching at straws. The best team won.”